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3.3 Save from Windows

3.3.1 Introduction
3.3.2 Opening documents for editing
3.3.3 Saving documents back to Business Collaborator
3.3.4 Monitoring the documents you are editing


3.3.1 Introduction

In previous versions of Business Collaborator, it was necessary to download, edit, then manually replace (or revise) any documents when you wished to edit them. In Business Collaborator version 4.7, new functionality - known as Save From Windows - has been introduced which simplifies this process considerably. Although the same underlying processes are taking place, this will be transparent to you. In fact, editing documents which originated in Business Collaborator will be just as easy as editing documents on your local drive or shared drive - but with all of the additional benefits which you get automatically with Business Collaborator.

All you will need to do is click on the appropriate action in the document's menu (see section 3.3.2 ), edit the file in the usual way and save it in the usual way from the application (see section 3.3.3 ). The process of saving the file will prompt you to upload it back into Business Collaborator. While the document is being edited, it will be locked automatically to prevent other users from editing it. A listing will be kept on your local computer of all of the files that you are either editing currently or have edited recently (see section 3.3.4 ).

As the function name suggests, the Save From Windows functionality can only be used by anyone with a Windows operating system, in conjunction with an Internet Explorer web browser - at least version 5.0.

Note 1
You need to have a compatible version of the application software installed on your local computer to be able to edit a document.
Note 2
Although you may have a local copy of the file, the definitive copy of the file is still the shared copy - the one stored in Business Collaborator - as this is the one which is potentially accessible to other people.
Note 3
It is not recommended that you mix editing documents using Save from Windows and the traditional "Save Target As..." then   |  Replace   technique - see section 6.3 - as this could cause confusion.


3.3.2 Opening documents for editing

To open a document for editing in a local application, click on   |  Edit   for the document you wish to edit. Your web page will indicate that you are downloading the document and you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to download and open it. When you do so, the appropriate application for editing this file will be opened on your local computer.

The web page from which you opened the document for editing will then refresh to indicate to you that the document is now locked, with the Lock icon displayed (see section 6.2), thus preventing other users from altering it while you are editing it. (Other users will still be able to read the document but not, for instance,   |  Rename    ,   |  Replace   or   |  Edit Description   for this document.)

Now edit your document in the usual way.

An additional application - the Business Collaborator Monitor (see section 3.3.4) - will also be opened on your local computer if it was not already open. If it was already open, the document you have just begun to edit will be added to the list of documents being monitored.

The first time you use Save from Windows, you will be prompted to install the relevant components on your local computer. If you answer "No" to this prompt, you will be unable to use this functionality. (You may need to contact your IT support provider to ensure that you have permission to install software on your local computer.)

The application which is opened when you click   |  Edit   for a particular file type is governed by the Windows settings on your local computer. Save from Windows will first look for an application associated with Editing the file type and, if this is not set, will use the application associated with Opening this type of file. The procedure for changing which application is associated with a particular file type will depend on your operating system - see the FAQ for further details.

If you have edited a document using Save from Windows in the last 7 days, your Business Collaborator Monitor (section 3.3.4) will still be tracking it. If you try to edit a document which is already being monitored, you will be prompted as to whether you wish to open the document in a new application window. If you respond "Yes" to this, Save from Windows will check whether the document has been changed by anyone else in Business Collaborator since you last read it. You will be given the option to download the Business Collaborator version even if the document has not changed. Alternatively, you can choose to open the version of the document which is still stored in the temporary location on your local computer. (The location in which a document is opened when you click   |  Edit   on its menu is governed by the Windows settings on your local computer.)

Note 1
Remember that documents are locked to you so that you can still carry out all the usual actions on it, e.g.   |  Rename  .
Note 2
If you do not have a local application associated with the file type, you will be prompted for which application you wish to use to edit the file.
Note 3
You can use Save from Windows to edit as many different document types at once as you wish. You can also used it to edit documents on different servers simultaneously. The name of the server from which the document originated can be displayed as part of the document's properties - see section 3.3.4.2.
Note 4
Alternatively, you may initiate editing of the document from the Business Collaborator Monitor - see section 3.3.4.1 - if you have edited the document using Save from Windows in the last 7 days.
Note 5
An alternative method of associating different applications with a particular file type when using Windows 2000 is described in the FAQ.


3.3.3 Saving documents back to Business Collaborator

When you have finished editing your document, save the document (or close the application) in the usual way. You will be prompted, as shown in Figure 3.3-1 - possibly after a slight pause - to choose whether to

  • upload the document - if you do so, the document in Business Collaborator will be updated to reflect the changes you have made, and
  • unlock the document - if you do so, the document in Business Collaborator will be unlocked (see section 6.2) so that other users can modify it.

If the document is under version control, saving your changes will revise the document in Business Collaborator and you will also be prompted to supply revision information - a change description, version state and version number in the usual way (see section 6.3 ). (If you do not choose to upload the document, you will not be asked to supply any revision information.)

Figure 3.3-1: Uploading and unlocking an edited document

A dialog box will inform you of the progress of the document upload - in a similar way to when you drag and drop a new document into Business Collaborator (see section 3.1.2). Finally, a message will appear when the document has been successfully uploaded, confirming the name of the document which you uploaded, the name of the document it replaced/ revised in Business Collaborator, the file type and the size of the document.

You can combine the choices above in any way you like to suit your purpose:

  • upload and unlock - replaces/ revises the document in Business Collaborator and unlocks it ready for other users who may wish to update it
  • upload but leave locked - updates the document in Business Collaborator but leaves it locked to you so that you can continue to edit the document.
  • don't upload the document and leave it locked - does not revise the Business Collaborator document or unlock it. This simply updates the local copy on your PC but the shared version in Business Collaborator will be unaffected.
  • don't upload the document but do unlock it - probably indicates that you do not wish to retain any changes you have made as the Business Collaborator document will remain unchanged but other users will now be in a position to edit it.
Note 1
Although unlocking the document will remove the lock from it in Business Collaborator, your view of the folder containing the document will not be refreshed if a web page displaying the folder is already open.
Note 2
If you do not make any changes to the document, you will not be prompted to upload it as the document in Business Collaborator is still up-to-date.
Note 3
If you save the file to a different location (File...Save As), you will not be prompted to upload it as this is a different document from the one in Business Collaborator.
Note 4
Saving and/or uploading the document does not stop the document being monitored - see section 3.3.4.


3.3.4 Monitoring the documents you are editing

3.3.4.1 What the monitor does
3.3.4.2 Business Collaborator Monitor options


3.3.4.1 What the monitor does

When you start to edit a document using Save from Windows, the Business Collaborator Monitor (see Figure 3.3-2) will start to monitor the file, i.e. keep a track of all the documents which you are editing using Save from Windows - or which you have edited using this functionality in the last 7 days. If the Monitor has not already been started, it will be started. If it has already been started, the document name will simply be added to the list of documents being monitored.

Figure 3.3-2: The Business Collaborator Monitor

Documents do not cease to be monitored immediately you finish editing them because the Monitor itself provides a useful way to re-initiate editing of a document. Double clicking on the name of a document in the Monitor will open it up for editing using Save from Windows. Save from Windows will prompt you to check whether your local version is the same as the one on the Business Collaborator server. It is always a good idea to check that you have indeed got the latest version of the document before beginning to make changes to it. You will only be informed that the document in Business Collaborator has changed if

  • someone else has changed the document, or
  • you have deleted a version of the document

You will not be prompted that changes have been made to the document if these changes were made by you (unless the change was to delete a version - see section 3.7.4). Even if Save from Windows tells you that the document has not changed on the Business Collaborator server since you last read or updated it, you will still be given the opportunity to download the latest version from the server. (You will be prompted to log in to the server if you are not currently logged in.) When you open a document in Save from Windows in this way, the document will be locked to you - as described in section 3.3.2.

Note that, if you have a document open with unsaved changes, some applications, e.g. Microsoft Word, will prompt you as to whether you wish to return to the saved copy of the document on your local computer or continue to edit the one which you already have open. It therefore keeps things simpler if you

  • always save your changes to a document and close it when you have finished editing it

Clicking on a document name will display its properties in the Monitor if you have selected this option - see section 3.3.4.2

For each document which is being monitored, you can stop the document being monitored by selecting its name and then clicking Remove. The Monitor will warn you that stopping monitoring the document will prevent you from being able to upload the document automatically into Business Collaborator. You will be able to choose whether or not to remove your local copy from your PC. If the document is still locked on the Business Collaborator server, you will be prompted to unlock it.

After a document has been monitored for 7 days without being edited, you will be asked whether you wish to continue monitoring the file. If you choose to stop monitoring the document, you can choose whether or not to remove your local copy from your PC. If the document is still locked on the Business Collaborator server, you will be prompted to unlock it.

Clicking OK will minimise the Monitor.

File | Exit will close the Monitor. It will be started up automatically on restarting your PC if you had selected this option prior to shutting the Monitor down - see section 3.3.4.2. Alternatively, clicking   |  Edit   to initiate editing using Save from Windows on a document will restart the Monitor.


3.3.4.2 Business Collaborator Monitor options

A number of options are available by clicking the Options menu on the Business Collaborator Monitor, as shown in Figure 3.3-3.

Figure 3.3-3: The Business Collaborator Monitor

  • Show File Properties By default, the Monitor only displays the names of the documents currently being monitored. If at least two documents of the same name are being monitored (e.g. from different folders or even different Business Collaborator servers), it will not be possible to distinguish between these documents without selecting this option. Selecting the Show File Properties option displays information about the documents which are being monitored including
    • the file type icon and document name
    • the name of the Business Collaborator server from which the document originated
    • the location on the Business Collaborator server where the document originated and a link to this location - obtained by clicking on . (If the location is too long to display in full in the Monitor window, hovering your mouse over the text will display the entire location.)
    • the type of the document (and the associated icon)
    • the size of the document
  • Use Minimized ensures that the Monitor will be minimised if you do not click on it for a short time.
  • Always on Top keeps the Monitor permanently on top of any other applications which are open - making it easier to locate.
  • Load on Startup will start the Monitor up automatically when you log into your computer.
  • Close when Empty closes the Monitor if no documents are currently being monitored.
  • Enable Drag and Drop permits you to drag and drop a document which is being monitored, by dragging its file type icon in the File Properties display. This allows you to drag and drop the document directly onto the application of your choice, even if this is not the default application associated with editing this file type. You may then edit the document in this application and upload it to Business Collaborator by saving your changes. However, if you drag and drop the document onto your desktop or a different location on your computer, this will create a copy which will not be monitored.
    Although you will also be able to drag and drop the document back into Business Collaborator using this method, it is not recommended as you will be circumventing the Save from Windows process of uploading the document. You will not be prompted to unlock the document or provide revision information, if relevant.
  • Show Application Info displays the version information of the components used in the Save from Windows application (and also checks that the versions of the components are compatible with each other).

The only options which are selected by default are Use Minimised and Close when Empty. Any alterations you make to your Monitor settings will be retained, even if you exit the Monitor.

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