SharePoint Solution Applications
Client-based solutions that extend the functionality of
collaboration and content management applications for SharePoint
Colligo Contributor Pro for SharePoint
Colligo Contributor™ Pro is an easy-to-deploy .NET client application that extends the power of Microsoft® Office SharePoint® to the desktop. It boosts productivity and adoption by enabling users to instantly and securely access, modify, and create SharePoint content online and offline. Contributor Pro includes two user interface options: a rich standalone desktop client and a Microsoft Office Outlook® Add-in.
How it Works
Colligo Contributor for SharePoint is a .NET application for use on Windows 2000/XP/Vista laptops. It connects to the server using standard SharePoint web services so no server modifications are required. Colligo Contributor 2.1 works with Windows SharePoint® Services (WSS 3.0 or 2.0), Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server (MOSS 2007), or Microsoft® SharePoint® Portal Server (SPS 2003) sites.
Once Colligo Contributor has been installed on a laptop, the user enters the URL of the SharePoint site they wish to sync and their standard SharePoint site login credentials. Colligo Contributor then retrieves the document libraries and lists available within that SharePoint site and the user may select which ones to download. Site selection can also be pre-configured by IT prior to deployment. Once the content is synchronized to their laptop, users can read and edit it while offline. When the user returns online, the offline changes made are automatically synchronized back to the SharePoint server.
Step 1 - Synchronize Content to Contributor
To synchronize a SharePoint site to Contributor, simply: (1) click the "Connect to Contributor" button from the Internet Explorer toolbar; or (2) click the "Synchronize ..." button in Contributor, select "Download New Site...", and enter the site URL. The next step is to enter your SharePoint credentials to download the site. Contributor will log into the SharePoint site and retrieve online document libraries and lists that are available based on your user permissions as shown below.
In addition to library- and list-level selection, Contributor allows you to select content from a specific folder or view for synchronization. Simply click on a document library and click the "Filter..." button above to access the window below. Then select the folders and/or view of your choice.
Downloaded content is stored locally on the laptop and is available to be edited, even without a network connection. Files can be double clicked to open, then edited and saved back into the workspace. New documents can be created using form template. Files and emails can be dragged into the workspace from the desktop. Other site elements, such as metadata and views are all available offline.
Step 2 - Set Your Configuration Options
You can easily configure a number of Contributor options. Simply click "View" in the menu bar and selection "Options...". From the Options Panel, you can select whether you want to be prompted for metadata when you add documents to Contributor and you can set the storage location for the data cached. Background synchronization options include sync on start-up, navigation, modification, and configured time interval.
Step 3 - Synchronize SharePoint to Outlook
To synchronize a SharePoint document library to Outlook, simply click the "Connect to Outlook" button from the Internet Explorer toolbar. The library will then be synchronized to a sub-folder under the Colligo for SharePoint folder in Outlook. Emails and documents that are dragged-and-dropped into this folder are immediately synced to SharePoint if online or cached if offline. Email message fields (such as To, From, Date, Subject, etc.) are automatically mapped to SharePoint metadata if the library is properly configured.
Step 4 - Resolve Conflicts
When you return online, changes that you made offline are automatically synchronized to the SharePoint server, while new content on the server is downloaded to your laptop. If working online, changes made in Contributor are automatically synchronized in the background. If a change was made on the server to content that you changed while offline, a conflict error will appear in the "Sync Issues" pane show below. Simply click on the conflict notice to resolve the conflict. You can: (1) select the local version, (2) select the server version, (3) open the local version use "save as" to create a new version, or (4) use Word Compare & Merge to merge the changes from both documents.
Step 5 - Lock Documents for Editing
Contributor also features basic support for Check Out and Check In. Using the Contributor UI, you can track your own document checking activities performed in Contributor. To Check Out documents, simply select the documents, right click, and select "Check Out." To unlock a document, simply select "Check In" to save any of your changes to the server or "Discard Check Out" to discard your changes.
