RFI - HOW TO config SPS2003 Doc Lib to edit NON-Office docs?
From: "Mark Vogt"
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver
Subject: RFI - HOW TO config SPS2003 Doc Lib to edit NON-Office docs?
Date: 24 Oct 2005 06:17:29 -0700
Greetings all,
Does anyone know how to configure SPS2003 Doc Libaries so that you can check-out and edit NON-Office documents?
You CAN upload an MS Word document to a doc library.
You CAN check out an MS Word document from the library.
You DO see a pop-up menu choice "edit in MS Office Word" when attempting to edit this checked-out document.
You CAN go through the same process for a spreadsheet, and you WILL see "edit in MS Office Excel" for an editing program choice from your pop-up menu...
HOWEVER,
You CAN upload (say) a CSS file to a doc library.
You CAN check out that CSS file from the library.
BUT
You do NOT see ANY pop-up menu choice for EDITING this document!
Does anyone have suggestions/solutions re: HOW to configure SPS2003 or its doc libraries so that you can CHOOSE which application you wish to associate with NON-Office files?
Cheers,
- MV
*************************************
From: "Daniel Drinhausen"
Subject: Re: RFI - HOW TO config SPS2003 Doc Lib to edit NON-Office docs?
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 17:51:00 +0200
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver
Take a look at this:
http://www.theegroup.net/Sharepoint%20Portal%20Server/Sharepoint%20Articles/Extreme%20SharePoint%20Design%20-%20Creating%20Custom%20User%20Menus.pdf
and on this:
http://www.ideseg.com/DocumentLibraryFields.aspx
and also on this:
http://pserrano.blogscavedigital.com/PermaLink,guid,82933a22-3179-48a0-bfef-15b8a6744b25.aspx
Hope it helps! :-)
--
Viele Grüße
Daniel Drinhausen
Web @ www.SharepointCommunity.de
Blog @ www.Sharepointers.de
*************************************
From: "Bil Simser [SPS MVP]"
Subject: Re: RFI - HOW TO config SPS2003 Doc Lib to edit NON-Office docs?
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 16:10:09 +0000
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver
Those are great links Daniel but it doesn't address Mark's problem and is only half the solution. In addition to just getting the items on the menu, SharePoint needs to know how to do something at the other end of the command that's being invoked.
Currently only Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) are supported with the "Edit in..." option. This is because there's an ActiveX control behind them that interacts with the Office 2003 client in order to create a complete edit/save lifecycle. Nobody has made one for other products or modified their products (yet).
If you're adventurous, you can check out the SharePad GotDotNet project as it provides a sample of building your own (the sample is for .txt files, but can be adapted to any other product). The SharePad workspace is available here:
http://www.gotdotnet.com/workspaces/workspace.aspx?id=a4cc28b4-e626-4d0c-beb0-4c94d5bef88b
--
Bil Simser
SharePoint MVP, BSc., MCSD
Calgary, Alberta
http://weblogs.asp.net/bsimser
*************************************
From: "Mark Vogt"
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver
Subject: Re: RFI - HOW TO config SPS2003 Doc Lib to edit NON-Office docs?
Date: 24 Oct 2005 09:41:31 -0700
Bil and Daniel - thanks for the prompt reply...
BIG QUESTION - before I even consider exploring the SharePad project, I need to ask this:
HOW does Microsoft propose to provide an entire edit process for NON-office documents, like the CSS file I described in my initial posting?
That is, WITHOUT modifying Sharepoint, HOW would an ordinary portal user actually check-out, EDIT and then check-back-in such a non-office file?
Are your initial responses actually telling me Sharepoint user CANNOT perform these operations AT ALL, UNLESS the files are MS Word, Excel or Powerpoint documents?
If so, then WHY would Microsoft offer it as a BEST PRACTICE to STORE the portal's CUSTOM CSS file IN a document library, IF that same CSS file is NOT even editable?
Hmmm...
I hope you'll be able to tell me that there IS an out-of-the-box process for using a document library to checkout/edit/checkin even NON-office documents... I DON'T care if the "editing" is triggered via a popup menu, or via something less clever.
Cheers,
Mark Vogt
Sharepoint Consultant, BSAerospace Eng,MSME,MSCSci... so what -
Sharepoint is still an odd duck technology...
;-)
Chicago . IL . USA
*************************************
From: "Bil Simser [SPS MVP]"
Subject: Re: RFI - HOW TO config SPS2003 Doc Lib to edit NON-Office docs?
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 16:49:50 +0000
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver
Hi Mark,
Yes, non-MS Office files are completely supported. You just do the usual check out, save to hard drive, edit, upload, check in routine. What you don't get is the integration with SharePoint so you can do edits and saves directly in whatever tool you're using.
Having said that, there is one other workaround that I use (and was using for CSS files in a document library). You can map a drive or open the file directly in Explorer and save it. I *think* you'll need to be running Windows XP on the client (didn't test with anything else) because of the WebDAV client support built in, but otherwise it works well.
--
Bil Simser
SharePoint MVP, BSc., MCSD
Calgary, Alberta
http://weblogs.asp.net/bsimser
*************************************
From: "Mark Vogt"
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver
Subject: Re: RFI - HOW TO config SPS2003 Doc Lib to edit NON-Office docs?
Date: 24 Oct 2005 11:52:07 -0700
Hi Bil,
Thanks again for the attention. However, I must say my own experimenting produces results different than your description.
Let me explain, using a CSS file as our non-Office guinea pig. The goal will be to see what Sharepoint ACTUALLY does as this file moves through a typical editing lifecycle...
1. The User uploads the CSS file. So far so good.
2. The User browses to the Doc lib, and right-mouse-clicks on the file to choose "Check out" for the file operation.
=> NOTHING happens except that the file now appears to have The User's name listed under the "Checked out to" column. There appears to be NO working file transferred to The User's computer.
3. The User now has to manually(?) do a right-mouse-click Save Target As? => The end result will be a COPY of the file - one completely UNrelated to the file in the doc lib
4. The User edits this file
5. The User UPLOADS ? this file? The end result seems to be an OVERWRITE of the existing file.
6. The User "checks in" this completely UNrelated file?
For me, I struggle with wonder what the POINT is in "checking in" a document that could - for all intents and purposes - be a completely DIFFERENT file, with the exception of its name & extension.
Wouldn't you agree that it is MORE typical that "CHECK-IN" is the operation that is supposed to accomplish this behind-the-scenes upload of what SHOULD have been a working (temp system) file -NOT an actual copy of the doc lib file?
I look forward to your thoughts - and any further brainstorming on how a BETTER, more intuitive mechanism can be achieved for working with (lots of) non-Office files in Sharepoint doc libs.
Cheers,
- Mark
*************************************
From: "Bil Simser [SPS MVP]"
Subject: Re: RFI - HOW TO config SPS2003 Doc Lib to edit NON-Office docs?
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 19:17:36 +0000
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver
Hi Mark,
Yes, I struggled with this as did others. In point #2 where the file is checked out, all it does is lock the file for editing for that user. It doesn't actually download a file or do anything on the client side. This is different to what we had in the 2001 version where a checkout would start the download of the file.
Anyways, that check out is what prevents other users from overwriting their own copy of the CSS file and while is a manual indicator that someone has it checked out so (from a process perspective) you would probably call or email that person to see what they were doing with the file or work with them to co-ordinate any changes you wanted to do to the file as well.
For the most part, when working with non MS-Office files it's manual and a process thing not a technology thing. The checkout will ensure that another regular user cannot overwrite your changes. When you upload the file (and you could do this multiple times during a files lifecycle) you add a new version (if versioning is enabled on the library) so you have
a history. The checkin solidifies this and allows you to leave comments as to what changes you made. It also removes the lock you have so others can get in and work with the file so it has a purpose. The file the user checks in isn't completely unrelated as it's the same name and you add a new version (or overwrite the version that's there) when you perform the checkin. It's not a true version control system (like say a source control system operates) but works if you play by the rules.
Unfortunately this is what you get when you area dealing with non-MS Office files or people who don't have Office 2003 (where the integration happens). It's not a silver bullet and doesn't work in all situations. Yes, it's manual and can be a real PITA sometimes but you have to work with it (or not, your choice).
HTH
--
Bil Simser
SharePoint MVP, BSc., MCSD
Calgary, Alberta
http://weblogs.asp.net/bsimser
*************************************
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 20:40:26 +0100
Subject: Re: RFI - HOW TO config SPS2003 Doc Lib to edit NON-Office
docs?
From: "Steven Collier [MVP]"
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver
I know it's not the point, but you would be best to open that site in FrontPage and then edit the CSS file.
Also in your little scenarios when the file is checked out other users will continue to see the previous version. The check-in will then be the step that replaces old for new.
Steven Collier
***********************************
From: "Mark Vogt" <mark_vogt@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.sharepoint.portalserver
Subject: Re: RFI - HOW TO config SPS2003 Doc Lib to edit NON-Office docs?
Date: 25 Oct 2005 06:10:12 -0700
Thanks again Bil and Steven for their replies.
As a final aside to this thread, I find it disappointing that Microsoft lacked the forethought to consider that the portal technology they promote as being their next quantum leap in knowledge management lacks the ability to provide natural, intuitive document management to anything EXCEPT their own office products - and not even all of those
(case in point Visio documents)...
In a corporate world (Chicago) where Microsoft is actively & heavily promoting Sharepoint as the only document repository solution an organization needs, I'm stumped the Microsoft team assigned couldn't see that XML files, VSD files, PDF files, various CAD files, and a whole host of other formats all might be considered VERY viable candidates for content within an organization...
FINAL CONCLUSIONS/TAKEAWAYS OF THIS THREAD:
==========================================
1. There IS reasonable document management (checkout/in) for ONLY MS Office 2003, and ONLY for *.doc, *.xls, *.ppt
2. There is NO reasonable, intuitive document management for ANY other file types - not even VSD, CSS, XML, or others.
3. Microsoft recommends storing a portal's custom CSS file IN a doc library, but provides NO reasonable, intuitive document management for maintaining that file. In fact, for non-Office documents, the user experience is different, confusing, frustrating, and non-equivalent to Office documents... all by design.
Best Regards,
- MV