Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop provides a set of embedded applications that help you seamlessly integrate your desktop experience with Oracle WebCenter Content Server, Oracle Content Server, Oracle Content Database, or other WebDAV-based content repositories. More specifically, it provides convenient access to these content servers directly from Microsoft Windows Explorer, Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), e-mail clients (Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes), and web browsers (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome).
This chapter has the following topics:
Integrating content repositories such as Oracle WebCenter Content Server with your desktop applications improves your ability to work with files on the content server. You can easily manage files on the server and share files with other users directly from your desktop in addition to using the web browser interface. Desktop provides a simplified interface for managing files in a unified way from all your familiar desktop applications.
The integration of content servers into Windows Explorer provides a convenient way to manage files on those servers using a familiar work environment. You do not need to work with the files on the content server in a web browser or other, proprietary client interface (although this option remains available). Instead, you can interact with content servers and the files on them using a 'folders tree' in Windows Explorer.
After you install the Desktop client software on your computer, the folders hierarchy in Windows Explorer includes a top-level node called WebCenter Content Servers, which provides an interface through which you can connect to servers and work with the files on them. You can manage files and folders on a content server using custom context menus, while taking advantage of much of standard Windows functionality, such as drag-and-drop, copy-and-paste, and shortcuts.
After installing the Desktop client software on your computer, you can interact with content servers and the files on them directly from a number of Microsoft Office applications. You can perform a number of content management tasks, including opening files from a content server ("check out"), saving files to a server ("check in"), searching for files on a server, comparing document revisions on a server, and inserting files on a server or links to these files into the current document.
The tasks that you can perform depends on the type of server and the Microsoft Office application that you are using.
The following Microsoft Office applications are supported:
Microsoft Word 2002 (XP) through 2010
Microsoft PowerPoint 2002 (XP) through 2010
Microsoft Excel 2002 (XP) through 2010
After installing the Desktop client software on your computer, you can check in e-mail messages and their attachments to a content server directly from Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes and share them with others in your organization. You can drag and drop e-mails directly into content folders on a server, or you can use a special content check-in form (Oracle WebCenter Content Server only).
Checked-in e-mail messages are not intended to be checked out, modified, and checked back in. E-mail messages are checked in to a content server for the express purpose of preserving them exactly as they were received. You can open a checked-in e-mail message from a server to view it in your default e-mail application. You can even make changes if you want, but you cannot check it back in to the server. You can, however, send the message to other people or save a copy on your local computer.
The following e-mail applications are supported:
Microsoft Outlook 2002 (XP) through 2010
Lotus Notes e-mail client version 6.5.2, 7.x, and 8.5 (with Lotus Domino mail databases based on release 6, 7, or 8 mail templates)
Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop provides web browser plug-ins that enable you to search for content on an Oracle WebCenter Content Server instance, directly from the search field in your web browser.
A content server search provider in your web browser is for a specific Oracle WebCenter Content Server instance: you cannot search multiple content servers using a single search provider.
The search results are displayed in the web browser, in the Oracle WebCenter Content Server web interface.
If you are logged in to the content server that you are searching, you will see all content items that meet the search criteria and for which you have access privileges. If you are not logged in, you will see only public content.
The following web browsers are supported:
Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 or higher
Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or higher
Google Chrome 10 or higher