The eRoom plug-in

This topic is organized into the following sections:

• About the eRoom plug-in

• Rich text editing

• eRoom Monitor

• Setting up the Monitor to work with the Outlook Synchronizer

About the eRoom plug-in

You can use eRoom with just your browser, or (if you're using Windows) with an optional browser plug-in.The following features are only available with the plug-in:

• rich text editing

• eRoom Monitor (you can set up the Monitor to synchronize your eRoom task databases and calendar events with Microsoft Outlook)

While most features work the same whether you use eRoom with or without the plug-in client, some features only work with the plug-in. For example:

• To add a file provides information about creating a file in eRoom when using the plug-in.

• Editing and reserving files provides information about plug-in-only features related to editing files.

• Using drag and drop provides information about dragging and dropping eRoom items to and from your desktop while using the plug-in.

• Logging out of eRoom provides information about the how plug-in affects the Logout button.

• Authenticating with the IRM server provides information about using the plug-in with eRoom rights management.

To find out if you are using the plug-in, move your mouse over the banner graphic in the top left corner of any eRoom page to see a ToolTip that tells you.

See also: eRoom client options for information about installing or upgrading the plug-in, and how to change your client option.

Rich text editing

The Rich Text Editor (RTE) enables you to format your text, insert pictures and links, and check your spelling. If your system supports double-byte (Asian) characters, the RTE accepts and displays them properly as well.

When you paste into the RTE text that is all one font and/or all one size, eRoom applies the default font and/or size (10-point Verdana) to the pasted text instead of preserving its font information. This improves readability by giving text in your eRoom a consistent appearance. Variations in face and size within the same font family, however, are preserved. So, for example, if you paste into the RTE text that is all in 12-point Times New Roman, and some of the words are bold for emphasis, eRoom preserves the bold face for those words, while converting all of the text to the default eRoom font (10-point verdana).

Note: If you paste into a section of double-byte text, the RTE does not change the font because it has no default fonts for double-byte text.

When you use eRoom with just your browser, the standard format for editing text pages and text boxes is plain text. If you use eRoom without the plug-in and edit text that has formatting created with the RTE (such as images, hyperlinks, or font changes), eRoom preserves the formatted text, but displays instead this (read-only) message: This field contains formatted text, which can only be edited with the eRoom plug-in software. Editing the same text using the plug-in displays the formatted text as it was created.

The RTE tool bar

To identify RTE toolbar buttons, move your mouse over a button to see its name as a screen tip.
 

Checking spelling

When you check spelling using the RTE, and eRoom finds a possible misspelling, the "Check Spelling" dialog box opens. The word in question appears in the Change box with a suggested alternative in the To box. You can edit the word in the To box, or select a word from the list. Spelling commands are as follows:

eRoom Monitor

The eRoom Monitor controls Outlook synchronization of eRoom task databases, steps in approval-process databases, project plans, and calendar events in the all of the eRooms it monitors. You can start the Monitor if it's not already running by choosing Start > Programs > eRoom 7 > Monitor My eRooms.

Click the Monitor icon () to display its pop-up menu from which you can choose these commands:
 

eRoom items you can synchronize with Outlook

 In order to synchronize with Outlook tasks, eRoom task items (task database entries or project plan tasks) must have fields representing the qualities of ownership and completion. These fields classify an item as a task if it has either of the following:

• at least one 'is-an-owner' approval field

• at least one 'is-an-owner' member field, and at least one due-date field

eRoom calendar events can sync with the Outlook calendar with no particular modification. As long as an event has a title, a date, and you are a participant in the event, it can sync with Outlook. Other eRoom event properties that are synchronized in Outlook are: the start time, duration, and the repeating pattern (if any).

Project plan tasks are synchronized with Outlook in the same manner as database task entries. In addition to owner and completion fields, the Monitor syncs the following project plan fields:

Setting up the Monitor to work with the Outlook Synchronizer

To synchronize your eRoom task databases, project plans, or calendar events with Outlook, you need to set up your eRoom Monitor to do so. In the eRoom Client Settings dialog box, you can add these items and specify the corresponding Outlook folder into which you want to sync.

To add items for synchronizing with Outlook:

1. On the Windows system tray in the task bar, click the eRoom Monitor icon () and pick "Settings" from the pop-up menu.

The "eRoom Client Settings" dialog box opens, which shows an expandable tree of all eRoom sites being monitored. (A site is added the first time you visit it.) If you are currently synchronizing any items, they are listed under the name of the site. Click to see them.

2. From the list, select a site, or an item in a site.

3. Click "Add" to open the "eRoom Outlook Synchronizer: Add Item" dialog box. The list shows all the eRooms listed in the Active eRooms section of your My eRooms page for the selected site (or the site containing the selected item).

4. Click next to the name of each eRoom in which there is a database, project plan, or calendar you want to sync.

5. Select the check box for each item you want to sync, and then click "OK".

6. From the pulldown menu in the Outlook folder to synchronize databases and projects into box, pick the appropriate Outlook folder (for example, Tasks).

7. From the drop-down list in the Outlook folder to synchronize calendars into box, pick the appropriate Outlook folder (for example, Calendar).

8. When you click "OK", the Synchronizer will synchronize the eRoom task databases, project plans, and calendars you picked into the specified Outlook folders, according to the Monitor's schedule, which you can specify in the "Advanced Settings" dialog box (see the following procedure).

To specify Advanced Settings:

1. Open the "eRoom Client Settings" dialog box by clicking the eRoom Monitor icon () and pick "Settings" from the pop-up menu.

2. Click the Advanced button to open the "Advanced Settings" dialog box and specify the following settings, as needed:

• Name and Password -- Enter your user name and password if you are using an HTTP proxy server. If you're not sure, ask your network administrator.

• Location of data file storage -- Your data files are where eRoom caches files when you view or edit them with the plug-in. Only move them (by clicking the Change Data Directory... button) if you have no free space on the default drive.

• File cache limit -- Typically, you will not need to change the default size of the eRoom file cache. However, if your disk space is very tight, you might want to lower it. On the other hand, if you frequently use many, very large files that typically don't change very often, you might want to increase its size so the files can remain cached while you are using them.

• Sync with Outlook - When this check box is selected, and you are connected (logged in) to an eRoom site, the monitor scans your eRooms according to the specified frequency (every n [hours|minutes]), and syncs your task databases, project plans, and calendar events into Outlook, if you have set up the Synchronizer to do so. If you remove this check mark, you can still manually check for eRoom changes and synchronize tasks/events by clicking the eRoom Monitor and picking Check Now from the pop-up menu.

3. Click "OK" to put the Advanced Settings into effect.

4. Click "OK" to close the "eRoom Client Settings" dialog box and begin synchronizing the items you added.

How the Synchronizer works

The Outlook Synchronizer runs according to the schedule specified  in the My eRooms & Outlook Sync Settings dialog box. You can run the Synchronizer manually by clicking on the eRoom Monitor icon () and choosing "Check Now" from the pop-up menu.

When you synchronize tasks and events, the Outlook Synchronizer does the following:

• Pairs existing eRoom tasks/events with corresponding Outlook tasks/events. For each pair, checks for any changes (in eRoom or Outlook) since the last sync and updates any out-of-date tasks/events. Repeats the check/update process for all task/event pairs until they all match.

• Checks eRoom for any new tasks/events since the last sync, and adds them to Outlook.

• Checks eRoom for any deleted tasks/events since the last sync, and deletes the corresponding tasks/events from Outlook.

• Checks Outlook for any deleted tasks/events since the last sync, and restores them there if the corresponding tasks/events still exist in eRoom.

• Does not create in or delete from eRoom any tasks/events created in or deleted from Outlook since the last sync.

SecurID and Outlook synchronizing

When you log in to eRoom with RSA SecurID®, the Monitor cannot save your SecurID credentials, as it does with a password. So when you log in to Windows and your Monitor starts, it cannot automatically begin Outlook synching. However, once you log in to the site, Outlook synch can continue.