Install the IBM Lotus Connections 2.5 Plug-ins for Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook and Windows Explorer

Overview

Use the Lotus Connections Plug-in for Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook and Windows Explorer to integrate Lotus Connections services with Microsoft applications.

By default, the installation installs all three plug-ins, but you can disable the installation for any feature you do not want to install. The Lotus Connections Plug-in for Microsoft Office supports Office version 2003 and version 2007 for Windows XP and Windows Vista and provides the following features:

• Microsoft Word – Activities, Blogs, and Profiles

• Microsoft PowerPoint – Activities and Profiles

• Microsoft Excel – Activities and Profiles

Use the Lotus Connections Plug-in for Microsoft Outlook to do the following:

• Add an Outlook document to an activity.
• Create a To Do list for an activity.
• Access Connections features from your Outlook toolbar..
• Search on a person's name to view their business card. A business card lists a person's contact information as well as expertise and interests.

The Lotus Connections Plug-in for Windows Explorer allows you to add files from Explorer to an activity.

IBM Lotus Connections 2.5 Plug-in for Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows

 

Install the Connections Plug-in

Install the plug-in so that it is integrated with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, and Windows Explorer.

Follow these steps to install the plug-in.

1. Download the plug-in from the IBM Lotus Connections catalog at the following Web site:

   http://catalog.lotus.com/wps/portal/lotusconnections
   

2. Unzip the file.

3. Double-click setup.exe to launch the installation program.

4. Optional: By default, plug-ins for all three Microsoft products are installed. If you do not want to install a plug-in, click the down arrow next to the plug-in name, and then select Entire feature will be unavailable.

5. Accept installation prompts for installing .Net runtimes, Primary Interop Assembilies (PIA), and Connections.

   The prompts appear only if not already installed. Also, accept prompts from firewall if they appear

6. Click Finish to complete the installation.

 

Configure the Connections plug-in

Before you can use the plug-in, provide information about the Lotus Connections servers to which the plug-ins will connect.

A feature must be installed and available from a Lotus Connections server before a plug-in can use it.

To configure the Lotus Connections plug-ins...

1. To display the configuration settings page, do one of the following:

   • From Microsoft Outlook, or from a Microsoft Office application, click Lotus Connections > Lotus Connections Preferences. For Office 2007, you click the Lotus Connections tab.

   • From Microsoft Windows Explorer, right-click a file that you want to add to an activity, and choose Lotus Connections > Preferences.

2. Enter the user name and password you use to access Lotus Connections features. If you do not know this information, contact your site administrator.

3. In the server URL fields, enter the Web addresses for the servers that support the features you plan to use. If you do not know the server Web addresses, contact your site administrator. Use the following syntax to specify the server Web address:

   https://<server.domain>/feature
   

   For example:

   https://enterprise.acme.com/activities
   

4. Specify the authentication type and URL you are using from the following choices:

   • HTTP Basic

     You do not need to specify an authentication URL for this option.

   • SiteMinder

   • SPNEGO

     The user name and password fields are disabled when SPNEGO is selected because it uses Kerbors as the login.

   • Sun Access Manager

   • Tivoli Access Manager

5. Click OK to save the configuration settings.

 

Enable the plug-in to display in Outlook or Office after restart

Add the Lotus Connection plug-in to the Microsoft Office Trust Center so that the plug-in is available every time you launch Outlook or Office.

Follow these steps to enable the Lotus Connections plug-in.

1. Do one of the following: From Outlook, click Tools > Trust Center.

   • From Outlook, click Tools > Options then click the Other tab and click Advanced Options then Com Add-ins. Check ConnectionsAddin03 or ConnectionsAddin07, depending on your version of Outlook.

   • From Office 2007, click the Office Button then choose Options > Add-Ins > Manage > COM Add-Ins and check LCOffice and LCOffice2007.

   • From Office 2003, click Tools > COM Add-Ins and check LCOffice or LCOffice2007 .

     If you cannot see this menu in Office 2003, click Tools > Customize. and click the Commands tab. Click Tools in the Categories pane on the left and select COM Add-Ins. Drag it to the Tools menu and insert it anywhere in the Tools drop down menu, then close the Customize dialog.

2. Click OK.

 

Removing the IBM Lotus Connections Plug-in for Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook and Windows Explorer

You can remove the plug-in with a few quick steps.

To remove the plug-in...

1. From the Microsoft Windows Control Panel, select Add or Remove Programs (on Vista, it is called Program Manager), select IBM Lotus Connections 2.5 Plug-in for Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows..

2. Click Remove, and then click Yes to confirm your choice.

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