Use the plug-in for Windows Explorer

Use this plug-in to upload and work with files in Connections from Windows Explorer.

The following features are available from Windows Explorer:

• Upload local files from Windows Explorer or from the desktop

• Share uploaded files with people, communities, or folders in Connections

• Work on files locally and publish them to Files, communities, Activities, or Wikis

• View people's contact details and get in touch with them (Not available on SmartCloud)

• Pin, follow, or like files and folders

• View or contribute comments for a file

• Lock a file when editing it to prevent file conflicts

• View and restore files from the trash

• Share folders with Communities

• Use sync capabilities to keep local copies of files synchronized with exact copies on the server. (Not available on SmartCloud.)

• Use document management capabilities to upload, manage, organize, and collaborate on community files in libraries. To use this feature, Filenet Document Management capabilities must be deployed on the Connections server. (Not available on SmartCloud.)

When you install a new version of the plug-in, new features may be enabled or disabled on the server. To check for the latest features, right-click the server node in the Connections section of the navigation pane and click Check feature updates. A progress indicator displays while the server is scanned for updates. You are notified when the updates are complete. You might have to reboot for new features to take effect.

To perform any of these tasks, we must be connected to an IBM Connections or IBM SmartCloud site. See Connect to an IBM Connections site.

Restriction: This version of the plug-in supports smart links to IBM Connections content. If we share a link to Connections content with a colleague running a older version of the Connections Plug-ins for Windows, they will be unable to open the link unless they update their plug-in to the current version.

• Manage IBM Connections files from Windows Explorer
  Manage the Connections files from Windows Explorer.

• Uploading files
  Add files to the Files application so that we can store them or share them with others.

• Share a file with additional people or communities
  If we upload a file to the Files application, we can share it with other people and communities from Explorer.

• View file details in a browser
  If we upload a file to the Files application, we can start IBM Connections in a browser and view the file.

• Publish local drafts
  Publish updates to the files from Explorer or from the Drafts monitor.

• Work with libraries
  Libraries support the FileNet Document Management capabilities to provide community members document management capabilities to upload, manage, organize, and collaborate on community files. A community can contain multiple libraries.

• Get started with sync
  Use file sync to keep local files in sync with copies of those files on the server.

• Connect to others using the business card
  Use the business card to view peoples' contact details and get in touch with them.

• Following files and folders
  We can receive notification when changes are made to a file or folder.

• View properties for a file or folder
  We can pin, follow, or recommend a file or folder from the properties panel.

Parent topic:
Use the Connections Desktop Plug-ins for Windows