Colligo Contributor for SharePoint Uploader

Colligo Contributor™ Uploader for Outlook^® increases adoption of SharePoint for email and attachment management. It delivers a cost effective and intuitive way to upload content to SharePoint and browse document libraries and lists – all from within Microsoft^® Outlook^®. You can click the Send & File button or simply drag-and-drop emails and attachments into document libraries and folders, instantly capturing critical metadata. Colligo Contributor Uploader works with Microsoft® Office Outlook (2003/2007/2010) and Microsoft SharePoint sites (WSS 2.0/3.0, SharePoint Foundation, or SharePoint Server 2003/2007/2010).

Once Colligo Contributor Uploader has been installed, you can select the folder or list you wish to connect to by selecting it through Internet Explorer. Contributor then retrieves the folders available and links them into a folder tree in Outlook in online-only mode. You can then upload new content to SharePoint using a simple drag-and-drop interface or access the browser interface to read and edit content such as documents and emails from lists and libraries. Contributor Uploader has a special capability to streamline the addition of emails, attachments, and associated metadata to document libraries. Content that is added offline is automatically synchronized to the SharePoint server when back online.

Step 1 - Synchronize Content to Contributor Uploader

To synchronize SharePoint content to Contributor Uploader, simply select the "Connect to Outlook" button on the Internet Explorer toolbar from any SharePoint document library or list. Contributor Uploader then uses the credentials you entered to access the SharePoint site and links the library, folder, or list into Outlook.

To sync a list or library, you can also use the "Connect" button in the Outlook toolbar to stay within the Outlook interface. You are prompted for the SharePoint site URL and your credentials. You can then select which list or library you want to sync to Outlook.

Add-In Selection

With either content selection options, the subfolders and content synchronized are "security trimmed", meaning you are only allowed to download the content that you are authorized to download.

A tree-view showing folders and sub-folders is added under the Colligo for SharePoint folder in the left-hand navigation pane of Outlook. The naming convention is the site name and document library name - at any time you can personalize these folder names.

If you click on the Outlook folder, a browser view of the SharePoint site is shown in the right-hand pane of Outlook. The content of the list or library is not cached locally, however, file drag-and-drop operations to folders continue to work when offline.

Step 2 - Add Content to Document Libraries

Emails and attachments that are dragged-and-dropped into the Outlook folder tree from your inbox or other folders are immediately synced to SharePoint if online, or cached for later synchronization if offline. If you left-click on an email, it is moved from the Outlook folder to SharePoint. By right-clicking, you can select whether you want to perform a move or copy operation.

In addition to email drag-and-drop, there are three more ways to save emails to SharePoint. (1) Outlook rules can be used to automatically save emails to Colligo for SharePoint folders. (2) You can also save emails to SharePoint using the Send & File button, as shown below. Once your email is written, clicking the Send & File button brings up the customizable Filing Advisor. It suggests filing locations based on recently used folders or folders used in your specific email conversation ... or you can choose any Colligo for SharePoint folder. When you double-click a folder, a copy of the email is uploaded to SharePoint. (3) You can also copy Outlook folders (including all content and sub-folders) to any Colligo for SharePoint folder. The Copy function can be found in the Colligo toolbar in Outlook, and is used to select the source folder and copy destination. A corresponding folder tree is created in SharePoint.

All of these email saving methods support email metadata capture. If the target document library is properly configured, email message fields (such as To, From, Date, Subject, etc.) are automatically extracted and mapped to SharePoint metadata. A unique filename (.msg) is also generated for the email and attachments. Configuration of email document libraries is discussed in this feature description. When you drop an email into a document library, a metadata editor pops up, enabling you to view and edit metadata associated with the content type you select. In the example below, the extracted email metadata is shown, but administrators often hide these columns so users cannot edit them. You can also add custom metadata at this point and set the content type to enhance the classification of emails. With SharePoint 2010 sites, you can set enterprise managed and keyword metadata in Contributor Client using the term store selector.

Step 3 - Accessing Content with the Browser

You can use the sub-folders in the Colligo for SharePoint folder tree to quickly access a browser interface to the corresponding SharePoint folder or list. Clicking on the folder launches a browser view of the SharePoint in the right-hand pane of Outlook.

This is a full browser window to the SharePoint folder or list, so you can access all the SharePoint commands and features. You can browse sites, edit and modify content, and view the content added through Contributor Uploader.

Colligo Contributor Uploader | How It Works!