8 Working with Offline Content

This section covers these topics:

Section 8.1, "Online and Offline Mode"
Section 8.2, "Making Folders and Files Available Offline"
Section 8.3, "Viewing or Opening Offline Files"
Section 8.4, "Refreshing Offline Content"
Section 8.5, "Removing Offline Content"
Section 8.6, "Working with a Content Server in Offline Mode"

8.1 Online and Offline Mode

Folders and files can be in online and offline mode. In online mode, you need a live connection to the content server to have access to the folders and files on it. You log in to the server and then you have access to all folders and files in accordance with your assigned privileges (see Section 2.11, "Connecting to a Content Server").

In offline mode, folders and files are downloaded from a content server and read-only copies are created in a special cache location on your local computer (see Section 4.6, "Local Caching of Content Files"). This means that you can view these folders and files (in read-only mode), even if you are not connected to the content server; in other words, when you are working with that server in offline mode (see Section 8.6, "Working with a Content Server in Offline Mode"). This may be useful in situations where you need access to content files, but you cannot connect to the server that they reside on. For example, you may need read-only access to a report or a presentation you are giving while traveling. In this case you could obtain a copy of the current version of the report before you disconnect from the server, and then have read-only access to that file while working offline.

You make files available offline (called 'syndicate' in Desktop Integration Suite versions prior to 11gR1) using their context menu (Make Content Available Offline for folders and Available Offline for files). If you select the Make Content Available Offline option in the context menu of a folder, it is not the folder itself that is made available offline, but all files in that folder, including files in subfolders. Only content items in a folder show the offline availability icon (blue cylinder; see Figure 8-1), not the folder itself. Also, this action is performed on the snapshot of the folder at that given time. If you add any new files to the folder, these are not automatically made available offline. You will need to make the folder available offline again to include the new files in the folder.

Files that are available offline show a cylinder in their file icon, which can be either blue or gray (Figure 8-1). In addition, the Available Offline option in the file context menu has a check mark.

Figure 8-1 Offline Availability Icons

The cylinder is blue if the versions of your locally cached file copy and the original file on the content server match; that is, no new revision has been checked in to the content server since you selected the file for offline availability. In other words, your local file copy is up to date. The cylinder is gray if the offline and online file versions do not match. This would, for example, be the case if someone updated the original item on the content server, and your local copy is still an older revision. In other words, your local file copy is outdated. When online, you can update an offline content folder by right-clicking it and choosing Refresh Offline Content in the context menu. All offline files in that folder are then overwritten with the most recent revisions of those files on the content server.

8.2 Making Folders and Files Available Offline

To make files or folders available for offline use:

Open Windows Explorer and expand the WebCenter Content Servers node.
Click the content server that stores the file(s) or folder(s) that you want to make available offline. If prompted, log in by entering your user name and password for that server.
Navigate to the folder(s) or file(s) in the content folder tree that you want to make available offline.
Right-click and choose Make Content Available Offline (for folders) or Available Offline (for files). The Available Offline option is also available on the File menu. The selected folders or files are now available in offline server mode.

If you select the Make Content Available Offline option in the context menu of a folder, it is not the folder itself that is made available offline, but all files in that folder, including files in subfolders. Only content items in a folder show the offline availability icon (blue cylinder; see Figure 8-1), not the folder itself. Also, this action is performed on the snapshot of the folder at that given time. If you add any new files to the folder, these are not automatically made available offline. You will need to make the folder available offline again to include the new files in the folder.

For content items in a folder to be made available offline, they must actually reside in that folder. This means that content in query folders cannot be made available offline. The contents of these folders do not actually exist in the folders; they are just grouped there because their metadata matches the search criteria. The actual content items may exist under a different folder location, or they may not even appear in a 'standard' folder at all.

8.3 Viewing or Opening Offline Files

To view or open an offline file:

Open Windows Explorer and expand the WebCenter Content Servers node.
Click the content server that stores the offline file you want to view or open. If prompted, log in by entering your user name and password for that server.
Navigate to the offline file in the content folder tree that you want to view or open, and select it.

or

Open the Offline Files node (if available) for the server to see all offline files and select the offline file that you want to view or open.

The Offline Files node may be visible only when the server is in offline mode.
Right-click and choose View or Open with... to open the file in read-only or full edit mode, respectively. The View and Open with... options are also available on the File menu. For more information, see Section 6.9, "Viewing Content Files" and Section 6.10, "Opening Content Files."

8.4 Refreshing Offline Content

The offline copy of a file is not automatically updated. This means that if a new file revision is checked in to the content server, your local copy is out of date. This is indicated by a gray cylinder overlay on the file icon (Figure 8-1). You can refresh offline files, so they are updated to their latest released revisions on the content server.

If you refresh an offline folder, the existing offline files in that folder (and all subfolders) are updated to their latest released revisions on the content server. Any files that were added to a folder after it was made available offline will not be made available offline if you refresh that folder. For that to happen, you need to right-click the folder and choose Make Content Available Offline in the context menu.

To refresh offline files:

Open Windows Explorer and expand the WebCenter Content Servers node.
Click the content server that stores the file or folder that you want to refresh. If prompted, log in by entering your user name and password for that server.
Navigate to the folder or file in the content folder tree that you want to refresh. You can select multiple folders and files if you want.
Right-click and choose Refresh Offline Content. The selected files are now updated to their latest released revisions on the content server.

8.5 Removing Offline Content

To remove an offline file or folder, so they are no longer available offline:

Open Windows Explorer and expand the WebCenter Content Servers node.
Click the content server that stores the file or folder that you want to remove. If prompted, log in by entering your user name and password for that server.
Navigate to the folder or file in the content folder tree that you want to remove. You can select multiple folders and files if you want.
Right-click and choose Remove Offline Content. The selected files and folders are now removed from the local cache and they are no longer available offline. This does not affect the original files and folders on the content server; they remain available.

8.6 Working with a Content Server in Offline Mode

After you have made files and folders (or rather, the files in them) available offline, you have access to them even if you are not connected to the content server; in other words, when you are working with that server in offline mode.

Tip:

Before going offline, you may want to refresh your local offline content to ensure you have the most recent file copies on your computer. For more information, see Section 8.4, "Refreshing Offline Content."

To work with a content server in offline mode:

Open Windows Explorer and expand the WebCenter Content Servers node.
Select the content server that you want to work offline with.
Right-click and choose Work Offline.

The Work Offline option in its context menu is preceded by a check mark. In addition, the server icon may show a red offline indicator (Figure 8-2).

Figure 8-2 Offline Oracle WebCenter Content Server (native 11g user interface)

After going to offline mode, you can access the following categories of files and folders on the server:

files and folders that you have checked out (see Section 6.11, "Checking Out Content Files")
files and folders that you have specifically made available offline (see Section 8.2, "Making Folders and Files Available Offline")

In offline mode, the content server in the integration hierarchy includes an Offline Files node, which lists all files on that server that are offline, including those that are not in a content folder. You can interact with these files directly from the list.

Additionally, when using the WebCenter Content user interface, any folders that you made available offline are shown beneath the Other Folders node. These folders and subfolders contain the files that you can work on offline.

When you have finished working offline and are ready to reconnect to a server, right-click the server and click Work Offline on the context menu. If prompted, provide your login credentials by entering your user name and password.