Getting Started with Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop

1 Getting Started with Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop

This chapter describes the content repositories and the client applications the Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop supports.

This section covers these topics:

What is Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop?

Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop provides a set of embedded applications that help you seamlessly integrate your desktop experience with Oracle WebCenter Content Server, Oracle Content Server, Oracle Content Database, or other WebDAV-based content repositories. More specifically, it provides convenient access to these content servers directly from Microsoft Windows Explorer, Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), email clients (Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes), and web browsers (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome).

Integrating content repositories such as Oracle WebCenter Content Server with your desktop applications improves your ability to work with files on the content server. You can easily manage files on the server and share files with other users directly from your desktop in addition to using the web browser interface. Desktop provides a simplified interface for managing files in a unified way from all your familiar desktop applications.

Note:

Desktop can work with all content files on Oracle WebCenter Content Server instances, including records and sealed documents (as managed by Oracle Information Rights Management).

What are the content repositories the Desktop client software supports?

The client software of Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop 12c can connect to these content repositories:

Oracle WebCenter Content Server and Oracle Content Server

Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop 12c can connect to Oracle WebCenter Content Server and Oracle Content Server repositories. For the latest information on the supported server configurations, see the Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations page at:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/middleware/ias/downloads/fusion-certification-100350.html

For the Desktop client software to connect to Oracle WebCenter Content Server or Oracle Content Server, the following components must be installed and enabled on the server:

DesktopIntegrationSuite, which handles core content management integration functions on the server. This component is included in the Desktop distribution zip file. It is also installed along with the Oracle WebCenter Content Server 12c software, but the component is not enabled by default.
CoreWebdav, which provides core WebDAV capabilities for the content management integrations. This component is one of the Oracle WebCenter Content Server or Oracle Content Server system components.
Framework Folders (11gR1 11.1.1.6 or higher) or Folders_g (11gR1 prior to 11.1.1.6 and 10gR3), which enables the content folders in the integrated folder tree. These components are part of the Oracle WebCenter Content Server or Oracle Content Server core.
CheckoutAndOpenInNative, which enables content items to be checked out from Oracle WebCenter Content Server or Oracle Content Server and opened in their associated applications. This component is one of the preinstalled Oracle WebCenter Content Server or Oracle Content Server system components, and it is also included in the Desktop distribution zip file.

Note:

This document assumes that servers are running the latest Oracle WebCenter Content Server version with the Framework Folders component.

In addition, the following optional components may be installed and enabled:

DesktopTag, which manages custom properties in Microsoft Office files that are used for content tracking purposes, and also provides the workflow processing functionality in Microsoft Office applications. This component is included in the Desktop distribution zip file. It is also installed along with the Oracle WebCenter Content Server 12c software, but the component is not enabled by default.
OracleCleanContent, which is used by DesktopTag. This component is one of the Oracle WebCenter Content Server or Oracle Content Server system components.
EmailMetadata, which maps email message fields to email metadata fields and is also required for moving emails into content folders in Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes. This component is included in the Desktop distribution zip file. It is also installed along with the Oracle WebCenter Content Server 12c software, but the component is not enabled by default.
RMAEmail, which provides email metadata fields and enables users to work with email distribution lists. This component is part of Oracle WebCenter Content: Records. (Oracle WebCenter Content: Records cannot be used with a server that is using the WebCenter Content user interface.)

Note:

The Desktop 11gR1 components (DesktopIntegrationSuite, CheckoutAndOpenInNative, DesktopTag, and EmailMetadata) can be installed on Oracle WebCenter Content Server 10gR3, but the product build number of the server must be 7.2.4.55 or higher. To see this number, go to the Administration page of the server and then click 'Configuration for server_name'. The build number is included on the configuration information page, under 'System Configuration'.

Integration with Oracle WebCenter Content Server provides the broadest content management capabilities directly in the supported desktop applications. Not all features of Desktop 12c may be available if you are connecting to a pre-12c Oracle Content Server instance.

Oracle Content Database

Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop 12c can connect to Oracle Content Database repositories. For the latest information on the supported server configurations, see the Oracle Fusion Middleware Supported System Configurations page at:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/middleware/ias/downloads/fusion-certification-100350.html

Integration with Oracle Content Database provides basic content management capabilities directly in the supported desktop applications. See What are the capabilities of a content server? for details on the integrated content management capabilities offered for Oracle Content Database instances.

Other Content Repositories That Support the Standard WebDAV Protocol

Integration with WebDAV servers provides basic content management capabilities directly in the supported desktop applications. The WebDAV DeltaV extension is not supported. See What are the capabilities of a content server? for details on the integrated content management capabilities offered for WebDAV servers.

Note:

See Working with Content Server Connections for more information on connecting to content servers.

Which are the client applications the Desktop client software supports?

The Desktop client software can integrate each of the following client applications with the supported content servers. The installer automatically detects the supported applications on your computer and installs the appropriate integration features to provide these applications direct access to content management functionality.

Windows Explorer

Microsoft Windows 10 (32-bit or 64-bit version)

File Explorer

Microsoft Windows 8
Microsoft Windows 8.1

Desktop Applications

Microsoft Word 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Office 365
Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Office 365
Microsoft Excel 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Office 365

Only Desktop applications of Office 365 are supported. Office 365 online is not supported because Cloud Storage Partner Program is intended for independent software vendors whose business is cloud storage. For details, see Using the WOPI protocol to integrate with Office for the web.

Note:

You can interact with content servers from within these applications directly. Files created in other office applications (such as Microsoft Visio or Corel WordPerfect) can be managed using Windows Explorer integration or the content server's web interface.

Email Client Applications

Microsoft Outlook 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Office 365

Only Desktop applications of Office 365 are supported. Office 365 online is not supported because Cloud Storage Partner Program is intended for independent software vendors whose business is cloud storage. For details, see Using the WOPI protocol to integrate with Office for the web.
Lotus Notes email client version 8 (through 8.5.3), with Lotus Domino mail databases based on release 8 mail templates

Note:

The Desktop client software can coexist with the Oracle Beehive extensions for Microsoft Outlook and Windows Explorer.

Web Browsers (for the Search Engine Plug-in)

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 or higher
Mozilla Firefox 3.5 or higher
Google Chrome 10 or higher

For more information on setting up client computers for use with Desktop, see How do I set up the Desktop client software on a computer?.

What are the localized user interfaces that Desktop offers?

Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop 12c offers localized user interfaces for the client software. The following user interface languages are supported: English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese (both Brazil and Portugal), Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Russian, Greek, Turkish, Hebrew, Chinese (both Simplified and Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Arabic.

The user interface language is automatically set to match the locale of the operating system; for example, if you are running a German version of Microsoft Windows, then the Desktop user interface will also be German.

What are the accessibility features that Desktop supports?

Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop complies with Oracle's accessibility guidelines. It provides accessibility features in a number of areas.

Menu Access

The Desktop client software adds a number of menus and toolbars to some of the applications it integrates with. As is customary in Windows applications, each menu item has its own keyboard shortcut (Alt key plus a letter).

Context Menus

The Desktop client software provides context menus to provide options that are relevant to the current context of the application. For example, with a content folder selected, it shows options that are applicable to that folder in that particular context. To show a context menu, right-click an object in the folder tree or the content pane, or press the menu key on your keyboard.

Standard Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

The Desktop client software supports many standard Windows keyboard shortcuts, including:

Ctrl+C: copy
Ctrl+V: paste
Delete: delete
F2: rename
Shift+F10: open the context menu for the selected item (this is the same as right-clicking the item)
Tab: move to the next user interface element
Shift+Tab: move to the previous user interface element

Additional Keyboard Shortcuts

You can use the following additional keyboard shortcuts in the Search panel of the Select Content dialog:

F5: refresh the web browser form
F6: move out of the web browser form

How do I set up the Desktop client software on a computer?

This section explains the process of setting up the Desktop client software on computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system. It covers these topics:

Installation Considerations

Note the following considerations with regard to setting up a client computer for use with Desktop:

Your system administrator may set up the required Desktop software on your client computer for you. If you must do it yourself, contact your system administrator for instructions on where to obtain the Desktop client software installer.

If you have access to an Oracle WebCenter Content Server 12c instance, you can find the Desktop client installer on the My Downloads page in the Content Server web interface (under My Content Server).

You can also obtain the Desktop distribution zip file from the downloads section at Oracle.com.
The Desktop client software can communicate with Oracle WebCenter Content Server 12c as well as Oracle WebCenter Content Server 11gR1, Oracle Content Server 11gR1 and 10gR3. Other Content Server versions are not supported.

Not all features of Desktop 12c may be available if you are connecting to an Oracle Content Server version prior to 12c (see What's New and Changed in This Guide).
The Desktop client software can communicate with Oracle Content Database (Oracle Content DB) 10gR1 (10.2).
The Desktop client installer includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Desktop 12c. It will automatically install the 32-bit Desktop version on 32-bit Microsoft Windows and the 64-bit Desktop version on 64-bit Microsoft Windows.
The Desktop client software must be installed using administrator-level permissions. If you do not have these permissions and you attempt to install the software, the registry settings will not be set up correctly and the software will not function properly. If you need assistance, contact your system administrator.
The Desktop client installer includes 32-bit and 64-bit msi installers, which system administrators can extract to help them roll out Desktop 12c on client computers more efficiently. For more information, see Configuring the Content Server for Desktop in Installing and Configuring Oracle WebCenter Content.

Installation Process

Setting up the Desktop client software consists of the following steps:

Uninstalling a Previous Version of the Desktop Client Software

If a previous version of the Desktop client software is already on your computer, it is strongly recommended that you uninstall it first. It is important that you completely uninstall everything previously installed.

To completely uninstall the desktop integration client software:

Open Windows Control Panel.
Click the following link:

Windows 10 (icon view): Programs and Features.
Select Oracle WebCenter Content: Desktop or Oracle Content Server - Desktop Integration Suite.
Do the following:

Windows 10: Right-click and choose Uninstall.

The uninstall wizard is launched.
Click Yes when asked if you are sure that you want to remove the Desktop client software from your computer.

The software is removed from the client computer.
Restart your computer.

Note:

If you uninstall and then reinstall the Desktop client software (for example, during an upgrade), all server connections that you set up earlier will continue to be available after reinstalling the software. Additionally, any files that were cached locally (see How are content files stored in a local cache?) will continue to be available.

Installing the Latest Version of the Desktop Client Software

If there are no previous versions of the Desktop client software on your computer, you can install the current version of the Desktop 12c client software.

Note:

Install Visual C++ Redistributable Packages for Visual Studio 2013 before installing the Desktop Client Software.

To install the Desktop 12c client software on your computer:

Contact your system administrator for instructions on where to obtain the Desktop client software installer.

If you have access to an Oracle WebCenter Content Server 12c instance running the native 12c user interface, then you can find the Desktop client installer on the My Downloads page in the Content Server web interface (under My Content).

You can also obtain the Desktop distribution zip file from the downloads section at Oracle.com.

The Desktop client installer includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Desktop 12c. It will automatically install the 32-bit Desktop version on 32-bit Microsoft Windows and the 64-bit Desktop version on 64-bit Microsoft Windows.
After obtaining the client software, run the installer executable.
On the Welcome screen, click Next to start the installation.
Respond to any prompts from the installation wizard.

In the Custom Setup dialog, select the supported applications you want to integrate with content servers.

The list includes all supported applications that were detected on your local computer (see Which are the client applications the Desktop client software supports?). All applications are selected for integration by default. If you do not want to integrate an application with content servers, click its icon and choose "This feature will not be available" from the menu. The icon associated with the application then changes to a red X.

Figure 1-1 Selection of Applications to Integrate with Content Server

Description of "Figure 1-1 Selection of Applications to Integrate with Content Server"

Note:

If no Outlook accounts have been defined yet, no integration will be set up in Outlook, even if it was selected in the application selection dialog.

By default, the software is installed to C:\Program Files\Oracle\WebCenter Desktop\Content. If you want to install the software to a different folder, click the Change... button and point to a different destination.

After you have verified the applications to integrate with as well as the software installation location, click Next to continue, or Cancel to exit the installation process.
If any of the applications that you want to integrate with a content server are currently running, a warning may be displayed stating that some Desktop features will not be available until the affected applications are restarted. Click Next to continue.

Note:

If no Outlook accounts have been defined yet, no integration will be set up in Outlook, even if it was selected in the application selection dialog.
Click Install to start the installation.

All required files are copied.

When installing the Lotus Notes integration, you may receive an error message stating that the Notes.ini file could not be found. If you receive this error, first complete the installation and then follow the instructions in Manually Configuring the Notes.ini File.
After the installation has been completed, click Finish to exit the installation wizard.
It is recommended that you restart your computer.

Manually Configuring the Notes.ini File

If Lotus Notes is one of the applications selected for integration, then you must make some changes to the Notes.ini file. The Desktop client software installer attempts to make these changes automatically. If the installer is unable to do this, an error message is displayed, and you must make the changes manually.

To manually make the required changes to the Notes.ini file:

Locate the Notes.ini file. You will find this file in the following location:
- Windows 10: C:\Users\User-Name\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Lotus-Notes-App-Dir\Notes.ini (for example, C:\Users\jsmith\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Lotus\Notes\Notes.ini)
Consult your Notes administrator if you have trouble finding the Notes.ini file.
Open the Notes.ini file in a text editor.
Look for the AddInMenus entry.
- If there is an AddInMenus entry, add STELNI.DLL to the end of the entry, separated by a comma, for example:
```
AddInMenus=FILE1.DLL,FILE2.DLL,STELNI.DLL
```
- If there is no AddInMenus entry, add the following line to the end of the file:
```
AddInMenus=STELNI.DLL
```
(The last character of the DLL file name is the upper-case letter i, not the number 1.)
Save and close the Notes.ini file.

Setting Up Content Server Connections

After installing the Desktop client software on your computer, you must set up connections to all content servers that you want to access from your computer. For more information, see Working with Content Server Connections.

Note:

You may not need to set up server connections for Desktop on your own computer, as this is often handled by system administrators.