Working in your eRoom

Whether you're using eRoom for the first time, or upgrading to the latest version, use this information to help you become familiar with the layout and features of eRoom.

The browser client

You can use eRoom with your browser only, or (if you're using Windows) with an optional browser plug-in.

To use the eRoom plug-in:

eRoom opens the Plug-In Setup page and launches the plug-in installation. The "Welcome to eRoom 7" dialog box opens and prompts for you to install the plug-in.

eRoom installs the plug-in on your machine. You might be asked to restart your computer when it finishes.

Most eRoom features work the same with or without the plug-in, but there are some differences. For example, the plug-in provides some added functionality such as rich text editing, drag and drop to and from the desktop, and if you have eRoom Real Time Services (RTS), to share files into real-time meetings.

Tip: To find out if you're using the plug-in, move your mouse over the graphic logo in the top left corner of any eRoom page to see a ToolTip that tells you.

Guided tour

A banner displays across the top of every eRoom page. The banner can show either a custom graphic, or the default banner graphic.

Below the banner is the control bar that contains the path (flush left) and tool buttons (flush right).

In the control bar, a path tracks your location in the eRoom (like a trail of bread crumbs). You can navigate using the path by clicking on the links it contains.

At the right-most edge of the control bar, eRoom pages have these tool buttons:

Using the map

Tasks list

eRoom helps you organize your time by rounding up your tasks and listing them in the map. The tasks pane shows a list of all your tasks from all databases and project plans in your eRoom.

Project plan milestones are omitted. The project task name and (if the pane is in wide mode) finish date are shown. If the task is overdue, the finish date appears in red.

As is true for items in a search results list, you can drag tasks out of the tasks list but not into it.

Page title and credits

Below the path, the title of the page appears in bold, with an edit icon if you have Edit rights to the eRoom or item. Under the title, page credits identify what the page is and when it was created. For an item, the credits also identify the member who created it.

Button bar

On the front page of your eRoom, below the page title and credits, the button bar has these controls:

On eRoom item and member list pages, the button bar contains only context-specific controls, and only those for which you have the appropriate access rights to operate. For example, the button bar on a discussion page contains just the "start a new topic" button; if you are the eRoom's coordinator (or an administrator), the button bar in the Recycle Bin has an "empty recycle bin" button.

Item box

The item box is located to the right of the map, below the title, credits, button bar, and any status information, welcome message, or item description. It shows the contents of the eRoom or of the current item (attachments, database entries, discussion topics, and so forth).

In the item box you can create and act on (view, edit, move, delete, and so forth) items. eRoom comes with built-in items for doing your work such as folders, calendars, notes, and links. You can navigate eRoom using the item box by clicking item icons or names.

If you can open any items that are hidden from other members, a separate area of the item box called "Your Hidden Items" lists these items. Hidden items you can open appear as usual in the map, in search results, in notification emails, etc.

Command bar

The command bar appears at the bottom of an item box (or an attachments box). It contains eRoom commands, as well as tool buttons for changing your view of items.

Pop-up menus

eRoom commands are also available on pop-up menus. To display one, right-click an icon in the map, in the item box, or on an empty area of the item box. To display the eRoom's pop-up menu, go to the map and right-click the icon to the left of the eRoom's name.

Recycle bin

Unless your eRoom coordinator has turned this feature off, the front page of your eRoom has a recycle bin (

) that is similar to the recycle bin on your Windows desktop. With a Recycle Bin, items you delete go into the bin where they remain until they are copied out or restored, or until they are deleted from the bin. Without a recycle bin, deleted items are permanently removed from the eRoom.

Coordinators can see all items in the recycle bin, but if you open the recycle bin, you see all the items you deleted, plus any items with the Open list set to "Any member who can get to it" when they were deleted. In the recycle bin, you can

Note: You can also drag and drop eRoom items into and out of the recycle bin.

The recycle bin only holds page-level items such as folders, topics, databases, database entries, and so on. Room elements below the page level, such as comments and embedded polls, do not appear in the recycle bin.

Basic eRoom tasks

Task	Action
Open an item.	Click on it either in the map or in the item box.
Create an item.	In the button bar, click , or the context-specific variation (such as "new entry" or just "create"). Or, on the command bar, click "create", or the context-specific variation. Or, in an empty area of the item box, right-click to display the pop-up menu and pick "Create Item".
Show all commands.	On the command bar, click "commands".
Act on an item.	Right-click the item and pick a command from the pop-up menu.
Act on multiple items.	On the command bar, click the "view details" button (), or click "commands". This displays items in a detailed list with check boxes. Select () each item that you want to act on. Then, either right-click and pick a command, or click a command on the command bar.
Move an item.	Right-click an item and pick "cut" or "copy" from the pop-up menu. Go to where you want to put the item and pick "paste" from the pop-up menu. Or, you can use drag and drop.
Go to the front page of your eRoom.	At the top of the map, click on the eRoom's name. Or, in the path, click on its name.
Get help.	Click (help) in the control bar.

Optional eRoom controls

Depending on the type of item, many eRoom pages have optional controls, which you can enable or disable when you create or edit an item.

Comments and votes are a combined property of items for which they are available (folders, notes, calendars, and so on).

Some items (such as notes, databases, project plans, and calendar events) can have attachment boxes, which are item boxes without a button bar. You create and act on items in attachment boxes just as you do in item boxes (such as in folders and on eRoom front pages).

eRoom commands

To display all commands on the command bar, click "commands". To display a pop-up menu, right-click an item or in an empty area of an item box or attachment box.

Note for Apple Computer users: On Netscape 7, the right-click menu works as described here. On Internet Explorer for Mac, and Apple's Safari browser, the right-click menu is displayed when you press OPTION-click. While Macs come with a one-button mouse, you can open a "right-click" menu when you press CTRL-click. If a two-button mouse is attached to your Mac, the right button does the same thing.

Command	Where	Description
View	Pop-up menu	Opens an item for viewing. For an eRoom, opens its front page.
Edit	Pop-up menu	Plug-in only: For a file, reserves it for editing, opens it in its editor, and automatically uploads changes and releases the reservation(s) when you're done. Browser only: For a file, asks if you want to edit it, change its name, or replace it. For any other item, opens the item's Edit page (or Edit wizard) so you can modify its properties. For an eRoom, opens its Edit eRoom page.
Rename	Pop-up menu	Opens the Rename Item page so you can give the item a new name.
Create Item	Command bar & pop-up menu	Opens the Create page so you can pick the type of item you want to create.
Add File	Command bar & pop-up menu	Opens the Upload File page so you can browse for the file you want to add, decide if you want to track versions of the file, and indicate whether you want to upload another file right after you upload this one.
Track Versions	Pop-up menu (for file items only, but not for Content Server-linked files)	Turns on version tracking for the unlinked file. (Content Server linked-files are version-tracked in the Content Server.)
Show Versions	Pop-up menu (only for files that have eRoom version tracking turned on)	Opens the file's versions page, which shows information about the current version, an item box listing all versions (the Version History), and an area for viewing or recording Version Notes. In the Version Notes section, you can also turn off version tracking or take a vote.
Access Control	Command bar & pop-up menu	Opens the Access Control page for the item you have selected. If you have Edit rights to that item, you can modify its access lists. These lists specify who has what kind of access. If you select multiple items, you can set access control for all of them at once.
Notification	Command bar & pop-up menu	Opens the Notification page for the item you have selected. Lets you specify how often, if at all, you want eRoom to notify you when the selected item changes. For an eRoom, you can change notification settings for the entire eRoom.
Content Server Link...	Pop-up menu (for file items only, and only with eRoom Enterprise)	Opens the Content Server Link page, from which you can create a Content Server-linked file, change where an existing Content Server-linked file is stored (within the same Docbase), or unlink an existing Content Server-linked file.
Content Properties...	Pop-up menu (for file items only, and only with eRoom Enterprise)	Opens the WDK Properties component, initialized with the file's properties, in a new window.
Go to Content Server...	File item pop-up menu (with eRoom Enterprise only, and only if access to Webtop is enabled on your eRoom server)	Starts a Content Server session using the Webtop client in a separate browser window.
Preview	File item pop-up menu (with eRoom Enterprise only, and only if the current version of the file has an associated rendition)	Gets the default rendition for the current version of the file from the Content Server, and displays it using the appropriate application on the client.
Custom Fields	Command bar & item pop-up menu	Opens the Edit Custom Fields page for the item you have selected. If you have edit rights to that item, you can specify values for custom item properties, such as status or priority. This command only appears if your administrator has defined any custom fields for items in your eRoom.
Select All	Command bar	Selects the check box for every item in the item box.
Cut	Command bar & pop-up menu	Marks an item for moving -- the name of item you cut is grayed out in the item box and in the map until you paste the item elsewhere, either in your eRoom or in another eRoom in the same site. Note: If moving to an eRoom on a different facility or server, use the same browser window for both the Cut and Paste commands.
Copy	Command bar & pop-up menu	Makes a copy of the selected item and puts it on the eRoom clipboard. You can then paste it elsewhere in the same site. Note: If copying to an eRoom on a different facility or server, use the same browser window for both the Copy and Paste commands.
Copy Link	Command bar & pop-up menu	Creates a link to the selected item and puts it on the eRoom clipboard. You can then paste the link elsewhere in your eRoom or in another eRoom in the same site.
Paste	Command bar & pop-up menu	Places in a new location in your eRoom items or links cut or copied from the same or different eRoom in the same site. Note: If pasting to an eRoom on a different facility or server, use the Paste command in the same browser window in which you cut or copied the item.
Delete	Command bar & pop-up menu	After confirming, moves selected items into the recycle bin, if your eRoom has one. Note: If your eRoom doesn't have a recycle bin, deleted items cannot be recovered. In that case, use the "cut" command if you want to paste an item elsewhere.
Restore	Command bar & pop-up menu (recycle bin only)	Automatically copies the selected items and pastes them into the container from which they were deleted. If eRoom cannot complete the restore operation for any reason (such as access control changes or if the parent container was deleted), you can copy and paste items to restore them manually.
Share into Meeting	Pop-up menu (for file items only, and only if you are using the plug-in, and only if your eRoom has access to real-time meetings)	Shares a file item into a real-time meeting, or starts a meeting and shares the file at the same time.
Enter Meeting	Pop-up menu (for calendar events only, only if you have access to real-time meetings in your eRoom)	Joins or starts a real-time meeting associated with the event.
Mark Read	Command bar & pop-up menu	Removes the unread mark () from next to the selected items. If you have no items selected, removes the unread mark from all items in the item box. For an eRoom, marks all items as having been read.
Mark Unread	Command bar & pop-up menu	Places an unread mark () next to the item you select. If you have no items selected, places an unread mark next to all items in the item box.

	Opens the parent of the current item. From the front page (top) of your eRoom, goes to your My eRooms page.
My eRooms >	Opens your My eRooms page.
eRoom name >	Opens the front page of your eRoom.
item name > [...]	Opens the item.

	If there are unread items in your eRoom, click to open the next item marked unread (). Click repeatedly to cycle through all new information in your eRoom.
	Click to open the intercom so you can chat with other members in your eRoom, or alert them to join you there.
	Click to send an email alert message to other members.
	Click to open eRoom Help.
	Move the pointer over these icons to show the names of members currently present in your eRoom; click to open the intercom to chat with them.

When you first open your eRoom, the page has a side panel called the map, which initially shows an expandable tree of all the items on the front page of your eRoom. The map is visible unless you hide it.
To hide the map, click ("hide the map") in its header bar, or click its right border. When you point to the button, the area inside the map "glows". When you point to the map's right border, the border glows too.
When the map is hidden, its border is flat against the left edge of the eRoom window.
To open the map, click either or anywhere along its border, which glows when you point to it.
The map has two widths -- regular and wide.	When the map is open to its regular width, click the border to make it wide. When the map is open wide, click the border to close the map. When the map is closed, click the border to open the map to its regular width.
When the map is open, you can switch between three panes.	Click to display the map's item tree. Click to display the quick search form. Click to display a list of all your open tasks from databases and project plans in the eRoom.
When the item tree is showing in the map, you can...	Right-click item icons to display a pop-up menu of commands. Drag or drop items from or onto the map. Click the name of the eRoom to open its front page. Click an item's icon or its name to open it. A shaded bar highlights where you are. Click to expand the tree and show the contents of items. Click to collapse the tree and hide the contents of items.

Button	Action
	Click to create items.
	Click to search in your eRoom.
or	Click to open the eRoom's Meeting and Events page. If your eRoom has no access to real-time meetings, this is the "events" button, and it opens the eRoom's Events page.
	Click to open the eRoom's member list page. You can edit your own member information, view information about other members, or (if you are a coordinator) manage membership for your eRoom.

Control	Action
	Click to post notices or news about your project.
	Click to make notes or contribute ideas about the contents of a page.
	Click to take a vote in a comments area without creating a separate poll item. The Create Poll wizard opens.

Working in your eRoom

The browser client

To use the eRoom plug-in:

Guided tour

Using the map

Tasks list

Page title and credits

Button bar

Button

Action

Item box

Command bar

Pop-up menus

Recycle bin

Basic eRoom tasks

Task

Action

Optional eRoom controls

Control

Action

eRoom commands

Command

Where

Description