SharePoint 2007 Get started User Guide Team Sites
Contents 1. Overview... 2 1.1 What is SharePoint?... 2 1.2 What is a SharePoint Team Site?... 2 1.3 SharePoint user permissions... 2 2. Team Site features... 3 2.1 Viewing SharePoint Team Site content... 3 2.2 A closer look at the Quick Launch Bar... 3 2.3 How to navigate a SharePoint site... 4 2.4 Receive email alerts about changes to site items... 4 3. Working with Document Libraries... 5 3.1 Creating new folders and documents... 5 3.2 Uploading documents.... 6 3.3 Editing document and folder properties... 7 3.4 Deleting documents or folders... 7 3.5 Editing documents, checking documents out and in, and viewing version history... 8 4. Resources... 10 4.1 To add a new Resource item... 10 5. News... 11 5.1 To create a News item... 11 6. Calendar... 12 6.1 To create a Calendar item... 12 7. Tasks... 13 7.1 To create a Task... 13 7.2 To Edit a Task... 14 8. Discussion Boards... 15 8.1 To create a Discussion... 15 8.2 Taking part in a discussion... 15 1
1. Overview This get started user guide provides an overview of the standard tools that make up a SharePoint Team site, how to use them, and how to customise each to suit your needs. To get the most from the guide, you should have at least Contribute access to your team site see 1.3 below. 1.1 What is SharePoint? Microsoft SharePoint is a web-based management information system that supports collaborative working and enhances business processes within departments across the University. Users collaborate in a web based environment with a familiar MS Office type interface and use a web browser, such as Internet Explorer, to access and share information. 1.2 What is a SharePoint Team Site? Within SharePoint, we have created a standard template for all projects the Team Site. A SharePoint Team Site is a collaborative environment that provides teams with a central location for organising and sharing information. Most Team Sites include Document Libraries and Lists which can store various types of files and data. Many Team sites have sub-sites. A typical site might include: Shared Document Libraries Calendar Task List Discussion Board News items (Announcements) Resources List If the standard Team Site template doesn t meet all your requirements, we can customise a site for you. Please contact the Service Desk in the first instance servicedesk@abdn.ac.uk. 1.3 SharePoint user permissions Your access to SharePoint sites is governed by permissions. Each user is assigned Group permissions which specify the actions they can perform on the site. The default Group permissions, and the level of access assigned to each, are as follows: Owners: Full control over site functionality, structure, and content should be restricted to a small number of individuals Members: Contribute to the site (add, amend, delete documents) but don t have any control over site functionality or structure Visitors: Read can access approved site content but have read only access 2
2. Team Site features This section outlines the standard features of a Team Site and how they can be modified. The following chapters explains each feature in more detail. 2.1 Viewing SharePoint Team Site content SharePoint has a familiar Microsoft Office style interface. The SharePoint site window will look different on different sites. However the main structural elements are generally the same: 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. Global Links: breadcrumb navigation and a link back to the site homepage 2. Navigation Bar: tabs providing access to sub-sites and other areas of a Team Site 3. Quick Launch Bar: navigate to items on the current site such as Document Libraries, Lists, Resources 4. The main window displays the content of each Library, List, or page. 2.2 A closer look at the Quick Launch Bar Use the Quick Launch Bar to view content on a Team Site and to navigate through the top level content. Document Libraries (Documents) Document Libraries are specific to the Team Site and are used to store and view files such as documents, slides, forms, etc. Each Document Library can contain documents, folders, and sub folders. Lists Resources hyperlinks to related websites and pages News keeping the team informed. News items can be added and viewed from the News list or from the site homepage Calendar an electronic diary for the team. Store events and meetings Tasks a to do list for team members. Monitor progress Discussion Board keep in touch without sending numerous emails 3
2.3 How to navigate a SharePoint site SharePoint sites work like any other website. Use the Quick Launch Bar to navigate to different areas of your site. Simply click on a link or tab to open the associated, library, document, news item, task, etc., in SharePoint s main window. 2.4 Receive email alerts about changes to site items Keep up to date with changes to documents and list items on your SharePoint site by receiving email alerts. You can set this up at Document Library level or on an individual document level. To set up an alert: Navigate to the Document Library, document, or other item you want to receive alerts for. To set up an alert on a Document Library or any other List item, go to the Actions menu and select Alert Me. To set up an alert on an individual document, hover your cursor over the document and select Alert Me from the drop down menu. You will be asked to choose your preferred alert settings. The options you have to consider are: Title accept the suggested title, or overtype your own Change Type choose from: All Changes; New Items Added; Existing Items Modified; Items Deleted; Web Discussion Updates. (Note: Type is only available for multiple items in a list/library) Send Alerts for These Changes choose from: Anything Changes; Someone else changes a document; Someone else changes a document Created by Me; Someone else changes a document last modified by me. When to Send Alerts choose from: Immediately; Daily Summary; Weekly Summary. Once you ve made your choices, click OK to set up the alert. 4
3. Working with Document Libraries 3.1 Creating new folders and documents It s easy to add new folders and documents to a Document Library. First, you must navigate to the Document Library which you want to create a new folder or document. For example, in the illustration below, the user navigates to a Document Library on their site called Administration. To create a new folder or document click on the New drop down menu and select either Folder or Document. If you select New Folder, SharePoint will prompt you to name the folder before clicking OK. SharePoint creates a new folder in Document Library, ready for you to populate with documents and/or additional subfolders. If you select New Document, SharePoint will open a blank Word Document. You can then write in the document before saving it directly into the SharePoint folder. Note: You cannot use the following characters anywhere in a SharePoint folder or file name: ~ # % & * { } \ : < >? / 5
3.2 Uploading documents. You can upload single or multiple documents from an existing network drive to your SharePoint site. First, navigate to the Document Library and folder you want to upload the document to. Click on the Upload drop down menu and select either Upload Document or Upload Multiple Documents. If you select Upload document, SharePoint prompts you to Browse for the document you want to upload. Click on Browse A dialog opens allowing you to browse your network drives and select the file you want to upload. It s a similar process to adding an attachment to an email message. Select the file and click Open then OK to upload the document to the required folder. If you select Upload Multiple Documents, SharePoint displays the directory structure of your PC, including network drives. Navigate the tree structure on the left of the window to find the files you want to upload. 6
Tick the checkbox alongside each file you want to upload then click OK to upload the documents to the required folder. 3.3 Editing document and folder properties Once you have created documents and folders in a document library you can edit properties for example, folder or document name. Hover your cursor over the relevant document or folder and select Edit Properties from the drop down menu. Edit the name of the document or folder as required and click OK. 3.4 Deleting documents or folders To delete a document or folder: Hover your cursor over the document or folder you want to delete and select Delete from the drop down menu. If you re sure you want to delete, click OK. 7
3.5 Editing documents, checking documents out and in, and viewing version history If the site Owner has assigned Contribute permissions to you (see 1.3), you will be able to edit documents. By using the Check in and Check out process, you can also keep a version history of any changes you make to a document. Navigate to the document you want to edit, hover your cursor over it and select Check Out from the drop down menu. Click OK do not tick the Use my local drafts folder checkbox. Any document you check out will be marked with the check out icon. This lets other users know that they will not be able to edit the original document and must wait for you to check it back in again. To open the document for editing, click once on its name. Edit the document as required and save your changes. When prompted, Check In the document to confirm that you have finished making changes. Note: There are different types of Check In prompt depending on the version of Microsoft Office you are using. The prompt you see may not be the same as the one shown below. 8
In the Check In dialog, add any Version Comments about the changes you have made then click OK. The revised document is checked back in and is now available for others to view and edit if they wish. Your comments are logged in the document s Version History. To view the Version History of a document, hover your cursor over it and select Version History from the drop down menu. From the Version History window you can view all the versions of a document, any comments made when different versions of the document have been checked in, and any changes made to the documents properties. 9
4. Resources The Resources List is a central location for links to web addresses containing information considered of interest to your SharePoint site audience. You can link to external resources and websites, or to other areas within the SharePoint system. 4.1 To add a new Resource item Navigate to Resources from the Quick Launch Bar. Select New Item from the New drop down menu. Enter the required details. URL: Type in the web address of the site you want to link to. Use the Click here to test feature to make sure you have entered the address correctly. Description: Provide information about where the link will take you, rather than a potentially meaningless URL. Notes: Add any details that might be of interest to your audience. Click OK to add the link to the list of Resources. It s possible to create a folder structure in the Resources List, in the same way as would create a folder structure in your Document Libraries. This might be useful if you want to organise your links. Navigate to Resources from the Quick Launch Bar. Select New Folder from the New drop down menu. Give the folder an appropriate name, then click OK. 10
5. News Use the News List to post items or messages about news and events that may be of interest to your SharePoint audience. News items can also contain attachments. Your site Owner may have set News items to display on the site homepage as well as via the News link in the Quick Launch Bar. 5.1 To create a News item Navigate to News from the Quick Launch Bar. Select New Item from the New drop down menu. Enter the required details. Title: This will be the title of your News item. Body: Enter the details of your News item. Expires: If you specify an expiry date for the news item, it will drop off the site homepage on that date, but it will still remain in the full list of News items (accessed via the Quick Launch Bar). Attach File: You can attach any relevant files to the News item in the same way you would attach a document to an email. Click OK to add the News item to the News List and, if applicable, to the site homepage. 11
6. Calendar Use the site Calendar List as an electronic diary where you can store forthcoming meetings and events and other dates of interest to your SharePoint site audience. The default view of meetings and events is the Calendar view. You can view the Calendar so that events are displayed by Day, Week, or Month, just as you can in your Outlook Calendar. You can also view meetings and events as a list instead of a Calendar either All Events or Current Events. 6.1 To create a Calendar item Navigate to Calendar from the Quick Launch Bar. Select New Item from the New drop down menu. Enter the required details. The Title, Location, Start Time, End Time, and Description of the meeting or event. You can select whether the meeting is an All Day Event or a Repeating event, e.g. a recurring meeting. Workspace: You can create a separate web space for a meeting or event and use it to organise attendees, agendas and any other documentation needed for the event. Attach File: You can attach any relevant files to the News item in the same way you would attach a document to an email. Click OK to add the calendar item to the Calendar. 12
7. Tasks Use the site Tasks List as a To Do list a central location where you can create and monitor team tasks. You can also assign users to the Tasks so that you know who is working on what. 7.1 To create a Task Navigate to Tasks from the Quick Launch Bar. Select New Item from the New drop down menu. Enter the required details. The Title and Description of the Task. The Priority, Status and % Complete you can add to this and edit as required. Assigned to: Assign the Task to an individual or group of individuals by clicking on the address book icon and searching the Global Address List. The individual(s) you assign the Task to will be notified by email. Attach File: You can attach any relevant files to the Task in the same way you would attach a document to an email. Click OK to add the task to the Task List and to notify the individual(s) you have assigned the task to. 13
7.2 To Edit a Task Individuals with a Task assigned to them or organisers of a Task can edit its status at any time. To edit a task: Selecting Edit Item from the Task s drop down menu. For example, you might want to update the progress of a Task (% Complete) or its Priority may have changed since you started it. When you have finished updating the Task, click OK to save changes and, if applicable, to notify by email the individuals the task is assigned to. Any changes you make are reflected in the Task List. 14
8. Discussion Boards Use Discussion Boards as another method of keeping in touch a one stop shop where all site users can join in conversations on topics of interest to the SharePoint site audience or members. 8.1 To create a Discussion Navigate to Discussion Board from the Quick Launch Bar. Select Discussion from the New drop down menu. Enter the required details to start the discussion: Subject: What you want to talk about. Body: The details of the discussion or an opening remark to get the discussion started. Attach File: You can attach any relevant files to the Discussion in the same way you would attach a document to an email. Click OK to add the new discussion to the Discussion Board. 8.2 Taking part in a discussion When you first enter the Discussion Board, the different conversation topics are listed showing the subject, creator, number of replies, and the last update. To view a discussion, click on its subject name in the list. 15
By default, the discussion thread is displayed in Flat View i.e. in the order in which the conversation was created and responded to. Note: If you prefer, you can change the view to Threaded i.e. each reply is slightly indented to help you identify which comments were replied to. You can reply to any discussion or comment by clicking Reply. Add your comments to the discussion, then submit them by clicking OK. You post is added to the bottom of the thread for others to view and reply to. 16
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