OfficePower for Windows

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• File management of both PC and OfficePower files/objects on the server
• Mail interface (GUI) for sending and receiving email - now supports off-line mailboxes too
• Mail directory and address books
• Alerts interface to organise tasks and requests
• Records browser for viewing calendars, To-do lists, reminders etc
• Integration with PC applications
• User installable in 10 minutes
• Easy startup and configuration
• Works against OfficePower 2000 (or OfficePower/Xtra) hosts
• Supports access to UNIX applications using VT220+
• Additionally supports familiar OfficePower menus in text mode (but with mouse support) for experienced users
• Can be used over dial-up connections and for offline working on shared documents

Using OfficePower for Windows

Windows PC users in an organisation are creating and sharing information with colleagues both locally in workgroups, and more widely across the organisation, and with suppliers, customers and business partners outside of the organisation. OfficePower for Windows is the OfficePower product which provides a workspace designed to help users work within and beyond the organisation from their PC.

Integration with PC Applications

Typically a user will use their favourite PC applications to create documents and spreadsheets. OfficePower for Windows allows users to mail or store documents and spreadsheets without ever leaving the PC application. A drop down menu is provided within the PC application which gives access to a range of mail and filestore facilities.

The currently active file may be mailed in whole or in part, and a covering message of any length may also be added. Files created on the PC may be stored on the OfficePower server, or files already stored may be retrieved, updated, and returned to the server. Your PC application becomes your interface to OfficePower.

File Management

Where information is to be shared and backed up, the user can choose to store PC files in the OfficePower filing system. OfficePower for Windows provides a file manager to help manage PC and OfficePower files through a single user interface. Double clicking on a file allows the user to update it with the associated application - this applies both to a wide range of PC files (from spreadsheets, and documents, to HTML and BMP files) and to all OfficePower objects.

Calendars, Distribution Lists, Name and Address Lists and Mail Filters can be updated via a graphical interface. Graphical viewers are provided for other OfficePower objects - even UDAP datafiles.

The file manager allows multiple views into the OfficePower filing system and permits the use of drag and drop as an aid to deleting, moving, copying, and mailing files.

OfficePower Mail

Mail can be sent and received using the new graphical user interface. Received mail may be sorted and searched in a number of different ways. Mail items may be opened (with a mouse click) to allow reading of the covering note and processing of any attachments. Double clicking on a selected attachment launches the appropriate application, for example, a PC spreadsheet, voice player or image viewer, or OfficePower Word.

Multiple mailboxes are supported, with facilities to copy and move messages between them, and several mail items and attachments may be open at the same time to help you organise and process your mail.

From within the file manager, a user may highlight a number of files, and send a mail item with the highlighted files automatically attached. Addressees are selected from distribution lists, or by using a graphical interface to OfficePower’s searchable directory.

Receipt of new mail items, or replies to sent messages, can be notified via a graphical interface to OfficePower's Alerts Manager.

Off-line working

For "roving" users, off-line working is supported. Users may choose to ‘fetch’ files, transferring them to the PC - these files may be ‘checked out’ as work in progress so that other users cannot update them. Work in progress may be updated using PC applications whilst disconnected from the network and be returned to the server, suitably updated, when next on-line.

OfficePower documents and other objects can be ‘fetched’ too, and then viewed off-line using the graphical viewers. Carry that UDAP datafile or OfficePower-Word document with you and use the information away from the office.

In version 4 of OfficePower for Windows, even your mail can be fetched to mailboxes created on your PC, and the messages and their attachments viewed off-line.

Technical requirements

• PC with Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows 95 or 98, or Windows NT 4 (Windows 95 or above recommended).
• 486 or Pentium PC with 16MB memory (Pentium with 32 MB recommended), 8MB hard disk space for installation.
• Networking: TCP/IP connection to the OfficePower system (using Winsock 1.1 compliant interface). Dial-in access is supported using the Dial-Up Networking software supplied with Windows 95, 98 or NT4.

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