Quick Start Manual
Table of Contents
- How does Collabomatic work?
- How do I install Collabomatic?
- Where are my shared folders and files?
- How do I create a new shared folder?
- How do I invite others to a shared folder?
- How do I give access to a shared folder without allowing changes?
- How do I remove someone from a shared folder?
- I have more than one computer. How do I give myself access to my shared files from any of my computers?
- How do I open a file within a shared folder from within a program like Word or Excel?
- How do I view or recover past revisions of a file or document?
- How do I save a new file to a shared folder?
- How do I rename, copy, or delete files and shared folders?
- I need someone to receive my edits to a file right away. How do I make sure my updated files are available?
- How do I know when changes were made to my shared folders and files?
- I forgot my password. How do I reset my password?
How does Collabomatic work?
Collabomatic is a collaboration tool that helps you share files easily. It integrates with the Windows desktop to allow you to create shared folders and share files the same way you currently interact with files.
Collabomatic creates a new section in the My Computer folder called My Collaborations. My Collaborations contains all your shared folders. Each shared folder has its own list of participants.
Participants in a shared folder can be anybody, as long as they have a valid e-mail address and have connection to the Internet.
Once a folder is created and participants are invited, all changes to that folder are automatically sent to all participants. If you add a file, all participants will see that file in their folder; if you delete a file, it will be removed from the shared folder on all participants' computers. Edit a file in a shared folder and all participants will see your changes.
Changes flow in all directions: participants in your shared folder can also add, remove or edit files.
You can work with your files online or offline. If you edit, add or remove files while offline, the changes will take effect for everyone the next time you connect.
How do I install Collabomatic?
First, you'll need to create an account.
If you were invited to a shared folder by someone who already uses Collabomatic, you already have an account created for you. Simply follow the instructions in the invitation e-mail to create a password and download the Collabomatic client, which works on both Windows XP and Windows Vista.
Alternately, you can create a new account by signing up with your e-mail address on our home page at http://www.collabomatic.com.
If you already have an account and password, you can download the Collabomatic client software from here and install it on any Windows XP or Windows Vista computer. You don't need to have administrative control over your computer to install Collabomatic, so even if it's on your work computer you can install Collabomatic without bothering IT.
Where are my shared folders and files?
Collabomatic creates a new folder in Windows alongside your computer's disk drives called "My Collaborations" or "Collaborations". This folder contains all of your shared folders.
From the Start Menu, click on "My Computer" or "Computer". Notice a new folder "My Collaborations".
Double click on "My Collaborations". This will open your list of shared folders within Explorer.
To access files within a folder, simply browse within a shared folder and open or manipulate files.
How do I create a new shared folder?
Creating a new shared folder is easy. Simply open Windows explorer to "My Collaborations". Within this folder, there is a new button on the toolbar "New Shared Folder" and a menu in "File" called "New" -> "Shared Folder". Click on the menu or button, and you'll be asked for a folder name.
Provide a new name for this shared folder. At this time, you can optionally invite others to the folder immediately. If you leave "Invite Others Now" checked, you'll be asked to send an invitation.
To invite others, enter their e-mail addresses in the "To" field, add an optional message, and press "Send Invitation". To cancel the invitation, close the window by pressing the "X" on the upper right. Everyone that you invite will receive an e-mail notifying them that they now have access to the new shared folder.
How do I invite others to a shared folder?
Browse to the shared folder from within Windows Explorer.
Both the toolbar and File menu have an "Invite..." command. Select the "Invite..." button on the toolbar.
Note that you do not have to be the creator of a shared folder to invite someone else - anyone with Participant access to a folder can invite someone else to that folder.
You cannot invite somebody to the folder if you are a Reader of that folder.
To invite others, enter their e-mail addresses in the "To" field, add an optional message, and press "Send Invitation". To cancel the invitation, close the window by pressing the "X" on the upper right. Everyone that you invite will receive an e-mail notifying them that they now have access to the shared folder.
How do I give access to a shared folder without allowing changes?
You limit access to a folder by inviting a participant as a Reader. Readers can view files in a shared folder, but they cannot edit or delete files. They also cannot invite or remove other participants.
Browse to the shared folder from within Windows Explorer.
Both the toolbar and File menu have an "Invite..." command. Select the "Invite..." button on the toolbar.
Invite others as you would normally, but ensure that "Invite as Reader" is selected. Anyone invited as a reader can access files and documents but cannot make any changes.
How do I remove someone from a shared folder?
Browse to the shared folder from within Windows Explorer.
Both the toolbar and File menu have an "People..." command. Select the "People..." button on the toolbar.
This brings up a screen showing you everyone currently invited to that folder.
You can remove someone from the folder by selecting their name from the list and pressing the "Remove" button. The person you remove will receive an e-mail notification that they were removed from the shared folder.
You cannot remove users from a shared folder if you are a Reader of that folder.
I have more than one computer. How do I give myself access to my shared files from any of my computers?
First install Collabomatic on all of your computers, as described here. This will give you access to all of your shared folders from any of your computers.
Next, create one or more shared folders just for you alone. These folders will be available to you from any of your computers but won't be accessible to anyone else unless you explicitly invite them.
How do I open a file within a shared folder from within a program like Word or Excel?
You can open a file from within any Windows application just like you do today - but instead of going to "My Documents", instead select "My Collaborations" and browse into the shared folder containing your file.
How do I view or recover past revisions of a file or document?
First, browse to to the shared folder from within Windows Explorer that contains your file, and right click with your mouse on the file. This will bring up a menu for that file.
Select "View Revision History" from the menu. This will load and display the revision history, which details all of the revisions available for this file or document.
To view a previous revision, select the revision and click "View".
To save a previous revision to a file, select the revision and click "Save As...".
To restore a previous revision and overwrite the current version of a file or document with a previous version, select "Restore...".
How do I save a new file to a shared folder?
You can save new files directly to a Collabomatic shared folder.
Simply select "My Collaborations" instead of "My Documents" and choose a shared folder within which to save your file.
How do I rename, copy, or delete files and shared folders?
Files and folders work exactly like you expect them - you can edit or modify files, create new files, copy files both to and from shared folders, rename files or folders, or delete files or folders. As long as you are online, any changes you make will be automatically available for everyone else within about 10 minutes.
I need someone to receive my edits to a file right away. How do I make sure my updated files are available?
You can send and receive changes immediately from any Collabomatic shared folder. Simply browse to "My Collaborations" and choose "Send/Receive Changes" from the right-click menu or from the File menu.
This will send and receive all file and folder changes, synchronizing your set of shared files and folders with everyone else's.
How do I know when changes were made to my shared folders and files?
You are automatically notified when Collabomatic receives changes to your shared files and folders with a balloon in your system task tray. This is usually in the lower right of your screen.
I forgot my password. How do I reset my password?
You can reset your password here. Simply enter your e-mail address and you'll be sent a link that you can use to reset your password.