Streamlining administration with Desktop templates and model Desktops

The group system allows all user groups to act as templates for the member users' Desktops. All of the features of container templates apply to Desktop templates, thereby allowing you to control default appearance and operation by setting view properties, toolbars, versioned resources (forms, icons, images, etc), custom columns and rules for group members' Desktops.

Desktop templates are easiest to manage when all of a user's Desktop data is delivered from a single template. This is the recommended method for managing and applying desktop views.

To make any existing or new user group act as a Desktop template, choose "Desktop View" from the Desktop layout options on the Preferences tab of the Group Privileges form. Once this is switched on, the user's Desktop view is downloaded at login from the group model Desktop.

Setting view properties

To change view properties for a Desktop template, click Model Desktop at the top right of the Group Privileges form. From this model Desktop view, you can make changes using client controls, or by choosing View > Change View Properties.

For best efficiency at login and to avoid affecting unwanted view properties, it is recommended that you clear all current view properties before configuring new ones. Clear current view properties by clicking Default on the Change View Properties form.

See the model Desktop section below for further information about creating model Desktop views.

Setting up custom toolbars

Toolbars can be set using the model Desktop feature.

Open the Group Privileges form and click Model Desktop at the top right.

Customize the toolbar using the client's Customize Toolbar form (View > Toolbars > Customize Toolbars).

To clear a custom toolbar, click Reset Toolbar. Even though a default toolbar is drawn, this deletes all toolbar data from the Desktop template.

When a user belongs to multiple groups, just configure the toolbar for one Desktop template.

Providing versioned resources

Desktop templates can provide resources which are checked and downloaded at login.

To add a resource to a Desktop template, click Resources on the Group Privileges form and upload the file to the Resources folder. When the user logs in all new files will be downloaded and merged automatically into the local settings file. Resources can be drawn from any of the member Desktop templates. Resources can contain background image files as well as FC resource files containing forms, pictures, icons, etc.

Adding custom columns

Create custom columns by clicking Resources on the Group Privileges form. In the Rules folder, create a new Custom Column document.

When a user belongs to multiple groups the custom columns only set up custom columns for one Desktop template.

Rules

Create Desktop rules by clicking Resources on the Group Privileges form. In the Rules folder, create rules to apply to all member Desktops of this group.

This is primarily useful when used with an application Rule, since Desktops do not send or receive messages.

Resources can be drawn from any of the member Desktop templates.

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The All Desktops container template

All Desktops precedes All Users and affects existing users' view properties on upgrades. All Desktops is a container template that controls view properties and can distribute resources and updated client software. The All Desktops template determines the following characteristics:

• the position and dimensions of all users’ Desktops

• the position of all standard Desktop applications on all users’ Desktops

• the icon used for the personal productivity applications on all users’ Desktops.

Set your site's default background image, Desktop size and all other view properties on the All Desktops template and then override this as required by group.

Users can override these view properties for their Desktops.

After an initial upgrade, changes to the All Desktops Desktop do not override user views. However, if a user flushes his cache, or selects "Default" on the Change view properties form, his Desktop view properties will reflect what has been configured for All Desktops.

Note

OpenText Corp. uses this container template to update resources when upgrading FirstClass software.

Exploring the All Desktops template

In the Groups folder on the administrator's Desktop double-click the All Desktops container template and click Model View.

Note that the standard application icons are placed along the left and top of the Desktop. This will be true for all users, so when adding items to other groups’ model Desktops, do not place them within 96 pixels of the top or left side.

Caution

Do not move or delete the standard application icons on the All Desktops container template.

These are the standard applications on the All Desktops model:

Mailbox	Even though we have the option of turning off the Private mail privilege for the members of a user group, the Mailbox icon will still appear on all Desktops since it exists on All Desktops. Even if we deleted the Mailbox from the model Desktop it would still appear on users’ Desktops since it is just a placeholder. Members of the user group will be able to receive and read email, they just won’t be able to send or reply to private email. When they send mail to conferences, a copy of the sent message will be in the user’s Mailbox. The position of the Mailbox icon on the All Desktops model Desktop determines the position of the Mailbox on the Desktops of all new users. If you delete the Mailbox icon from the All Users model Desktop, new users will still get a Mailbox placed in the default location on their Desktop. Caution Do not delete the Mailbox icon.
Calendar	The user’s personal calendar for scheduling tasks and events. If the administrator enables the Calendar application for all or a group of users, these users can then share their calendars and invite other users to events.
Contacts	The user's personal contacts folder. All users have a personal Contacts folder on their Desktops. If the Contacts application is enabled, a user can address mail to anyone in his Contacts folder the same way he does for anyone listed in the Directory. If this application is not enabled, the Contacts folder can still be used as a storage container for personal contacts.
My Shared Documents	The user's profile information folder. This folder contains FCXResume, the Profile form. The user updates this form to provide personal and contact information. If you use FirstClass Web Services, it will also contain the user's blog entries.
Documents	All users have access to this feature. Users can store any personal FirstClass documents in this folder.
File Storage	All users have access to this feature. Users can store any personal files in this folder. These files can be uploaded files, links to internal and external information, FirstClass documents or messages, or any other file.
Trash Can	When users' items expire or are deleted, they will appear in the Trash Can for the length of time specified by you on the Limits tab of the Group Privileges form. We suggest you set a minimum removal expiry first at the All Users level and increase it as required for other groups of users. Users can undelete items from the Trash Can, or can drag items from the Trash Can to other folders on their Desktops, thereby undeleting the item.
Chats	Users can open their existing chats here or through FirstClass Web Services.
Bookmarks	Users can place internal and external bookmarks in this folder. From a web browser, users can add bookmarks directly to this folder.

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Understanding model Desktops

As administrator, you can use the model Desktop feature to customize the appearance of users’ Desktops. For each user group, you can design a model Desktop that determines:

• the icons that appear on the Desktops of members of the group

• the properties and location of each icon

• the Desktop size, sort order, view, and split bar location for conferences and other windows.

Each user group has a model Desktop. Icons for all the conferences and folders on the model Desktop appear on the Desktops of all members of the user group in the same location as they appear on the model Desktop.

When you add a new user to a user group, you automatically place all the objects found on the group model Desktop onto the user’s Desktop. When you delete a user from a user group, you delete the objects found on the group model Desktop from the user’s Desktop. Similarly, when you add an object to the group model Desktop, you add it to the Desktops of all members of the group. When you delete an object from the group model Desktop, you delete it from the Desktops of all group members.

When you add a conference to a user group’s model Desktop, you are making every member of that group a member of the conference.

By creating model Desktops for your user groups, you can reduce the effort involved in maintaining a complex system. Instead of customizing each user’s individual Desktop, you customize the look of a group of users’ Desktops.

Note

When a user is added as a member of several groups, the icons from all of the groups’ model Desktops appear on the user’s Desktop. Use careful planning to create model Desktops that can be easily combined without overlapping icons.

As administrator, it is your job to create the default appearance of your users' Desktops. This includes providing links to container objects (conferences, folders, and public calendars) that you want your users to access. The most efficient way to do this is by creating Desktops for groups of users instead of for each individual user separately. FirstClass lets you create default group Desktops through the model Desktop feature. Model Desktops reduce the effort involved in maintaining your system. Each user group has a model Desktop that is the basis for the Desktop of each user in the group.

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The All Users model Desktop

The All Users model Desktop is used to add additional objects to all users' Desktops.

Changes made to the view properties of the All Users model Desktop will only affect new users.

Configuration Groups’ model Desktops

Only two of the groups classed as Configuration Groups have model Desktops. These are:

Sub Admin	The Sub Admin model Desktop contains a Sub Admin folder containing all the objects a subadministrator requires from the administrator’s Desktop for the role of subadministrator. This folder is on the bottom row of the second column. Remember that there is an icon in this space when combining model Desktops for subadministrators.
Webmaster	The Webmaster model Desktop contains a Webmaster folder containing all the objects required to administer Internet Services. This folder is in the bottom row of the second column. Remember that there is an icon in this space when combining model Desktops for Internet Services administrators.

Department Groups’ model Desktops

Each Department Group contains one or more objects specific to the group’s users. All members of the Employees group have a link to the Employee Lounge, an employee collaboration area, in the top row of the second column of their Desktop. When adding objects to or combining employees model Desktops, remember that there is an icon in this space.

All other Department groups have one or two additional icons on their model Desktops. These icons are placed in the second and/or third row(s) of the second column. When adding objects to or combining model Desktops, remember there are icons in these spaces.

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Creating and maintaining model Desktops

Creating a model Desktop

To create a model Desktop:

1 Open the Groups folder on the administrator's Desktop.

2 Open the user group for which you want to create a model Desktop.

3 Click "Model Desktop" on the Group Privileges form.

4 Select an icon from the administrator's account (usually in the General Conferences folder) that you want placed on the model Desktop.

5 Choose Collaborate > Add to Desktop.

A Desktop link will appear on the administrator's Desktop.

Note

Any icons you want to place on the new model Desktop must first be on the administrator's Desktop.

6 Drag the Desktop link from the administrator's Desktop to the desired location on the model Desktop.

Because icons are added to a user's Desktop in exactly the same location as they appear on the model Desktop, choose the icon location carefully, particularly if users are members of multiple user groups.

7 Choose File > Properties (Windows) or Get Info (Mac), with the new Desktop link selected.

8 Fill in the Info form.

9 Repeat the previous steps for every icon that you want on this model Desktop.

10 Close the model Desktop.

11 Wait for modeling to complete.

Caution

Do not log off until modeling is complete.

Adding conferences to model Desktops

The default network store already contains model Desktops for the preconfigured groups.

To add a conference to the Finance group’s Model Desktop:

1 Double-click the Finance user group and click Model Desktop.

2 Double-click the General Conferences folder on the administrator’s Desktop.

3 Select the Finance Area conference.

4 Select Collaborate > Add to Desktop.

A copy of the conference will appear on the administrator’s Desktop.

5 Drag the link to the model Desktop and arrange it as appropriate. Remember, there are conferences along the left and top already.

6 Protect the alias on the Model Desktop by choosing File > Properties (Windows) or Get Info (Mac) and selecting Protected. This will prevent users from deleting this item from their Desktops.

7 optional

If you want the conference to open automatically the first time each user logs in, choose File > Properties (Windows) or Get Info (Mac) and select "Auto open".

8 Close the Model Desktop.

9 Wait for modeling to complete.

Caution

Don't log off until modelling is complete, or your changes will not be applied to all members of the group.

If you are unhappy with the look of the Model Desktop, you can reopen it and rearrange it at any time. However, remodeling will only occur when an object has been added or deleted. Simple rearrangement will not force it. You can add and immediately delete an object to force remodeling.

Renaming All Users Desktop objects

The names of all objects on the All Users model Desktop can be renamed or localized.

To rename objects:

1 Open the All Users model Desktop.

2 Select the object you want to modify.

3 Choose File > Properties/Get Info.

4 Enter the new name of the container in the Name field.

5 Do not change the Subtype.

Personalizing users' Desktops

It is possible to place personalized containers on users' Desktops using model Desktops. This is done using the Copy Model action on a container. To do this:

1 Create a new shared container in the General Conferences folder.

2 Name the container #xxxx's name, where xxxx is the global field value listed below and name is the name of the container.

7001 User's first name

7002 User's initials

7003 User's last name

7006 User's Client ID

7100 User's full formatted name

7101 Date of copy

7102 Time of copy

5004 User's primary OU

3 Add the container to a model Desktop.

4 Choose File > Properties/Get Info.

5 Choose Copy as the Model Action.

6 Choose a subtype if applicable.

7 Close the model Desktop and wait for modelling to complete.

Note

Model Action and Subtype fields are only visible when viewing container properties on a model Desktop.

The Copy action creates a copy of the container and all subcontainers, including view layout, column schema, rules, and content. On remove no action is performed.

Only the Copy action has Parameter substitution. Values are drawn from the pre-defined global field values listed in step 2.

The model Desktop view:

The user's Desktop view:

This option has the highest cost to the server. You'll need to get a feel for how fast this is going to work on your server before you make changes to thousands of users. Start by playing with the possibilities on a test server, then use a new group and remote users for testing on your live system.

For the server to copy a container, it has to check for subcontainers, all containers' view properties, all containers' rules folders, create originals of the documents, and check for aliases. It's more work than just creating a simple folder. We suggest you use FirstClass scripting for this feature.

Changing icon properties and locations

FirstClass only remodels a Desktop when you add or remove an icon on the model Desktop, not when an object is only modified. Both existing and new users' Desktops will reflect this change. To move an icon or change its name or other properties, delete the icon from the model Desktop, then add it again.

For example, to change the name of the News conference to Hot News, delete the News icon from the model Desktop, place an icon of the News conference on the model Desktop again, then change the name of the icon.

Deleting icons from model Desktops

Caution

When you delete an icon from a group's model Desktop, the icon is deleted from the Desktop of every user in the group who has it, even if the user is a member of another group that still has the icon on its model Desktop.

To delete an icon from a model Desktop:

1 Open the Groups folder on the administrator's Desktop.

2 Open the user group from whose model Desktop you want to remove the icon.

3 Click model Desktop.

4 if the icon is protected

Select the icon, choose File > Properties (Windows) or Get Info (Mac OS), clear "Protected", then click OK.

5 Select the icon, then choose File > Delete.

6 Rearrange the remaining icons, if necessary.

7 Close the model Desktop.

8 Wait for modeling to complete.

Caution

Do not log off until you are told that modeling is completed.

Changing the Desktop size and view

You can use model Desktops to set the size of users' Desktops, and to change their views of container objects (folders, conferences, calendars).

The All Desktops Desktop template determines the size of all users' Desktops as well as view properties like icon size and background image. After you change the size or view properties of the All Desktops model Desktop, all existing and new users you add will have the changed Desktop size and view.

To change the view of container objects for a particular user group, display the model Desktop for the group, then modify the views for folders and conferences.

You can also add a picture as the default background for users' Desktops.

To apply a background picture to a model Desktop:

1 Open the All Desktops model Desktop.

2 Choose View > Change View Properties.

3 Fill in the fields on the Background tab of the View Properties form.

Two other procedures exist for adding or changing background pictures on a group's Desktop:

• use FirstClass scripting

• make the change on each individual Desktop.

Setting the background picture for a model Desktop

If you have a simple organizational structure, you can set a background image for the All Users model Desktop. For more complex organizational structures, you may prefer to set background images at the primary organizational unit (OU) level.

1 Place the image to be used in Multi-Site Setup > FC Resource Registry.

2 Open the All Desktops model Desktop.

3 Choose View > Change View Properties.

4 Fill in the Background tab.

5 On the Group Privileges form Preferences tab, choose "Copy from Model" at Desktop layout.

Making unread objects open automatically

Sometimes you have messages that you want to make sure users read. To ensure that they do, FirstClass lets you make unread messages, and conferences containing unread messages, open automatically. Making a message open automatically is described in Client Help.

Note

To do this, you must have the Set Expiry privilege and Contributor permissions for the conference in which the message is located.

To make a conference open automatically:

1 Delete the conference icon from the appropriate Model Desktop.

2 Select the original conference, then choose File > Properties (Windows) or Get Info (Mac).

3 Select "Auto Open", then click OK.

4 Make a Desktop link of the conference, then drag it to the Model Desktop.

5 Select the Desktop link, then choose File > Properties/Get Info.

6 Ensure that "Auto Open" is still selected, then click OK.

7 Close the Model Desktop window.

8 Wait for remodeling to complete.

Model Desktops and multiple groups

When users are in multiple user groups, their Desktops are created by combining the contents of all applicable model Desktops. If you are going to use multiple user groups to control access to conferences, remember that each model Desktop dictates the exact location of icons on users' Desktops. Be sure to place icons so that they do not overlap each other.

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Creating Desktop links for individual users

You can put a Desktop link on an individual user's Desktop without using a model Desktop. To do this:

1 Choose the object that you want to add to the user's Desktop.

2 Choose Collaborate > Add to Desktop.

3 Open the user's Desktop from the administrator's Directory.

4 Drag the Desktop link from the administrator's Desktop to the user's Desktop.

5 Close the user's Desktop.

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