The SharePoint Meeting Manager by Layer2 adds typically required meeting life-cycle management features to SharePoint based portals very flexible, to manage all tasks before, during and after meetings completely out-of-the-box.
INSTALLATION
The installation is done using a SharePoint Solution Package. The included wizard distributes all files to a SharePoint farm, if required, and does all necessary configurations. Before installation please make sure, that
- all servers are available
- online backup your current installation
- approve software on evaluation systems bevor installing in productive system
- use a regular service interval to install the solution
The application will not be available for a short time, because the application pool is restarted (IISreset). Start the installation process by executing the file "Install.Layer2.MeetingManager.exe" on the server, that hosts the SharePoint Central Administration with appropriate access rights.
Fig.: SharePoint Meeting Manager setup wizard welcome screen
First the considerations for the installation are being checked.
Fig.: Checking of considerations for the installation process
If there are any problems, please take a look at our FAQs (General FAQ, Installation). As a next step you have to accept the license agreement.
Fig.: SharePoint Meeting Manager Installation - License Agreement
After successful installation please select the desired web applications for deployment of the new feature.
Fig.: Select the desired web applications for deployment
This installation step can take up to 15 min.
Fig.: SharePoint Meeting Manager solution deployment
FEATURE ACTIVATION
After successful deployment there is a new farm feature available. To use it, the feature „SharePoint Meeting Manager by Layer2“ has to be activated in the SharePoint Central Administration by an SharePoint Central Administrator.
Fig.: Activating the SharePoint Meeting Manager feature
After activation an IIS-reset has to be done (see remark).
Remark: After activation of the feature a timer job runs once with a delay of 10 sec. So the IIS-reset should be done with a delay of 15 sec. after activation.
After successful activation a new SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace template is avaialable on Site Collection or site level.
APPLICATION
Create a SharePoint Meeting Manager workspace step-by-step
A new SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace, as with the default templates for meeting workspaces, can be created on three different channels:
1. Create a new page in SharePoint
Like any other sites in SharePoint, a new SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace can be created using the menu "Site Actions"> "Web sites and work areas"> "create". The form must have a title, e.g. "Weekly Meeting" and an URL. The language and template for the page to be generated can be selected. To create a new SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace , goto the "Meetings" tab and select "Meeting Manager Workspace". Then press "Create" to finish.
Fig.: Selecting the template "Meeting Manager Workspace"
A so-arranged meeting area is not linked to a specific date. To link the workspace with a specific date, a new appointment must be created either in a SharePoint calendar or Outlook calendar, and linked with the workspace. This is explained in the following chapters.
2. Create a SharePoint Meeting Manager workspace directly into Outlook
In the Outlook calendar a new appointment can be created, and then this can be linked with an existing meeting workspace - or a new meeting workspace can be created. First, in Outlook a new meeting request will be selected (clicking the right mouse button on the calendar).
Fig.: Creating a new meeting request in Outlook
Then in the top menu toolbar, select "Meeting Workspace".
Fig.: Meeting Workspace Options in Outlook
If you select this option, further options for the meeting request do appear in the left section. The meeting can be linked either with an existing meeting workspace or with a new one. To link to a meeting workspace that is already available to use, you must first click to the right menu to "Change Settings".
Fig.: Link existing meeting workspace in Outlook
You can select the location of the web site, where the SharePoint Meeting Manager workspace exists, with this date to be linked. Then you can select the Workspace itself. Please confirm with OK.
In the right menu click “Link” to finally link the appointment to the workspace. In the meeting request then a standard text is inserted. This can be changed if necessary. If the meeting request has a "subject" and a "location" that also appear in the meeting workspace.
Participants will be selected and registered. They will receive this meeting request and they will be added to the participant list of the meeting workspace.
Fig: Finishing the SharePoint Meeting Manager meeting request in Outlook
Like usual, a meeting request, that is linked to a SharePoint Meeting Manager workspace, can be defined as ‘recurrent’ to create a repeated event. You have to specify the interval, the meeting should be repeated.
Fig: Selecting recurrence for a meeting with SharePoint Meeting Manager in Outlook
After the meeting request is completed and transmitted, all settings of the meeting request are available in the meeting workspace selected.
Fig: Home Meeting Manager Workspace
To create a new meeting workspace by creating a meeting request, first - as described in the meeting request – it has to be selected, that the meeting should be generally linked with a meeting workspace. In the settings for the meeting workspace then can be selected, that a new meeting workspace should be created.
First, the root back page, to which the meeting workspace to be subordinated, has to be selected. Then you can select the workspace language and template. To create a SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace, please choose the template "Meeting Manager Workspace".
Fig.: Selection of an existing SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace from Outlook
Furthermore, the steps as described above to be processed.
3. Create a SharePoint Meeting Manager workspace from a SharePoint calendar
To create a meeting on a SharePoint calendar with an existing meeting workspace to link, you have to open the SharePoint calendar first. If a new calendar item is added, there is the selection available, whether a meeting workspace to be used and whether it should be a recurring appointment. On the next page there can be selected, whether the calendar date is to be linked with an existing meeting workspace (if a meeting workspace exists and in the chapter above described conditions apply) or whether a new meeting workspace should be created.
If a new SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace is to be created (as in the chapter "Creating a new page in SharePoint" section) on the next page the template "Meeting Manager Workspace” should be selected. After confirming the selection , the access groups for the meeting workspace must be defined. It is recommended to use the default groups (see also chapter "Permissions").
Fig.: Use of additional preset groups with often required permissions for the SharePoint Meeting Manager workspace
Possible links between meeting workspaces
To make an appointment in Outlook or in a SharePoint calendar with an existing SharePoint Meeting Manager workspace to link, the following points must be observed:
- A "simple" event (not a recurring date) or a recurring appointment can be linked with a meeting workspace, if a date is still not assigned.
- There may be a "simple" event linked with a meeting workspace that already have one or more dates assigned.
- A recurring appointment can not be linked with a meeting workspace, that already has one or more simple dates assigned or a recurring date is already assigned.
- A "simple" date can not be linked with a meeting workspace, that already has a repeating series of dates assigned
Structure and Navigation
A SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace includes additional listings, which are required for configuration and generation of meeting minutes. Furthermore, some default SharePoint lists (e.g. list of participants) are enhanced, to be able to enter frequently required information for a protocol, e.g.
- Role of the participant within the workspace
- Status of the participant, i.e. whether a participant in a meeting was present
For improved navigation and the clarity of the meeting workspace to obtain, the SharePoint Meeting Manger is divided into two pages, the Home page and the Post Processing page. On the Home page you will find the List View Web Parts for the lists and libraries, that are required mostly before a meeting. There is also a list view webpart for a list of links on the home page. It includes important links, e.g. for meeting minutes generation, and to "Show All site content".
Figure: SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace - The Home page gives an overview wich summarizes all the content together
The second page "Post Processing" contains list view Web Parts for the lists, which usually are required only after a meeting is finished.
Fig.: Post Processing page of a SharePoint Meeting Manager workspace
The navigation on a meeting workspace is slightly different from the navigations of most other SharePoint pages. The default Quick Launch bar for the SharePoint Meeting Manager workspace on the main pages is not shown. If a SharePoint Meeting Manager workspace is used for several dates, these dates are shown instead of the default Quick Launch bar. To display links to the lists of the page, the link "Show all site content" can be used. As another possibility, entries for the lists can be added manually to the Quick Launch bar.
Fig.: The SharePoint Meeting Manager Quick Launch bar simplifies navigation
FUNCTIONS
Meeting Minutes
From the information, which is stored in the meeting workspace, the SharePoint Meeting Manager can automatically generate a meeting minute. Layout, content field presence and sequence of a SharePoint Meeting Manager minute are completely based on templates. So it can be adapted very flexible to customer requirements. Additional lists and libraries with specific functions are added, to manage the minutes. This is described in the next chapter in more detail.
Additional lists and libraries
Minute configuration list
The minute configuration list can be accessed using the first entry in the link list on the first page of the Meeting Manager Workspace (upper right). The minute configuration list allows to manage the metadata of a meeting minute. Minute file name, file format (WordML is initially available only), meeting organizer and minute are specified here, because the other lists and libraries are not cover this.
Minute Management library
The minute management library provides layout templates for meeting minutes to be generated. Since initially only the WordML format is supported, there are currently only WordML templates. The template is described in the chapter "WordML template”.
Minute library
In the minute library automatically generated Minutes of a meeting are saved.
Automatic Meeting Minute production
A Meeting minute can be generated automatically as defined by the minute configuration list (see above). If a new item is added to the list or an existing item is edited, automatically a log is created and saved in the above-described minute library. If an item is created or edited and there is already an item in the minute library with the same name, a time stamp is added automatically to the minute name. It should be noted that the file name without file extension is to be specified.
Fig: SharePoint Meeting Manager meeting minutes library
WordML meeting minutes template
The WordML template gives the administrator greatest possible flexibility in the layout and the presence and sequence of content to be granted. A sample template is added to the library by default. The sample template can be modified or a new version can be added. The template for the minute to be created must be named "WordMLTemplate.xml '. The following figure shows the supplied sample WordML template.
Fig.: SharePoint Meeting Manager meeting minutes WordML template
When adjusting the template, some points are to consider:
Custom Content Placeholders are used to access content, that is stored in the lists and libraries of the SharePoint Meeting Manager workspace. There are two types of placeholders available: simple and complex.
Simple placeholders
Simple placeholders are used to access the metadata of the meeting and of the minute. These includes the values listed below. All names listed in parentheses, can be used as placeholders. This is discussed further in the course below.
Simple placeholders include:
- Meeting Title (subject)
- Arrival date (start date)
- End Date (end date)
- start time (start time)
- End Time (end time)
- Location (place)
- File name (file name)
- File (file)
- Initiation Protocol (Introduction)
- minute (minute)
- Meeting Head (meeting manager)
- Confidentiality (privacy)
The bold entries are fields of the default view of the minutes configuration list. Generally all fields of the list (except the hidden fields) can be used as placeholders. The other items on the list are data, that SharePoint stores internally. Simple Placeholders consist of the identification of the simple-tags and the value to be displayed together.
[simple; value]
For "value" the above-described values listed in the brackets can be used. The values for the fields in the minutes configuration list, are the current display names of the fields in the list. If metadata is not in the list, such as the status of a protocol, the list can be extended by the user. Then the fields can be used in the template as placeholders. If the display name is used, it may cause undesirable results (as explained in chapter "Complex placeholders" below). Therefore, instead of the display name, also the internal field name of a field can be used. References to internal field names are preceded by a "#".
[simple; #value]
Example:
The given names are placeholders for the same value (file name) of the minute configuration list.
[simple; # Title] instead of [simple; filename]
Complex Placeholders
Complex placeholders are used to reference lists and libraries in the meeting minutes template, except for the minutes configuration list and generally hidden lists or libraries. Complex placeholders consist of two placeholders together.
The first placeholder is a placeholder for defining the style and the list or library:
[display; list; list-ID]
For “display”, there are two options available: list or table. The option "list" causes the contents of a list or library to appear as a list in the document. On the other hand, the option "table", causes contents of a list or library is presented as a table in the document.
List is the display name of the list or library to be rendered.
The List-ID provides a unique ID (integer) in the minute. It provides the link to other placeholders, in which the fields in the list are defined, that should be displayed. This allows to render the same list or library of the meeting workspace multiple times, with different fields. For example, only a short list of agenda items can be displayed in addition to a table containing detailed information about each agenda item. Furthermore, it is possible to select multiple lists or tables with differently filtered data.
The placeholder for the definition of the fields is as follows: [list-ID; value].
The list-id must have the same value as the above-described placeholder. As value of this placeholder all field names of the list or library can be used, except the hidden fields. Again the display names of the fields can be used, or – with the supplement “#” in front the internal field names. If using display names, as mentioned above, "undesirable" results can be obtained. In the list of attendees, for instance, there can be five fields with the display name "Name" – with completely different values. To get around this, alternatively, the internal field name of the field can be used.
To render a list or library of the meeting workspace as list in the meeting minute, the placeholder for defining the fields as an element in a list (preferably with one element only) are to be placed. To render a list or library of the meeting workspace as a table in the meeting minute, the placeholder values of a row of a table can be placed.
Examples for the definition of a placeholder for the list of attendees that displays the name of the attendant and the attendance status in a list:
[list; Attendees;1]
- [1; Name] [1; Attendance Status]
Fig. Meeting minute with a list of Attendees
Example for the definition of a placeholder to display the list of attendees with name and presence status as a table:
[table; Attendees; 2]
[2; name] [2; Attendance Status]
Filter
There is the possibility for complex placeholders to define a filter. This filter allows filtering of the elements of lists or libraries of the meeting workspace. The minute will then display only the filtered data as a list or table.
Filters are as follows:
$field operation value$
The field represents the name of a field in the list or library of the meeting workspace. Value represents a fixed value to compare with (comparision value). The following operations are implemented:
- == means the value of the field is equal to the comparison value
- ! = means the value of the field name is not equal to the comparison value
- >> means the value of the field is greater than the comparison value
- << means the value of the field is smaller than the comparision value
- > = means the value of the field is greater than or equal to the comparison value
- <= means the value of the field is less than or equal to the comparison value
- <> means the value of the field name contains the comparison value
- ! means the value of the field begins with the comparison value
The filtering option is initially only for string comparisons available. All values are compared, but it can lead to incorrect results, e.g with date fields. It should be noted, that in all the place holders, no additional space should be inserted.
Example of a filter for a list, that displays only present attandees at the meeting:
[list; Attendees; 4] $Attendance Status == Present$
For more examples and known problems with WordML see FAQs.
Custom Layout
To apply custom formats to items, lines or lists / tables, you have to assign the formatting to the placeholders used, directly in Word. Header, footer, background, logos etc. can be adjusted without any restrictions.
Additional Email Invitations
As mentioned above, when creating or link a SharePoint Meeting Workspace from Outlook, there is the possibility, to invite attendees using the meeting request form. These participants are invited by the system automatically in Outlook as usual. A meeting request with all information needed about the meeting and the meeting workspace is sent.
Fig: Invitation by email directly in Outlook
Participants of a meeting may not only be invited directly in Outlook, but also using the interface of the SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace provided by the Attendees list here.
Fig.: Attendees list in the SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace
By adding a new list element, an attendee can be added to the meeting and some parameters can be entered.
Fig.: A new attendee is added and invited by email, if this option is enabled.
Newly added attendees are not notified with the SharePoint out-of-the-box solution. With the SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace it is possible to notify and invite these newly added attendees by email and send all information about the meeting and the meeting workspace.
Fig.: Invitation of newly added attendees with SharePoint Meeting Manager
Improved Email Notifications
SharePoint by default offers the possibility to enable "Email Notification" in a task list using the list settings. This features enables email notifications to a user, if a task is assigned to. Other lists out-of-the-box don’t have this option available. Since it is of great importance, that attendees of a meeting are informed, if items are assigned in the other lists “Meeting Materials”and “Agenda” too, the SharePoint Meeting Manager adds this email notification feature additionally to theses lists.
Central Management of Meeting Materials / Documents
By default, in SharePoint to most list items attachments can be added. Using attachments in meeting management can cause serious problems: These documents are not centrally managed and do not have versioning enabled. Documents can be attached multiple times, with possibly different versions.
For this reason the Sharepoint Meeting Manager adds a centrally managed document library to the meeting workspace. In the lists lookup fields can be used to reference certain documents in these document library.These lists are
- Agenda
- Objectives
- Tasks / Action items
- Decisions
The option, to allow attachments, is disabled by default. It can be enabled for any reasons, but we don’t recommend this. Please try to reference documents in a centrally managed document library with versioning and possibly custom workflows.
Role-based Workspace Permissions
Role-based permissions can really simplify the administration of meeting workspaces. When you create a new SharePoint Meeting Manager Workspace, automatically three user groups will be available:
- Organizers: Members of this group have full access to the meeting workspace (including lists, list items, etc.).
- Attendees: Members of this group have read permissions to the meeting workspace. They can edit the items of the task list, and their item of the Attendees list.
- Minute Takers: Members of this group have the rights of Attendees, extended by editing rights for the "Minute Library".
As mentioned in the chapter "Creating a Meeting in a SharePoint calendar" section, the groups for the workspace can be chosen freely. It is recommended to use the default groups. When a participant is added (via Outlook or SharePoint interface), it is automatically added the "Attendees" group.
LIMITATIONS OF THE DEMO VERSION
In the demo version three Meeting Manager Workspaces with the full functionality can be created and managed within each site collection only.
LANGUAGES
The application is available for the languages German and English are available, which is choosen automatically during installation of the solution. For each feature, there are three resource files - one for German, English and one for a default file. These resource files contain the definitions for the title and the description of their features and are located in the features directory in the subfolder "Resources". Additional resources are found in the files L2MeetingManagement .*. ResX. This file is in triplicate for the German language, English language and default for any other.
UNINSTALL
To completely uninstall the solution, go the installation steps to the other direction. Please first deactivate the feature „SharePoint Meeting Manager by Layer2“ on farm level using the SharePoint Central Administration. Then start the installation wizard "Install.Layer2.MeetingManager.exe" and choose "Remove".
All installed files will be removed.
Fig.: Remove the SharePoint Meeting Manager solution
Please contact sales@layer2.de to receive a complete documentation.