Chapter 11: Using Windows SharePoint Services with Outlook 2007

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Chapter at a Glance

Connect SharePoint lists to Outlook 2007, page 292. Move a SharePoint list item to or from Outlook 2007 personal folders, page 297. Copy a SharePoint list item to or from Outlook 2007 personal Contacts or Calendar folders, page 299. View the SharePoint calendar side by side with your personal calendar, page 303. Receive workflow notifications in Outlook 2007, page 308. Manage SharePoint tasks in Outlook 2007, page 322.

In This Chapter, You will Learn to:

• Connect a Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Contacts list to Microsoft Office Outlook 2007.

• Move Office Outlook 2007 contacts to SharePoint Contacts lists.

• Copy SharePoint contacts to Outlook 2007.

• Send an e-mail by using the SharePoint Contacts list.

• View SharePoint calendars side by side with personal calendars.

• Download SharePoint Tasks list content and make it available offline.

• Edit tasks offline.

• Manage SharePoint alerts in Outlook 2007.

• Configure an RSS feed.

• Create Meeting Workspaces from Outlook 2007.

• Work with workflow in Outlook 2007.

Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services integrates with Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 to enable you to keep a local copy of your team’s Calendars, Tasks, and Contacts lists, as well as libraries. Similar to Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, Office Outlook 2007 allows read-only access to Contacts, Calendar, and Tasks lists in Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 Web sites. In Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Web sites, the capability is increased to allow information synchronization in two directions for items in Contacts lists, calendars, Tasks lists, and discussion boards. These local copies of data are then available when you are not connected to the network and can be manually or automatically synchronized with the SharePoint site when you next connect.

When dealing with documents, Outlook 2007 provides a method of taking libraries or folders offline. Documents held with SharePoint libraries or folders can also be synchronized with their offline copies using the other 2007 Microsoft Office suite applications. Other types of standard lists-such as Issues, Link lists, Custom lists, or properties, such as views and metadata-are not supported in Outlook 2007. Microsoft Office Access 2007 should be used to synchronize these SharePoint resources with their offline copies.

Outlook 2007 supports Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds so that you can subscribe to and stay up to date with the latest news sites and blogs. You can manage your RSS feeds in Outlook 2007 just like your other mail by flagging them for follow-up, assigning them a specific color, or automating any process by using Rules.

By using other integration features, you can manage all of your SharePoint alerts from one Outlook 2007 dialog box. By using Outlook 2007 meeting requests, you can create Meeting Workspace sites.

In this chapter, you will learn how to copy and move Outlook 2007 contacts to and from a SharePoint Contacts list. You will also learn how to connect SharePoint Calendar lists to Outlook 2007, view SharePoint calendars side by side with personal calendars, edit SharePoint task items offline, subscribe to a SharePoint list’s RSS feed, manage SharePoint alerts in Outlook 2007, create Meeting Workspaces from Outlook 2007, and work with workflows in Outlook 2007.

Important  

Remember to use your SharePoint site location in place of http://wideworldimporters in the following exercises.

Important  

Before you can use the practice sites provided for this chapter, you need to install them from the book’s companion CD to their default locations. See “Using the Book’s CD” on page xix for more information.