This section contains the following:

Getting started

  • Is co-authoring supported as a native functionality in the DMS?
    As technology changes and the iManage partnership with Microsoft increases, we've developed better ways to conduct co-authoring workflows through our iManage Work Next Generation Co-authoring feature. This feature uses Microsoft CSPP+ and allows co-authoring to occur while maintaining document security within the iManage system.

  • I've installed iManage Work Desktop for Windows, and the Co-Authoring ribbon group is available on the iManage tab, but all options are grayed out!
    Ensure that you're connected to an iManage Work Server. In the File group, select iManage Open and open a document from the iManage Work repository. On the iManage tab, in the Co-Authoring group, select Invite People and share the document with the required users for co-authoring. The co-authoring session begins and all options in the Co-Authoring group are active/available.

  • What types of documents are supported for co-authoring?
    Microsoft supports the Open Office XML formats for co-authoring. This includes *.docx, *.pptx, and *.xlsx. If the documents are in older formats, such as *.DOC, you must convert to *.docx first.

  • How are Microsoft OneDrive for Business and Microsoft SharePoint used for co-authoring?
    All co-authoring activity is managed by SharePoint technology. Office 365 sites use OneDrive for Business, which uses SharePoint technology to support co-authoring. On-premises deployments use SharePoint directly. For more information, go to the following web pages:

  • Where do documents get checked out in OneDrive for Business?
    Documents are checked out to the location of the user who initiated co-authoring in OneDrive for Business. iManage maintains the same hierarchy as the portable directory that users have on their local drives, except that the folder is named imPortable.

  • Can I use iManage Work Desktop for Office integration with Co-Authoring?
    Yes, iManage Co-Authoring is compatible with iManage Work Desktop for Windows.

  • Why do I get a prompt to co-author Excel documents online instead of using my desktop application?
    Microsoft Excel supports co-authoring only from the web application. This applies to all versions of Excel.

  • How do I customize the templates for co-authoring emails sent out to collaborators?
    There are four HTML templates in <iManage Work installation directory>\coauthoring. Open each template in Microsoft Outlook and modify. Save the file using File > Save As and choose *.oft as the file type. Replace the existing files as Co-Authoring relies on the file names to find the templates.
    To prevent future product upgrades from overwriting your customized templates, store the customized templates in %localappdata%\iManage\Work\coauthoring. Co-authoring first searches in the %localappdata% folder and the installation directory is probed only if no email templates are found. For more information, refer to the Customizing email templates for Co-Authoring section in iManage Work Desktop for Windows Customization Guide.

Collaboration

  • I've received an invitation to co-author a document. Can I invite another user?
    You can share the document with other users in your organization by selecting Share > Invite people or with external users by selecting Share > Get a link (online mode only). As the document owner, you can track any changes they make by using the Revision History feature.

  • Does iManage Work Desktop for Windows compatibility mode provide audit entries for every user who has collaborated?
    When a user starts, finishes, or syncs a co-authoring session, the Revision History for the document displays the names of all users who have modified the document up to that point. For external users, who don't exist in iManage Work Server, their email ID is displayed. The Timeline for the document displays the co-authoring activities by iManage Work users. External collaborators are referenced by their email addresses in the comments and the audit is logged as the co-authoring session originator. This includes users whose email is in the firm's Office 365 email directory, and users whose email isn't in the directory.

  • How can I identify which documents are checked out for co-authoring?
    To view the list of documents which are shared with you for co-authoring and the documents that you've shared with other users for co-authoring, select iManage > Co-Authored Documents. The Co-Authored Documents dialog opens displaying the list of documents.

    If you have DeskSite installed in stand-alone mode or compatibility mode with iManage Work Desktop for Windows, right-click the checked-out document in the Document Grid and then select Document Info > Checkedout Info. For documents that are checked out for co-authoring, the Checkout Path field displays a URL (http://<path to SharePoint or Office 365 site>).

  • Every time an email notification is to be sent to the co-editors, a message is displayed asking me to confirm access to my email address information. I can't proceed until I select the Allow access for check box and select Allow. Why does this happen? Can I suppress/disable these messages?
    This could occur due to Microsoft Outlook security settings. To prevent the access confirmation messages from being displayed, install an antivirus software and restart your system. The issue should be resolved.

  • I canceled the Microsoft Outlook notification email before sending, but the co-authoring session isn't canceled. What should I do?
    The co-authoring session begins the moment you select Share in the Invite people dialog. The specified users get access to co-author the document even if you don't send the email invite to notify them. You need to manually remove the document from OneDrive.

    Alternatively, you can either end the current co-authoring session or open the Invite people dialog, remove the users from the Shared with list by right-clicking the user name and selecting Remove user, add the required users to the Editors and Viewers fields and select Share to send out the email invite again.

  • What if the document owner ends the session while I'm still making the changes? Will my updates be lost?
    This isn't possible because the document owner can end a session only when the document is not in use. If a co-editor or the document owner has it open on another device, an error message is displayed.

  • During a co-authoring session, I realize that a user who has permission to view can make useful edits to the documents. Is it possible to change the permissions during the session? Alternatively, can I remove a user who shouldn't edit the document any further?
    On the iManage tab, in the Co-Authoring group, select Invite People. The Shared with area displays the names of all users who are part of the co-authoring session. Right-click the user name, and then select Remove user or change permission to: <Name of the permission>.

  • Why can't the users, who I invite as viewers for a co-authoring session, view the edits that I make while they're viewing the document?
    This is a design feature of Microsoft 365 applications. To view the edits, users have to:

    • Close, and re-open the document if they're accessing the document offline. 

    • Refresh the page in the browser if they're accessing the document online.

  • Why can’t I view other users’ changes immediately while co-authoring?
    This is known as real-time collaboration. Microsoft introduced real-time collaboration in Office 2013 online and extended it to desktop clients with Office 2016.

  • Can I sync a co-authored document while other users are still editing it?
    Yes you can, but you'll be asked to confirm if you still want to proceed, and some of the latest changes by the co-editors may not be included.

  • Why can't I use the iManage Save & Sync feature with co-authored documents?
    Save & Sync is used to commit intermediate changes to iManage Work and isn't applicable during co-authoring sessions. Since the document is stored on OneDrive for Business, the intermediate changes are already available to everyone in the co-authoring session. The document must be finalized by selecting the Finish button to upload the final copy to iManage Work.

  • As an administrator, can I prevent the users in my organization from using OneDrive for sharing documents that don't require co-authoring?
    If a OneDrive sync client is available on the users' devices, they can view OneDrive as a storage location. To prevent the use of OneDrive for sharing documents, it has to be removed manually. This prevents OneDrive from being displayed again elsewhere, such as in the Microsoft Word app on iOS as a storage location. 

    For more information about removing OneDrive, go to the following web page:
    https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Turn-off-or-uninstall-OneDrive-f32a17ce-3336-40fe-9c38-6efb09f944b0
    Alternatively, you can block access to OneDrive from Office 365. For more information, go to the following web page:

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3117548/how-to-block-onedrive-use-from-within-office-365-proplus-and-office-20

NOTE: In both on-premise and online OneDrive, administrators can monitor the MySite sites for content. Co-authored documents are saved to MySite\Documents\imPortable\<Database>\<User>\DocName_DocNum. Documents in any other location aren't part of co-authoring.

  • What happens to the document in OneDrive for Business after it's checked in?
    The document is moved to the recycle bin in OneDrive for Business. The document remains in the recycle bin, according to retention policies set in OneDrive for Business.

  • Are the versions that OneDrive for Business creates during a co-authoring session brought into the iManage Work Server during check in?
    To prevent flooding the DMS with versions, co-authoring checks in only the last version of the document. All users who have edited the document, however, are added to the document history with an audit entry.

  • How do I troubleshoot problems with co-authoring sessions?
    If you use OneDrive for Business online, you may experience intermittent issues when Microsoft updates your tenant, or when network access to OneDrive for Business may be unsteady. The simplest approach is to try co-authoring a document directly in the Microsoft 365 application without using iManage. In general, if the issue is reproducible with a native document, then the issue may be related to your OneDrive for Business. Further troubleshooting shouldn't involve iManage. If the issue isn't reproducible with a native document, then the issue may be related to iManage, and further troubleshooting should involve iManage.

    For more troubleshooting information, go to the following web pages:

Private documents

  • Can I share a private document for co-authoring with users who don't have access to the document in iManage Work Server?
    A warning message is displayed informing that users will be granted additional permissions currently not allowed in iManage Work. To proceed to sharing the document, select Yes.

  • Does co-authoring a private document affect the document's security in iManage Work Server?
    No, co-authoring never changes the document security in the repository. Invitees can’t use the NRL in the invite because they don't have access to the document in the repository. They can access the document using the URL in the email.

Revision review

  • How do I review exactly what was changed by the multiple co-editors during the session?
    On the iManage tab, in the Co-Authoring group, select Revision History. For DeskSite, select Revision History on the Co-Authoring tab. Select any two revisions and select Compare in the right pane. The two revisions open in separate panes, and the names of the authors and the changes that they made are displayed.

  • While editing a document in Microsoft Word/native application, I notice that other writers are making changes, but the content they changed/added isn't visible immediately.
    The icon and the co-editor's name are displayed in the area where the person is making the updates. Select the Save icon in the top-left corner or press the Ctrl+S keys to save the document and refresh the view so that the changes by co-editors are visible.

  • If the co-editors share the document with other users, will I be able to track who made what edits?
    If other users are editing the document simultaneously along with you, their names are displayed. Every co-editor can also view the names of others working on the document during simultaneous editing. To view the changes after you sync the document (by selecting Sync on the iManage tab in the Co-Authoring group or by selecting Sync on the Co-Authoring tab in DeskSite), select Revision History. The name of the co-editor, date and time of the edit, and revision number are displayed. Changes made by external users are listed as changes by Guest. To view the exact changes, select any two revisions, and select Compare in the right pane.

External collaboration

CAUTION: While this provides convenience, it may also be considered a security breach.

We don't have control of the sharing process in Microsoft 365 applications after the document is in OneDrive for Business.

  • How does the new external collaboration affect the email invite?
    If you invite external collaborators, Microsoft sends email invites directly to the users. These email invites can be viewed from your sent items folder. If you choose the option to preview the notification email in Microsoft Outlook, the external users' email IDs don't display in the email invite if they are not part of the firm's Office 365 email directory. If the external users are in the firm's Office 365 email directory but not registered in iManage Work Server, the users' email addresses are displayed in the email invite. If you open the Invite people dialog again to invite more users, the external users' email IDs are displayed in the Shared with list.

  • How do I block external collaboration for co-authoring sessions?
    By default, external collaboration is enabled and is controlled through your OneDrive for Business configuration. You must manually turn it off. For more information, go to Microsoft documentation on external collaboration:

    https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Manage-external-sharing-for-your-SharePoint-Online-environment-C8A462EB-0723-4B0B-8D0A-70FEAFE4BE85

Administration

  • How can administrators unlock co-authored documents?

    When users unlock a checked out document, they have access to their OneDrive location where the document is stored for co-authoring. When the administrator tries to unlock a document, Microsoft requires the administrator to access the user's OneDrive from an administrator's console. Therefore, the administrator must unlock the document in both iManage Work and in Microsoft OneDrive. OneDrive must be configured for admins to have access to users' OneDrive locations. 
    For more information, go to Microsoft's documentation:
    https://support.office.com/en-us/article/onedrive-admin-center-b5665060-530f-40a3-b34a-9e935169b2e0

    To unlock a co-authored document, administrators must perform the following steps:

  1. Sign in to SharePoint as an Administrator (this account is different from an NRTAdmin account). 

  2. Browse to the desired user's OneDrive. 

  3. (Optional) Download the document to save the changes. 

  4. Remove the document from OneDrive. 

  5. Unlock the document from iManage Work using Control Center.