Working with Collaborative Workspaces

Note that this topic only applies if you work in a Client/Server configuration.

A Collaborative Workspace is a shared directory. It is created from the CATIA V5 Wintop client depending on the rights granted to the user by the administrator on the Collaboration Server. It is stored in a dedicated repository defined on the Collaboration server.

A Collaborative Workspace is defined by a set of properties:

• A name
• A description
• A status corresponding to the current status of the workspace (Inactive, Active)
• A creation date
• An owner: The owner's identifier cannot be modified, and the list of the identifiers of all Members allowed to list and join the workspace is kept.

Note that the properties listed above can be accessed and modified by the owner and the administrator except for the creation date, the owner and the workspace identifier (UUID) attributes.

The purpose of a collaborative workspace is to:

• Centralize collaboration activities such as Collaboration Connectivity (Instant Messaging, Video, Audio, People Discovery), Collaboration Review (Whiteboarding, Application Sharing, Conferencing), Collaborative Navigation (Query / Expand, Where used analysis, Impact Analysis, Modification Notification, Actions and tasks), Collaborative Design (Management of the exchanged data).
• Gather involved users: Users that are involved in the Collaborative Workspace are linked to the P&O, described in the Collaborative Workspace data model that can be synchronized from a LDAP server. Each user has a pre-defined or a customized role. The role allows the user to perform some given commands.
• Gather related data (to the collaboration): Related data are managed by instance representation. The physical file is located in a specific vault server.

Please find below the list of actions that can be performed on workspaces:

• Creating a Workspace
• Adding a Member to a Workspace
• Joining a Workspace
• Leaving a Workspace
• Editing a Workspace
• Deleting a Workspace
• Managing a Workspace

  Securing the Workspace

• Listing Existing Workspaces

Creating a Workspace  

To create a workspace, proceed as follows:

1. Click the Workspaces icon () in the Instant Collaboration toolbar. The workspaces dialog box opens.

Click the New button. The New Workspace dialog box displays. Enter the Workspace name in the Workspace name text field. Enter a short description in the Short Description field (optional). Enter a complete description in the Description of the Workspace field. (If need be.) Click the Add button to add members to the workspace. Click OK when done. The new workspace displays in the list.

Note that:

• The created workspace will be available to the network neighborhood.
• Only one workspace can be active at a time. Its status is Active in the List dialog box.

Adding a Member to a Workspace  

To add a member to the workspace, proceed as follows:

In the New Workspace window, click the Add button. The Add members dialog box displays. Use the arrows to select the member that you want to add to the workspace. Click OK twice when done.

Note that adding members to a workspace also enables you to limit the access to the workspace.

Joining a Workspace  

It is possible for users to join a workspace created on the server. To join a workspace, proceed as follows:

1. Click the Workspaces icon () in the Instant Collaboration toolbar. The workspaces dialog box opens.

2. Select the workspace you want to join in the list.

3. Click the Join button. The workspace status turns to active.

4. Click the Close button when done.

Note that joining another workspace automatically closes the current one.

Leaving a Workspace  

Leaving the workspace ends the session to which the user is currently participating.

To leave the workspace, proceed as follows:

1. In the Workspaces dialog box, select the workspace that you want to leave.

2. Click the Leave button. The workspace status turns to Inactive.

3. Click the Close button when done.

Editing an Existing Workspace  

You can edit a Design Collaboration workspace. To do so, proceed as follows:

In the Workspaces dialog box, select the workspace you want to edit. The Edit workspace dialog box displays. Make the appropriate changes: Note that you can only modify the short description and the description of the workspace. Click OK to save your changes.

Deleting a Workspace  

To delete a workspace, proceed as follows:

1. In the Workspaces dialog box, select the workspace that you want to delete.

2. Click the Delete button. A warning displays asking you if you want to continue.

3. Click OK to confirm. The workspace is deleted.

The briefcases stored on the collaboration server are linked to only one workspace. As a consequence, deleting a collaborative workspace leads to the deletion of the briefcases created in this workspace.

Managing a Workspace  

Securing the Workspace  

In order to limit and control the access to a Workspace, specify the allowed users that can join it, acquire briefcases, and create new ones. This access is to be defined at the workspace level, limiting the access to commands and data. To know more, see Adding a Member to a Workspace.

Listing Workspaces  

To list the existing workspaces, click the Workspaces icon () in the Design Collaboration toolbar. The workspaces dialog box opens, and the available workspaces display in the list.

Viewing the Details of a Workspace

To view the details of a given Workspace, proceed as follows:

1. In the Workspaces dialog box, select the workspace and select Edit button. The workspace information displays in the Edit workspace dialog box.

2. Click OK to exit.