The Syncplicity App Tab is a collaboration feature that works with desktop versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
To open a file inside a synced folder from Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint, click the show-hide icon in the right margin. The Syncplicity App Tab is displayed. Note that the following example is displayed when your organization has enabled the file locking feature.
The App Tab helps to avoid accidental file conflicts when you collaborate on shared files and provides visible notifications in Microsoft Office when a file's status is changed for any of the following reasons:
- Other people are viewing the same file as you.
- Someone else starts editing the file.
- A newer version of the file becomes available.
When a file is locked, you can see the status of the locked file. For example, if there are three users, and one has the file locked for editing, another user is editing, and one is viewing. While the file is locked, any edits made by other users are saved into different copies. Keep in mind, there can be up to 10 users. See File locking on Windows desktop.
Anatomy of the App Tab
By default, the App Tab icon displays in the middle of the right edge of your document window. You can move it by dragging it anywhere along the left or right side of the document. The App Tab icon changes based on the state of the document. For example, when a different person edits that document. When the state changes, the popup window briefly displays to show the status. You can click the App Tab icon anytime to check on the status.
The notification window has the following sections.
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
| Synced | Lets you know the file is synced. |
| Locked | You can make files remain in a read-only status when the file is locked. For example, if user A has locked a file in the online file browser, user B can open the file in Word Online. However, this file remains read-only mode until unlocked by user A. |
| Collaborative editing | Allows users to edit the files simultaneously. For example, if user A opens and starts to edit a file in Word Online, user B also can open the same file in Word Online and edit. When user A closes the locked file, the file remains locked by user B who can continue to edit the file. |
App Tab icons
The App Tab icon changes depending on the status of the viewed document.
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
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File is synchronized and no lock is applied to the file. |
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File is locked by current user. |
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The file is locked by another user and includes their name. |
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Current user is editing and prompted to save changes. |
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Someone else is editing and the current user should wait before editing. |
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Warns when two users have made changes at the same time. If both save at the same time, another file with conflicting changes is created. It's not harmful to create conflicting versions, but it can be confusing to have extra conflict files show up in your shared folders. So the App Tab gives you the information you need to avoid creating these extra files by accident. |
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Indicates a newer version of the file is available. Click Switch to this version to update your view to the latest file. |
Technical information
- The App Tab communicates over industry-standard WebSocket connections. If your company's network infrastructure blocks WebSocket connections, the App Tab does not function properly.
- The event server used by the App Tab communicates over this secure URL, which must be allowed through your network:
https://event.syncplicity.com