Microsoft Document Connection for Mac, available as part of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Service Pack 2 (12.2.0), makes it easy to work with files that are located either on a SharePoint site or on Microsoft Office Live Workspace. By using this application, users can download, edit, and upload documents that are on these sites. By using Document Connection for Mac, teams, especially those in a mixed environment of Windows-based and Mac-based computers, can stay connected and productive. The application provides easy access to the documents and information that users have to have to make more informed decisions and to do their jobs more efficiently.
Planning content management
If you administer or use a SharePoint site to share data, you should be aware of the following features and limitations of Document Connection for Mac.
Users can browse through different sites, document libraries, and folders on a SharePoint site or an Office Live Workspace by using Document Connection for Mac. You must assign the appropriate permissions at the SharePoint Portal Server level for users to browse through the sites. For more information, see the Planning site and content security section.
Note A user must sign in to the Office Live Workspace by using a Windows Live ID.
A user can save any site, including the Office Live Workspace, to the navigation pane in Document Connection for Mac. A user can also drag any site, library, and folder from the file list to the navigation pane for quick access. For more information about how to save a favorite file or location, see Document Connection for Mac Help.
A user can add a new document that is located on his or her computer to a SharePoint site or Office Live Workspace by using the Add File feature in Document Connection for Mac.
Note A user can also drag a file from the computer to the file list in Document Connection for Mac.
If a SharePoint site has a template that is associated with it, a user can create a new document based on the template by using the New File feature in Document Connection for Mac.
Note Document Connection for Mac can open only a file that has an application associated with it.
In Document Connection for Mac, a file cannot be deleted from a SharePoint site or Office Live Workspace. To delete a file from these locations, use the Web browser.
If a file remains in the Drafts folder after it is saved to the server, a user cannot edit it, check it in, or check it out. To remove this file from the Drafts folder, delete the Document Connection.xml database from /Users/username/Library/Microsoft/Office 2008/Document Connection/. Also, in /Users/username/Library/Microsoft/Office 2008/Document Connection/, delete Document Connection.mdccache. Restart Document Connection for Mac.
Planning site and content security
You can use basic authentication, Integrated Windows Authentication (NTLMv2), or the Kerberos protocol as methods of authentication with the SharePoint server. To authenticate users to the Office Live Workspace, Document Connection for Mac requires Windows Live ID.
As an administrator, you must plan for site security and assign permission levels to the users who are to access content on SharePoint sites at the SharePoint Portal Server level. In the SharePoint Portal Server, you can select users who will be authorized to access the content on a site. You can also select the permission levels for these users to enable them to view, change, or manage a particular site or documents within the site. The permission level controls all permissions for the site and for any subsites, lists, document libraries, folders, and items or documents that inherit the site's permissions. The following table describes the default permissions levels.
Permission level | Description |
|---|---|
Full Control | User has administrator access to the site. This permission level cannot be customized or deleted. |
Design | User can view, add, update, delete, approve, and customize documents. |
Contribute | User can view, add, update, and delete documents. |
Read | User can only view documents. Note If you set the permission level for a user to Read or Limited access, you have to assign some additional permission settings to enable read-only access to a site by using Document Connection for Mac. For more information about the list of permissions for read-only access, see the tables in the List permissions for read-only or limited access and the Site permissions for read-only or limited access sections. |
Limited access | User can view application pages, browse user information, use remote interfaces, use client integration features, and open documents. |
For more information about how to manage the permission levels on the SharePoint Portal Server, see
Manage Permission Levels
List permissions for read-only or limited access
You can restrict permissions to a list by using any of the following settings.
List permission | Description |
|---|---|
View Items | View items in lists, documents in document libraries, and Web discussion comments. |
Open Items | View the source of documents by using server-side file handlers. |
View Application Pages | View forms, views, and application pages. Enumerate lists. |
Site permissions for read-only or limited access
Assign additional permission settings to enable read-only access to a site by using Document Connection for Mac. You can restrict permissions to a site by using any of the following settings.
Site permission | Description |
|---|---|
View Pages | View pages on a Web site. |
Browse User Information | View information about users of the Web site. |
Browse Directories | Enumerate files and folders in a Web site by using SharePoint Designer and Web DAV interfaces. |
Use Remote Interfaces | Use SOAP, Web DAV, or SharePoint Designer interfaces to access the Web site. |
Use Client Integration Features | Use features that start client applications. Without this permission, users must work on documents locally and upload their changes. |
Open | Allow users to open a Web site, list, or folder in order to access items inside that container. |
