This Client Server article is republished in its entirety from 2004 for reference purposes.

ProjectWise Web Explorer Lite is a tool within ProjectWise that enables users to access their datasource via the Internet. It is a simple and easy way to view, download, search for, and compare documents stored in a ProjectWise datasource. ProjectWise Web Explorer Lite 2004 Edition has many enhancements and has incorporated many of the capabilities of ProjectWise Web Explorer.

Main layout window and interface

Figure 1

The ProjectWise Web Explorer Lite application window has added a menu bar, a standard toolbar and an address bar. The menu bar and toolbar were added to the document and the document pool frame, while the address toolbar displays the full folder path to the selected folder or document (See Figure 1).

A new toolbar at the top of the datasource list allows you to refresh the list, as well as to log out of all datasources.

Support for standard document selection

ProjectWise Web Explorer Lite 2004 Edition has removed the check boxes for selecting multiple documents. The document list now supports standard click, ctrl-click, and shift click actions for selecting single or multiple documents.

Function selection

The appropriate tool icons and menu items will be enabled or disabled based on the version number and state of the documents selected. The most commonly used functions will be presented on the toolbar. All other functions will be listed on the menu.For quick access, you can right-click any item in the documents window and choose items from the menu that appears. Items on right-click menus correspond to items on the menu bar, or in one of the toolbars.

AutoLogin

Figure 2

The ProjectWise 2004 Edition includes "Remember Me" and "AutoLogin" options when logging in (Figure 2).

The information for these options is stored in a cookie on your local workstation. The Remember Me option will pre-fill the username and password information when your return to the login page. The AutoLogin option will log you directly into the datasource using the stored information. If your administrator would like to disable these options, they can do so by editing the PWLiteServlet.properties file located on the ProjectWise Web Server.

Figure 3 
The ProjectWise Web Explorer Lite 2004 Edition Tools menu has an option that allows you to modify a password, as well as to change the AutoLogin and Remember Me options for your client machine using the Reset Log In options menu item (Figure 3.).

Folder Creation

Figure 4

ProjectWise Web Explorer Lite 2004 Edition gives you the ability to manipulate document folders. You can create new folders at both the root level and sub-folder level, modify the attribute properties of existing folders, and delete folders (Figure 4).

Document Creation

Figure 5 
ProjectWise Web Explorer Lite 2004 Edition has also incorporated the ability to create single or multiple documents (Figure 5).

You can create a single file by browsing to it on your local machine. This process is very similar to the ProjectWise Explorer methodology for creating a new document from a desktop file. You can upload and create more than one document at once with the Multiple Documents option. For each file you select from your desktop, a document will be created in your ProjectWise datasource. A dialog will prompt you with an Add Files button. You will also be presented with a multi-file selection window (Figure 6).

Figure 6

The Create Multiple Documents dialog allows you to drag and drop files from Windows Explorer to the Name Display section of the Multiple Document Creation dialog box. When you click the OK button, the upload begins and the document creation process is started. ProjectWise Web Explorer Lite 2004 Edition shows a status dialog of the file being processed and the estimated time left (Figure 7).

Additional enhancements:

Figure 7 
The 2004 Edition will also support full document versioning capabilities of non-master documents.

You can also modify the attributes of a document by selecting a document and choosing "Document Properties." Just like in ProjectWise Explorer you will be presented with a Properties dialog box that has the General tab, Attributes tab, More Attributes tab, Audit Trail, File Properties tab, and the Components tab.

Document Editing

New ProjectWise Web File ActiveX Control allows you to provide the standard document functions you have used within ProjectWise Explorer:

• Check Out - download the selected file(s) to your working directory and mark the document as checked out.
• Check In - upload the local copy of the checked out documents and check them back into ProjectWise.
• Open - the program that launches depends on the file type of the selected document, and the program registered by the operating system to open files of this type. You can change this association through Windows Explorer (Tools > Folder Options > File Types).
• Import - check in a document that was exported
• Export - download the selected document to a target folder-similar to a Check Out because it locks the document(s) from other users until it is imported.
• View - when the selected document's file extension is associated to a particular viewer (Bentley Publisher or Document Publisher), a new Internet Explorer window opens. If no viewer is associated to the file type you select, either the document will be copied out, or a message will be displayed stating that no viewer is configured for that extension
• Other standard commands such as Copy Out, Purge Local Copy, Free, Move, Copy,and Change State.

See Figure 8 for an example of the Document Move command. It presents you with a folder selection dialog and options to change the Document Name, Document Description, and Document File Name.

Figure 8

Finding Documents and Folders

In ProjectWise Web Explorer Lite 2004 Edition you can search for documents based on any general property and/or environment attribute. If the new ProjectWise 2004 Edition capabilities for file properties and full text searching capabilities have been configured for the datasource by your administrator, you can also search for documents based on those criteria. When you initiate a search, all documents and document sets that match your search criteria are returned and listed in the documents list frame.

Figure 9: To search for documents based on general properties, use Search by Form 
The easiest way to use this dialog box is to enter your search criteria in the various fields on the various tabs, then click OK. You can also right-click in any text field in the Search by Form dialog box to open a menu which contains standard Windows options, such as Cut, Copy, Paste. The (...) button to the right of each text field opens the Format Criteria dialog box, which lets you enter more complex search criteria using comparison operators.

 

The 2004 Edition now allows you to save your search criteria (Figure 10) and to reuse it for subsequent searches. When you select a saved search, the search is automatically initiated based on the criteria previously defined in that search.

More new enhancements

Figure 10: Saving a search

Document Pool - This enhancement provides a temporary grouping area for documents that exist in various folders in the datasource. Documents can be added to the Document Pool from saved searches, from folders, or from a results page from a recent search. The Document Pool remains populated for the duration of your session in the datasource and is purged when you log out of the datasource. In the Document Pool window, you can perform the same actions possible in a regular document window. 
Design Compare - Design comparison allows the user to compare renditions that were produced from MicroStation sources. Digital InterPlot would have to be configured with ProjectWise for graphical differences of two documents (DWG, DPR). Non-MicroStation renditions cannot be compared.

Component Indexing - ProjectWise Web Explorer Lite 2004 allows for the navigation and review of components. If your datasource contains components, the Components root folder lets you browse and view component data. Select specific components and review their properties, or determine which documents your component was indexed from. Locate any documents related to the component based on rules determined by the PW Administrator. Users can publish the source file or a derived ZGL using Bentley Publisher and Bentley ModelStreaming, respectively. When published, the selected component will be zoomed into in the published view and highlighted. You can select any other component in the published document automatically navigate to it in the component hierarchy.

Figure 11: Saving a document link

Figure 12: Export Link List

Figure 13: Redlining a MicroStation DGN file 
Exporting Document Links - Every document stored in ProjectWise includes a link, allowing you to access it from Internet Explorer. The link contains a global unique ID, so no matter where a document moves inside ProjectWise, its link will always be valid. By selecting a document or several documents you can use the Tools menu to export the links to an HTML page (see Figure 11). You will also see an Export Links List dialog showing all the links to the files you selected. 
Redlining Documents - With ProjectWise Web Explorer Lite 2004 Edition, you can redline documents of many formats. Once a document is redlined you can view it, or open it for further changes. Non-DGN or non-engineering documents (MicroSoft Office) are redlined with Markup Manager for the Web. Markup Manager for the Web converts the document to an HTML document for display and provides tools for markup. Redlining DGN, DWG, and DPR file types are done using the VPR Viewer in conjunction with Bentley Publisher (Figure 13).

See Also

Client Server Archive

ProjectWise TechNotes And FAQs

Comments or Corrections?

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Original Author: Bentley Technical Support Group