Does It Compute?

Microsoft Bug Breaks Worldox Outlook Integration

Several clients have recently reported to me that their Worldox Outlook integration is broken. Users do not see the “email” tab on their Worldox screen and cannot attach documents to Outlook emails. In addition, when they send emails the “Save to Worldox” screen no longer pops up.

It turns out that for firms using Microsoft Office Pro Plus and that are on the Monthly Channel of Office updates, recent releases have broken MAPI and with it the Worldox Outlook integration. This affects Terminal Server or Citrix users on releases dated 3/25 through 4/15. The most recent release (4/25 v. 12624.20520) is even worse in that it breaks the integration on Windows 10 machines as well.

Microsoft is apparently aware of the issue but has not released any information about a fix. There are two solutions. First, firms can have their IT providers roll Office back to the 3/10 release (12527.20278). Alternatively, they can switch to the Targeted Monthly release option and upgrade to 12730.20236 until Microsoft issues a fix for the problem in the Standard Monthly release channel.

Update: Microsoft provided a fix in version 12730.20236, released to the Monthly Channel on April 30th. If you still have the issue, update to that version.

Worldox Web 3.0 "Gotchas"

As more and more firms start using Worldox Web 3.0, there are some “gotchas” that have been popping up. Here are some of the things that a firm needs to be aware of when rolling out Worldox Web 3.0.

The first is that the standard workflow users are accustomed to with their in-house system cannot just blindly be carried over to the web. On a network, most users just leave Worldox running all the time, in many cases not even shutting it down when they leave for the day. This does not work with the web. In the first place many if not most laptops are set to “sleep” or hibernate after a given period of inactivity to save battery life. This breaks the connection to the internet and may disrupt Worldox’s ability to track whether a document has been checked out or what its status is. If you are going to be a heavy user of Worldox Web 3.0, be sure to set your power options either to never sleep or only after a significant period of time (the amount of time you are likely to be working with Worldox-based documents at one sitting).

When Worldox Web 3.0 is first installed, you may encounter issues with searches not working properly. This is likely due to the fact that a Quick Access template must be manually defined (in the network version it is generated on the fly). This is easy to fix, but something you want your consultant to do.

Some people have reported screen refresh issues when checking documents out and back in. If it seems that “nothing happens” when you check in a document, try hitting the refresh button to see if the problem goes away.

Lastly, many people install popup blockers or ad blockers on their browsers (I know I do). These sometimes affect the Worldox popups for check out or check in or other functions. You may have to whitelist the Worldox Web account (e.g. worldox.firmname.com) to enable the popups to function properly.

Worldox and Working From Home

Without switching entire programs to web-based versions (“Software as a Service”), there are three basic models available for those “working from home” without major changes in a firm’s infrastructure.

In the first model, you install some sort of program on your office PC (such as GoToMyPC, Splashtop or LogMeIn) and use it to access your computer at work. When you “work remotely” you are actually working on your office PC: only the screen showing what you are doing is transmitted back and forth to your home PC/laptop. You have access to all the programs that currently are on your office PC. In this scenario, you are paying for the individual program each user has (or a firm-wide license). This is by far the easiest to set up: you buy the program, download it on your office PC, set up a login/password and you are done.

A second model is a “Terminal Server” or “Citrix” installation (rebaptized “Remote Desktop”). This works similarly to the first option, except that you are working from a central server and not your office machine. Again, you have access to all programs that have been installed on the terminal server. If this is not already set up, you are not likely to be able to get it installed and configured in the near future. This model tends to be fairly expensive to implement.

Worldox Web offers a third, browser-based, option. You do not necessarily have a program installed on your PC (although more about that later). You open a browser and enter a website (such as worldox.firmname.com). You log in and are connected to your in-house Worldox document store and upload/download files. You work on the files locally (as opposed to the first scenario where the actual work is done on your office PC) and upload them when you are done. This means you can work from anywhere - a PC at the home of a family member you are visiting, Starbucks (not recommended), etc. In this scenario, you ONLY have access to Worldox, not other office-based programs that may or may not be installed locally.

You can also install the “Worldox Web Agent” on your laptop/home PC which integrates with Word, Acrobat, etc. so that when you open a document in Word, it automatically opens the web browser, you login (if you aren’t already logged in) and open the file directly from your in-house Worldox. This eliminates the manual download/upload scenario since it is taken care of automatically.

Worldox Web takes some installation (creating an IIS server), but not nearly the equivalent of a Citrix Terminal Server. It might offer an good option for some firms.