There are certain capabilities we all take for granted within the Windows environment, such as keyboard shortcuts, context menus accessed by right clicking on objects, and the fact that just about every desktop application integrates with every other desktop application. Within the SharePoint environment, unfortunately, we lose much of this ease of use capability. SharePoint 2010 will restore some features, but there will still remain opportunities for products like echoTechnology’s Outlook PowerTool Plus.
What does Outlook PowerTool Plus do for SharePoint? This free tool activates two powerful features inside your SharePoint site collection: the Outlook PowerTool features, which allow you to send multiple links and attachments via Outlook, and the previously unreleased List Item PowerTool features, which allows you to Move, Copy, Delete, Check In and Check Out multiple documents and list items. When the Outlook PowerTool Plus is installed on your server, both of these features are automatically activated across your target site collection. The image on the right provides a view of the Outlook PowerTool Plus context window with all of its features.
The key to Outlook PowerTool Plus is the Select Item Checkbox, a hidden feature that is also activated automatically, and illustrated in the screenshot to the left. The Select Item Checkbox allows you to quickly and easily grab multiple files and move them across your site collection, or send them as an email attachment to someone who does not have access to your site. SharePoint natively allows you to do these operations one at a time, but the ability to select a dozen documents or list items at once to move them or to check them out is pretty powerful, and brings the SharePoint user experience closer to the Windows experience. The tool is easy enough to use -- just select the targeted files, click on one of the file names to access the context menu, and select your action.
For example, grab a couple documents and send as a link or attachment, and an outgoing email is opened, and your selected files are either listed as links or attached, as shown to the right.
The Outlook PowerTool Plus is available for free download, and is compatible with MOSS deployments, but not yet WSS. Because some of the features were developed with MOSS components, not all functionality is available for WSS, but we’re working on an update.
The User Guide can be found here, or you can view a video demonstration of the product here.