Office 2007 Bible

Using the Groove 2007 Client

Unlike SharePoint, which is covered in Chapter 40, Groove does not add any extra features to Word or take special advantage of any of Word’s existing features. Nor does Groove provide shared or coordinated access to the same files, for the most part (see “Working with groovy documents,” later in this chapter). Instead, when sharing a workspace, each computer has its own local copy of the files in the workspace. This might seem redundant, but what it lacks in storage thriftiness it makes up for in convenience.

If you are working in an enterprise, you might have access to additional facilities through Groove Server or SharePoint. Because implementation can vary substantially, it would be impossible for this chapter to accurately or adequately describe how you interact with the environment created by your IT department. Instead, this chapter focuses on the individual user’s Groove experience, and aspects common to all users of the Groove 2007 client application.

Groove basics

There are two main Groove windows: the Launchbar and the Workspace window. When you install Groove, two things happen. A Groove icon is added to the Windows notification area (the system tray), and the Launchbar opens. The Launchbar, shown in Figure 41-1, by default is displayed in tabbed view. It has two main tabs: Workspaces and Contacts. If you like seeing more information in one glance, choose Options, and remove the check next to Tabbed View. Groove then displays Workspaces ...