Addovation Share for Office - User Guide

Last Updated: 2025-11-27

User Authentication and Login/Logout

  • Addovation Share for MS Office Add-in is used through the word, excel and PowerPoint documents. To begin using Share, follow these simple steps:

  • Start by selecting the document you wish to synchronize with IFS.

  • Locate the Share icon on the document toolbar.

In Word:

In Excel:

In PowerPoint:

  • If it is not visible, access it via the Apps icon on the toolbar. A list of available apps will appear. Choose Share from the list.

  • Then a splash screen appears on the right side of the document.

  • The Microsoft Authenticator window then opens, allowing the user to:

    • Enter their username and password, or

    • Sign in using Addovation SSO or Skyforce SSO by selecting an account.

  • Once signed in, the user gains access to the landing page. To log out of the application, the user can click the logout icon provided at the top right corner of the add-in.

Note

The flow, functionality, and user interface are the same across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Therefore, screenshots and examples shown in this guide apply to all three applications.

Landing Page

  • The landing page provides the following three options:

    1. Check In – Check in a document to IFS.
    2. Get Templates – Search for and create documents using templates.
    3. Search Documents – Search for existing documents.

  • Users can begin any of these actions by clicking the respective button.

  • The bottom bar of the add-in contains the Addovation logo, a Help icon, and an Information icon.

  • Clicking the Help icon directs the user to the Addovation Share documentation site.

  • Clicking the Information icon displays a tooltip showing the application version, connected environment, and the logged-in user.

Check in Documents

  • In order to check in documents using add-in, user may click on the “Check in” option from the landing page. It initiates the process of checking in the document into IFS and directs users to a new screen.

  • Document Title is automatically identified and displayed at the top of the pane. The user has the option to edit this title if needed.

Select Class & Format

  • The next step of the check-in process is to select the Class and Format.

  • The Class can be selected using the drop-down menu and the class field is required field for the check-in process. Create button is disabled until the class is selected.

  • The Format can be selected using the drop-down menu and format values are listed based on the selected class. The document can be checked-in without a format. However, in some situations, the format is required.

  • If the format is required for the selected class, a message stating Format is required will be displayed below the field, and the Create button will remain disabled.

Create View Copy

  • The Create View Copy checkbox is automatically selected for certain classes and is only available for those classes.
  • When selected, a PDF version of the document is generated and saved in IFS as a view copy for the created document revision.

Select Object Connection(s)

  • There will be three tabs are available in the Object Connections section as Favorites, Selected and Search.

    1. Favorites: Displays the object connections marked as favorites in the IFS.
    2. Selected: The object connections that have been selected will appear in this tab and can be managed.
    3. Search: Provides the advanced search functionality.

Favorites

  • Once the Object Connection(s) section is expanded, user Favorites object connection will be selected by default. User favorites object connections are the once user selected as favorites in Document Object Connections in IFS.

  • The user has the option to add the object connections by clicking on the + icon located in the right corner of the connection from the Favorites tab. After the connection is added, it will be removed from the Favorites tab.

Selected

  • Objects added from the Favorites tab will be moved to the Selected tab. Upon adding an object, a red dot will appear next to the Selected tab label, indicating a new addition.

  • When the Selected tab is opened, the red dot will disappear. The selected objects will be listed within the Selected tab.

  • User has the option to remove the selected connections by clicking on the x icon located in the left corner. Removed connections will be relocated to the Favorites tab section.

  • The Search tab facilitates users in finding object connections. To search for an object connection, users may first select an Object Type from the dropdown menu.

  • Upon selecting the Object Type, users should click the Search button to initiate the search process. The system will then search for object connections corresponding to the selected Object Type.

  • Selecting the Search option opens the Advance Search window, providing users with additional filter capabilities.

  • In Advance Search window, only the primary filter options will be displayed by default.

  • Clicking on the See More option loads additional search options and the additional search options can be hidden again by clicking on See Less if required.

  • The system will display 25 default records when the Advanced Search window initially opens.

  • Users can input values into the provided fields and click the Search button to initiate the search.

  • The system will load a list of search results based on the entered criteria into a grid. Users can select one or more search results by checking the checkbox in the first column next to each record.

  • The selected objects will be moved to selected tab, and the red dot notification will appear.

  • If no matching results are found for the entered filter criteria, an error message will prompt, stating that no results were found.

  • After selecting the required objects, users can proceed by selecting the Select button, which will only be enabled if any objects were selected from the search results.

  • The selected objects will be moved to Selected tab, and the red dot notification will be appeared.

  • Users have the option to close the window using the Cancel button if needed.

Note

  • The document can be checked-in without an object connection. However, in some situations, the object connection is required. If the object connection is required, a message will be displayed below the object connection section after clicking the check-in button, stating "Object Connection(s) required".

Release Document(s)

  • To release the document during check-in, users must select the Release Document(s) checkbox.

  • It is possible to proceed with check-in without selecting the Release Document(s) checkbox. If the checkbox is not selected, the document will be checked into IFS without being released.

Finish Check-In

  • After entering all required details, selecting the Create option initiates the process.

  • The document will be checked into the IFS and the users subsequently directed to the Document Info interface.

  • The IFS document number is displayed as a link for user reference. The user can return to the Home window again by clicking Home button.

  • Clicking on this link directs users to the Document Revision page within the IFS. Here, users can view all details related to the new document revision created in the IFS.

Get Templates

  • To search for and create documents using templates, the user can click on the Get Templates option on the landing page.

  • This will navigate the user to a new screen where templates can be searched and related actions can be performed.

List of Templates

  • The screen includes a language selection dropdown positioned at the top, allowing the user to select a preferred language for searching templates. English is selected by default.

  • Below the dropdown, a search bar is provided where the user can enter a Class, Format, or Format Description to search for templates.

  • The list will automatically filter based on the entered criteria. Once the user starts typing, a Clear option will appear, allowing the user to remove the search text.

  • Templates are displayed below the search bar, grouped by class.

  • Each class section can be expanded or collapsed by the user. When expanded, the list of templates under that class will be shown.

  • Each template entry will display the following information:

    • Format
    • Format Description
    • Option to view more details (information icon).

  • When the user hovers over a template entry, the record will be highlighted.

  • Clicking the information icon will open a detail pop-up showing more information about the selected template. The following details will be displayed in the pop-up:

    • Document Number
    • Class/ Class Description
    • Format/ Format Description
    • Title

Download

  • The Download button will remain disabled until a template record is selected. Only one template can be downloaded at a time.

  • Once a template is selected and the Download button is clicked, a pop-up window will appear displaying the Document Title and two available options.

  • Available options in the pop-up are as below.
  1. Download to Local: When this option is selected, the template will be downloaded to the user’s OneDrive. The user can then open the template and create a new document based on it.
  2. Open in OneDrive: This option opens the template directly in OneDrive for immediate use.
  • The user can close this window by clicking the Cancel button.

Search Documents

  • This feature allows users to search for documents from IFS. To begin, the user can click on the Document Search option on the landing page.

  • Selecting Document Search will navigate the user to a new screen where basic search functionality is available.

  • At the top of the screen, a search field will be displayed along with two buttons: More and Search.

  • At the bottom of the screen, two additional buttons are available: Back and Edit.

    • The functions of the Search, More, and Edit buttons will be described in the following sections.

    • • Clicking the Back button will return the user to the Share Add-in home page.

  • Below these controls, a list of up to 25 documents is displayed, sorted by the last action. Each document shows the following details:

    • A relevant file type icon
    • Document Number
    • Title
    • Class/Format
    • A three-dots icon to access additional actions

  • When the add-in window is resized to a smaller width, the Class/Format column will be hidden to optimize space.

  • Only one document can be selected at a time. Once selected, the document is highlighted and the Edit option becomes available.

  • When the user clicks the three dots button next to a document (right corner of the record), a menu will appear with the following options:

    • Check In New Revision
    • Check In
    • Check Out
    • Details
    • View

  • If the user selects Details option from the menu, a pop-up window will appear displaying the following document information:

    • File Name
    • Document Class
    • Document Format
    • State
    • Last Action

  • If the user selects Check In New Revision from the options menu, a new revision of the document is created. The existing document in the list is replaced with this new revision, while the previous revision remains accessible in IFS if required. This option is disabled for documents that are currently checked out.

  • If the user selects Check In, the document is checked in as the existing revision, and this option is only available for documents that are currently checked out.

  • If the user selects Check-Out, the document will be checked out from IFS. Once checked out, the menu label will change to Undo Check-Out, allowing the user to revert the action if needed.

  • The Check-Out option is only available for preliminary documents that are not already checked out.

  • If the user selects View, the document will be downloaded without being checked out from the IFS. If a view copy exists for the selected document, the PDF view copy will be downloaded instead.

Search Documents

  • The user can enter search criteria in the search field (basic search) and initiate the search by clicking the Search button.

    • Up to 25 matching records will be displayed, sorted by the last action.
    • The user can clear the search criteria by clicking the x icon inside the search field. This action will reset the document list to its default view.

Edit Documents

  • The Edit button remains disabled until a document is selected.

  • When clicked, the document is checked out from IFS, downloaded, and automatically opened in the respective application (Word/Excel/PowerPoint). If the user is editing for the first time, a pop-up will appear asking whether they want to open the document and if the choice should be remembered for that application.

  • This option is only available for preliminary documents that are not already checked out.

Advanced Search

  • when the user clicks the More button, the Advanced Search window will open with additional filter options.

  • Release Level: A dropdown with the following options: All, Latest (default), and Latest Released.

  • Date Range: Two date pickers for Start Date and End Date, with the default range set to the last 90 days

  • Checkboxes:

    • Any Date
    • I'm Involved

  • By default, the list displays records that match the filters selected by default (Release Level: Latest, Date Range: Last 90 Days), with pagination applied.

Search Behavior

  • The Search button remains enabled, allowing the user to run a search at any time by entering search criteria in the search field and adjusting filters as needed.

  • The matching search results are displayed with pagination. The user can clear the search by clicking the x icon in the search field.

  • Each record in the result set displays the following details:

    • A relevant file type icon
    • Document Number
    • Title
    • Class/Format
    • Last Action
    • A three-dots icon to access additional menu options

  • Options in the menu function the same as explained under basic search.

  • Edit and View options are also available as buttons at the bottom of the window for the user’s convenience.

  • The Advanced Search window can be closed by clicking the x in the top-right corner.