The Online World ONLINE DOCUMENTS

Online documents Online documents (such as text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics and forms) are any documents that are held on a computer but can be accessed, edited and shared from anywhere. Services which allow this include Live Documents, Microsoft Office Live and Google Docs.

Compressing files uploaded downloaded Working with online documents means that local files frequently need to be uploaded for sharing, or downloaded to be used for local processing. transmission compressed zip Files may be extremely large, which can cause problems with transmission (delivery) in terms of speed and network usage. To reduce this problem, files have to be compressed (i.e. reduced in size) before transmission and then expanded after transmission. A common method of doing this is to convert them to zip files (.zip format). algorithms Zip files are basically stores of data files which may have been compressed. There are many different algorithms for doing the compression – with most compression software supporting several of these. A popular program used to zip files is WinZip.

Key Terms Uploaded – Uploaded – When you upload a file you move it from one system to another system. For example, you can upload files from your computer to a web page. Download – Download – This is when you move files from a system to your personal computer. Algorithms – Algorithms – A mathematical step-by-step sequence used to work out calculations or carry out instructions

Activity 1.Practise zipping and unzipping files: first single files and then multiple files. 2.Write a short instruction guide on how to do this. The guide should be aimed at people who are not particularly computer literate – so be sure to explain each step and what functions need to be carried out

The advantages of using online software The biggest advantage of using online document software is that you can allow many people to share a version of a document and work on it at the same time as other people (known as collaborative working). You can also access content:  Anywhere there is an available internet connection  Via different devices (e.g. PC, smartphone, tablet)  On different operating devices (e.g. Windows and Mac)

The advantages of using online software Online documents can also have automatic backup. Backing up files means that you save a copy of the file at a known point in time. This means that you can always go back to that version if you lose or corrupt the present version. Some software programs will automatically make a copy of the file you have open and are working on at set time intervals. In Microsoft Word you can set how often you would like the file to automatically backup (every 10 minutes, every 60 minutes, etc). Automatic backup of online documents is just an extension of this concept.

Activity Consider how file sharing can impact on collaborative working (working in a team) practices. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using:  Online document sharing software  Standalone software

Controls over online documents Version control is important when users are sharing documents online, as all users need to be working from the most up-to-date version of the same document. One of the simplest ways of implementing version control is to allow just one user to open a document, or part of the document, for update at any one time. When one user has the document open and someone else tries to access it, the document will be locked. It is only unlocked when the original user has completed updating the file and has closed it again.

Controls over online documents Other methods of version control include the software allocating the latest version number showing the time and identity of the person making the changes. If, for any reason, a document does become corrupt (damaged) or is missing important updates, it is possible to roll back to a commonly agreed version number. The method of ‘locking data’ has many uses within online documents and with database systems. It is commonly used on legal, engineering and medical documents which must be complete and up to date.

Levels of access and file permissions The system administrator within an organisation can control the levels of access users have to a particular document. They can allocate access to individuals or particular groups of documents by using file permissions. Some users may only be able to read documents but not edit them. Other users may be allowed to read and edit documents some may be allowed to add new documents and some will be allowed to delete documents. File permissions can be used to restrict access to certain documents and to restrict what can be done to them

Key Terms Version control – Version control – A way of tracking changes to documents and making sure that you are working on the most up-to-date version. Older versions of the document are kept as backup in case the most up-to-date version is lost or becomes corrupt. Locked – Locked – When a document is locked, you won’t be able to open it. It will only become unlocked once no users are accessing the document. File permissions – File permissions – Are access rights granted to special users and groups of users. These rights control which users can view or make changes to the contents of the system.

Different levels of access  Read-only access.  Read-only access. This allows a user to look at and read a document but not to change it. A teacher could use a Word document to create a test for their class, if the document was set as ‘read-only’ then the class would not be able to make any changes to the wording.  Read/Write access.  Read/Write access. This allows a user to look at and read a document, but also to make changes to it.  Full control.  Full control. This allows users to retrieve a document, read it, edit it, add a new document or delete or archive an existing document. Full control is usually given to people who administer the system. They may be senior people within the organisation or senior administrators who report directly to senior management.

Different levels of access