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Buzzsaw 2009.1 brings new features

With the recently released Buzzsaw 2009.1 comes a host of new features. A few however, hit home for us at Orange Blade Consultants.

1. Mathematical calculations in custom forms authored in Microsoft Infopath. Until now, we've been using a cumbersome workaround.
2. A feature that we haven't seen in the release notes........conditional formatting in custom forms from Infopath. We've incorporated a few color-based conditional formatting options in some of our test forms for Buzzsaw, and they work! Not sure why we don't see it in the release notes. Perhaps the ability is there, but not supported? Time will tell.
3. Internet Explorer 8 and Buzzsaw 2009.1 now play well together.

	Get Buzzsaw 2009.1 Here Release Notes Here

Using Buzzsaw with a virtual machine

The lines between Buzzsaw usage on a MAC and a PC are becoming more and more skewed. I've found a pretty neat capability when using Buzzsaw on a MAC with a virtual PC running.

In my case, I use VMWare Fusion. But I'm almost certain that you can do the same things with Parallels. In a nutshell, I've found that I can drag and drop data from my MAC right into Buzzsaw (and from Buzzsaw to MAC).

On the left side of the image below you'll see the MAC Finder window, on the right side.....the PC with Buzzsaw running. Just drag and drop.........

We are my Buzzsaw Users Logging in From?

Buzzsaw Site Administrators have the ability identifying where their users are logging in from.  When a user logs in to Buzzsaw, their IP address is noted in the Site Administrator Activity Log.

1. Go to the Site Adminstrator button on the Buzzsaw Bar
2. Click the Activity Log Tab
3. Select your date range
4. Click the List Option Button
5. In the Center Window titled "Actions", deselect all by clicking "clear", then select the action titled "login succeeded"
6. Hit the "Refresh List"
7. This will show you all logins and ip addresses from users logging in to Buzzsaw
8. If you want to take it a step further, select "Save Log" at the bottom of the window.  You can now export the list to Notepad, Excel, or Word.
9. Site Admins also have the capability of limiting Buzzsaw access from certain ip address in the security tab of the Site Administration area of Buzzsaw.

The ability to see ip addresses comes in handy when you've allowed anonymous public access to your Buzzsaw Site.  When these "public" users login, there is no user name........but there IS an ip address.

The anonymous public user is disabled by default.  When enabled, the public user's access is guided by the permission that you've given them.  Useful for when a particular document needs to be available to the general public.  This "Public" user could have view access to the document......and nothing else (if that's what you are trying to accomplish).  Tread lightly when using anonymous public access, and be diligent with the permissions you given them so that you aren't opening access to private documents. 

Buzzsaw Member Troubleshooting Tip

This post is geared for Buzzsaw Administrators.

One of the best ways of putting yourself in the shoes of your users is to create a copy of them, and then log in as them (without having to ask them for their password).  Sometimes it's easier to "see what they see" than it is to have the member explain what they are seeing.

1. John Doe emails you to tell you that he can't see the "Highway 101" project on Buzzsaw.
2. As administrator, you can login and check his permissions.  And when you do, it shows that he should definitely see the "Highway 101" project.  So what gives?
3. Find John Doe in the Members Tab, right-click on the member and select "Copy".  The new member will be named "Copy of John Doe".  Give this new member your email address, then send the welcome email.
4. The Welcome email will come to you.  When you log in, you will see everything that John Doe does. 
5. In this case, while logged in as "Copy of John Doe" you see the Highway project.  So why doesn't John Doe see it?  In this case we find that John Doe has logged in to Buzzsaw as one of his office mates accidentally.  We tell John to log in as himself in the future, case closed.

Is there also a member lesson here?  Yes, don't share your password or allow others to log in as you.