I've placed a document in a library, but people outside my group are saying they don't see it. What's wrong?

Permissions are set at the library-level. By default, files in Shared Documents should be visible to all CEI staff (though there are exceptions tied to a few sites). Other libraries are, by default, set so that other members of your department can view and edit files. But there are some libraries that have more restrictions. If you run into a situation where you're trying to access content and cannot, confirm the location with the person who sent you the link, and then check with IT. The permissions for that library may need to be adjusted.

Why can't I (or someone else) see a file or folder that was just uploaded or changed or...?

SharePoint (using a web browser) and File Explorer (on your pc) both use file caching. Basically, this stores a copy of what the system (browser or file explorer) last saw in a given location. At times, you may need to force either File Explorer, or your web browser, to refresh its info to view the latest version from the SharePoint server.

Fix: Click the reload/refresh icon. Or you can use your keyboard: F5 or CTRL + F5 (forces a flush of everything), or if on just your laptop keyboard, use CTRL + SHIFT + R. Once you do that, you should be able to see any recent uploads or changes.

There is also a possibility that if you've chosen to set up syncing with SharePoint (so that a local copy of a file is saved to your pc or referenced in File Explorer), the syncing has encountered a problem and is no longer functioning correctly. This can also lead to people seeing different versions, or potentially seeing or not seeing a whole file, and others not being able to see it. Synchronizing files in this way (using OneDrive) has caused enough issues that we've chosen not to rely on it and IT does not support this configuration because of the number of issues it has and continues to create. You can follow the instructions here to stop syncing files, or you can create a ticket for IT and we will work with you to disconnect the syncing.

Can I save, drag and drop, or upload files from email or other locations on my computer to SharePoint (in the browser or File Explorer)?

Yes. But, depending on the internet browser or application you're using, you may experience limitations. Here's a summary of what's possible and known limitations (at the time of this writing):

1. Internet Explorer (an oldie, not generally in use anymore): Drag and drop works from File Explorer for individual files. It does not work for folders or from Outlook/email.
2. Chrome: Drag and drop appears to work in all scenarios. You can choose files or folders -- including attachments from Outlook/email (but not the "new" version of Outlook) or using File Explorer.
3. Edge (Microsoft's heir to Internet Explorer): Drag and drop appears to work in all scenarios (files or folders -- from Outlook/email or using File Explorer).
4. Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.) You can save directly from the application to the destination by browsing to the location that you've created in your Quick Access location in File Explorer. 
   
1. Note that for Outlook, some functions (like drag and drop of attachments) only work when using the "classic" (and not "new") version of Outlook. While some people prefer the new version of Outlook, there are some features that currently only exist in the "classic" version.
   

I'm using File Explorer and it used to work, but is now giving me an error. What's happening?

If you had everything up and running and items linked/pinned under Quick Access in File Explorer, but you're now seeing an error, it's likely your permissions just expired. Because File Explorer doesn't directly ask you to log in to anything, it checks the permissions in other ways. For SharePoint, this is through Internet Explorer (IE) or Edge. It does not check permissions through Chrome.

Quick answer/fix: Open Edge and go to any Document Library, then click View in File Explorer from the drop-down View menu. File Explorer should open and show the files saved in that location on SharePoint.

Longer answer and more info.

File and path length issues, oh my!

Examples: I'm using File Explorer and I can't see any files in the folder (but they are visible using an internet browser). Or, I'm in a browser and tried to open a file (Excel or other Microsoft type) and got an error in the application, and the file isn't opening. What's happening?

Depending on where and how you access a file (on your computer, on the internet, using a web browser, using file explorer), you'll run into different problems if the path length (the location, including the file name, e.g., https://ceimaine.sharepoint.com/sites/it/libraryname/folder1/subfolder2-backup-just%20in%20case/subfolder%20with%20lots%20of%20spaces/subfolder3-version15d-COPY/subfolder4-name-thatissuperlong-forfun-but%20not%20functional/let%20me%20be%20very%20descriptive%20in%20my%20file%20naming%20conventions.pdf) is beyond the specs of that system. The length limits vary by where/how things are stored, and how you try to access them, so listing them out isn't always helpful. There are ways around some limits, and some ways you can access files with long path names -- but abusing the loopholes/workarounds will likely lead to more problems down the road, and is not recommended.

What should be followed as best practice, is better file naming conventions. Keep file and folder names short, unique, and not many levels deep. Do not use symbols or spaces. They are often converted in a way that ends up using more characters (example: a single space turns into "%20" -- so every space in a file or folder name actually eats up 3 characters in your limit), and some non-alphanumerics can cause problems with other features (see the next entry about the problems with using a period in a file or folder name).

When I use the Search feature (at the top of any page), it shows in the autocomplete what I'm looking for, but when I click it, I get a message saying "Something went wrong" and nothing is displayed. But when I browse for the file or folder, I can find it and open it. Why can't I use Search to find and open it?

Because search is finding your term, it's not the "searching" part that isn't working. Often the link to the file or folder has something in it it can't process. Let us know when this happens.

But... what we've been finding recently is that the item you're trying to open has a period (".") in the name. Not right before the extension (ex: .docx or .xlsx or .pdf), but in the middle of the name of the file itself. That period is "breaking" the link that leads to the file. Even though SharePoint and Search can find what you want, the link to it is being cut off at the period, and that truncated link is invalid because it's incomplete.

One workaround: If you right-click on the link in the dropdown and copy the link and paste it in a new tab, it often works. The longer term solution is to remove all periods from file and folder names, and keep them short, unique, and preferably with no spaces or non-alphanumeric characters.

What is a page and how do I create one on my group's site?

Microsoft's instructions for how to create pages in SharePoint.

What is the main difference between the "Shared Documents" library and the other libraries found on each site?

On CEI SharePoint sites, we use "Shared Documents" to share files and documents with anyone at CEI. These are essentially public -- to the CEI community (all users need to log in to see any CEI SharePoint site, so the rest of the world will not have access to our SharePoint sites). Most other libraries on a group's site are restricted to members of the department (or site), and some are restricted further, to specific individuals.

When I first started using SharePoint, I got an email welcoming me to the "group." What does this mean?

As with all things Microsoft, there are many layers and options. (Feel free to interpret this as you will -- we all do.) For CEI to get the desired functionality from our new sites and not to just turn on every option possible, we chose to create a "Team site" (for each department and subsidiary) AND to connect an Office 365 group to each, for additional functionality. This lets all of us see who is a member of a site, have a group inbox and calendar, etc. It's also for other, less-visible reasons like permissions flexibility on the site, and being able to have "public" (CEI-only) spaces/libraries and locked down libraries, all in one site.

So, the email you received was triggered by you being added to the group that is linked to that site.

This Office 365 group functionality is visible in Outlook, for any group that you're a member of. 

The group features include (and have online links to them in your SharePoint site, under the Groups menu header):

1. Calendar (can receive/process meeting requests or just be used to show staffing or group events -- scroll down to read more about Calendars vs. Events in SharePoint)
2. Inbox (shared, group email or "Conversations")
3. OneNote (shared notebook -- handy for keeping track of less-formal info that others in your department may want to see)
   

Note: If you have been given access to only specific locations or libraries on another group's site, you are not considered to be a member and will not be able to access these features (in that group).

Our group wants to have an internal (group-only) calendar AND a calendar of "public" (CEI staff only) events. Can we do this?

Yes, but there are some limitations. There are many components of SharePoint we can tweak based on what your group finds to be most useful for your workflow and the work you do. By default, each group's site has one Events library and one group calendar. If you'd like to have more than one, just let us know and we can discuss options. Please keep in mind, this will require that multiple calendars will need to be maintained and that you'll need to keep track of entering info in each, so weigh that when thinking about your group's requirements. For only a few company-wide/visible events, you may wish to just submit those events for inclusion on the central CEI intranet site.

You can also add categories to your Events list -- so that you can choose what type of event to share in different locations (ex: on your group's home page or on another page or on the CEI Portal).

Can we sync our site's events or our group calendar with Outlook?

Yes. There are two options. An "Events" calendar or library (basically, a SharePoint list), that we can set up to be visible in SharePoint and in Outlook on your system (but lacks some common functionality), and a more robust "Group" calendar that has additional features (like sending a meeting request to the group address and having the meeting appear on the calendar).

For the Events library option:

This option works well if you'd like to have multiple calendars and/or limit permissions (e.g., if you have sub-groups in your department that would like to have specific calendars that are of no interest/need for others).

You do not want to use this if you'd like more robust calendar interaction, or would like to send appointment requests for group-wide meetings.

May be handy as a simple way of keeping track of who is out of the office (vacations, meetings, etc.).

For the Group calendar:

This is similar to a shared mailbox and calendar (and is tied to the group email account that is also set up for your group). You can view it from your site (by clicking Calendar under Group - contact us if you don't already see it) or from Outlook under the Group Calendars or All Group Calendars heading in your left sidebar. This calendar is tied to the group, and you may choose to have events and emails that are sent to this group to be immediately sent to your inbox or your personal calendar -- or keep them separate.

Can we attach SharePoint files to emails in Outlook (for anyone outside our organization)?

Yes, this functionality still remains, in part because people outside CEI still do not have access to our internal SharePoint sites (and therefore links to the file will not work for them). There are multiple ways. If you are not connecting to SharePoint through pinned locations in File Explorer (which would allow you to select the file(s) that way), you can Browse Web Locations from the Attach File menu option in Outlook, and that will allow you to pick the file from the SharePoint site directly.

Also, though this page is a bit outdated, most of the info is still relevant: https://sharepointmaven.com/7-ways-to-attach-sharepoint-documents-to-an-email/ (option 7 on that site can be used by starting with the Browse Web Locations menu choice listed above), and a video for the last option listed is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20L8XK2fQxI&feature=youtu.be.