Files: Attachments for the Whiteboard

You can use the whiteboard to present an attached file during a meeting. You can use the Files tab to attach the file when scheduling the meeting. The Moderator can also attach files during a meeting.

Note Some servers do not support all whiteboard attachments (including the supported file types listed below). If you have difficulty attaching a file to the whiteboard, contact your system administrator.

During a scheduled meeting, you can make changes to a whiteboard file and ask the Moderator to save your changes. (Only the Moderator can save a whiteboard file.) The changes are saved in two new files (an RTF file and an SWB file); your original file is not affected. The original file and any changed versions of the file are available on the Meeting Details page. (You cannot save a whiteboard file in an instant meeting.)

Detailed Description

You can also use the Files tab to enter any additional information about the meeting in the "Detailed meeting description" field. For example, you can enter an agenda for the meeting. After you save the meeting, the detailed description and the attached files appear on the Meeting Details page.

Tip If you attach files to your meeting, you might want to give the meeting a password to protect your files. If the meeting is password-protected, you must enter the password before viewing the Meeting Details page.

Preparing a File

Before attaching a file to the whiteboard, you must prepare the file. For example, you might create a file in a word processing or presentation program. When you attach a file, it is converted to an appropriate format for whiteboard display. Read the information below to prepare files that display well on the whiteboard.

General Tips for Whiteboard Files

When creating the file, follow these tips to ensure that it displays well on the whiteboard:

Limit the pages or slides in your presentation to 100 or less. (You can have multiple presentations of 100 slides, but no single presentation should contain more than 100 slides.) To include a file with more than 100 pages, split the file into two or more files that contain less than 100 pages and attach the files to the whiteboard sequentially.

Use a simple background for your presentation, such as a solid color or a gradient that fills vertically. White backgrounds work well.

Before the actual meeting, start a short online meeting, attach your file, and attend the meeting to view the file on the whiteboard. By previewing the presentation, you ensure that everything displays as expected. You can also plan how you will use annotation to highlight key points as you present.

If your file uses a font that is not on the server, the whiteboard displays the nearest match to that font. Use common fonts (such as Times New Roman or Arial) in your file to be sure that it displays as expected.

Use Sametime Print Capture for files that are created in a spreadsheet program such as IBM Lotus 1-2-3^Ž. You should also make sure your file is saved in "landscape" orientation. (See "More Help on Sametime Print Capture" for more information.)
Use Sametime Print Capture for files with embedded objects that are created in a word processing program such as IBM Lotus Word Pro^Ž.
Headings in presentations sometimes display as one line of text in the presentation program but wrap onto a second line when displayed on the whiteboard. To prevent headings from wrapping, use short headings, make sure that the text box you use to create the text is longer than the text itself, and use a common font for your headings.
If you use IBM Lotus Freelance Graphics^Ž to create your presentation, see "Tips for Lotus Freelance Graphics Presentations."

Tips for Graphics in Whiteboard Files

Follow these tips to ensure that the graphics in your whiteboard presentation display well:

Use only high-resolution 8-bit JPG or GIF graphics with a maximum of 256 colors in your presentation. The whiteboard conversion process restricts graphics to 256 colors and substitutes the closest color match for any graphics that exceed the restriction. If you are using a prepared presentation template, make sure all graphics in the template are JPGs or GIFs.
When you use a highly detailed graphic such as a screen capture from a program, save it as a JPG or GIF at approximately twice the normal size. (If you use a standard size, the graphic will scatter.) For example, if you use a graphics program to take a screen capture, save the screen capture at a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 rather than 1:1. You can reduce the graphic to its normal size after placing it in your presentation.
Do not remove or copy a graphic from a file in one program and place it into a file in another program. For example, if you create a graphic in a Lotus Word Pro file and then paste it into a Lotus Freelance Graphics presentation, the graphic does not convert well for whiteboard display. (Pasted graphics might appear on the whiteboard as a gray box or a box with colored lines in it.)
Do not use links to graphics in your presentation; include the graphic itself.
Do not use animation in graphics or presentations. The whiteboard cannot display animation.
Do not use bitmap graphics (BMPs) in your presentations. Bitmaps do not always display well on the whiteboard.

Note There is a new setting for Meeting Services that the administrator can enable that forces all images displayed in the screen sharing tool to use the 8-bit color depth. This feature can improve screen sharing performance and decrease network bandwidth usage. For more information, see the IBM Lotus Sametime Administrator's Guide.

File Conversion

Before your file can be displayed on the whiteboard, it must be converted to an appropriate format. Sametime automatically converts many file types for whiteboard display. If Sametime cannot convert your file automatically, use Sametime Print Capture to convert the file to a Sametime file (FST, or "File for Sametime") for whiteboard display.

Note Some servers only support the Sametime file format. To convert a file to the Sametime format, use Sametime Print Capture. For more information about whether you should use Sametime Print Capture, contact your system administrator.

Sametime automatically converts many file types, including:

Bitmap (BMP)
CCITT Group 3 Fax (TIF)
CompuServe Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)
Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM)
HTML (HTM, HTML)
IBM Lotus Ami Pro^Ž (SAM)
IBM Lotus PIC (PIC)
JPEG (JPEG, JPG)
Lotus 1-2-3 (WK3, WK4, 123)
Lotus Freelance Graphics (PRE, PRZ)
Lotus Word Pro (LWP)
Microsoft Excel (XL*)
Microsoft Word (DOC)
Paintbrush/DCX (multi-page PCX) (PCX)
PICT and PICT Graphics (PCT)
Portable Network Graphics (PNG)
PowerPoint^Ž (PPT)
Revisable Form Text (RFT)
Rich Text Format (RTF)
Sametime Print Capture File (FST)
Sametime Whiteboard File (SWB)
Tagged Image File Format (TIFF, TIF, EPS)
Text file (ASCII) (TXT, BAT, INI)
Windows Metafile Graphic (WMF)
WordPerfect (WPD)
WordPerfect Graphics (WPG)

After attaching your files, click Save if you are finished scheduling your meeting. Otherwise, proceed to the appropriate tab to enter more information for the meeting.

See also:

Send us your comments and suggestions.