Inline Google Docs for Wordpress

Many of the Google Apps users have blogs based on Wordpress. This plugin would allow them to simply view some shared docs without having to leave their site. This plugin supports private Google Docs.

This will be a very useful plugin that I could visualize. Google has a very good ability to import Word and Excel spreadsheets. This plugin would allow you to display some work (Word and Excel) in your blog without having converting to HTML.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/inline-google-docs/

Upload Google Docs easily with gDocsBar - sidebar extension for firefox

gDocsBar is a sidebar extension for firefox, a perfect companion for Google® Docs.

With gDocsBar, you can drag and drop multiple files into the sidebar to upload documents.

You can search and filter documents right from the sidebar. Now, gdocsbar comes with templates, webclips and smart folders.

Your Gmail credentials are sent to Google directly over SSL. Your passwords are stored in Firefox Password Manager.

http://gdocsbar.com/

Create PDF files using Google Docs

Here is one more useful tip for Google Apps users

Google Docs can be used to create PDF files. So if you want to convert your word doucyment to PDF you can use Google Apps (this is similar to Open Office functionality). Google Docs however doesn’t open up a PDF file for editing directly but a PDF file can be generated using a different approach.


To create a PDF file from a document use the following steps:

1. Create your document in MS Word OR using Google Docs
2. Upload the file to Google Docs (this step not required if created in Google Docs).
3. In the Google Docs Main screen, select the file (click on checkbox) and click ’Save as PDF' under the ’More Actions’ menu.

The PDF file will be downloaded to your computer. This is the original Word document which is converted to PDF format.

This is a really easy way to create a PDF file. So there is no need to search for free PDF converters on the internet. Just use Google docs to convert your MS Word files into PDF 9for free).

Using Templates in Google Docs

One of the fastest and easy way to create a document using Google docs is to use templates/ Google has over 300 templates - business documents, spreadsheets, and presentations - ready for use. You want an invoice, want to write a resume or a business letter - you have all templates available here and that too free

The templates are a very good new resource by Google Apps. This is going to make life simple for those using Google Apps and sure increase tha adaptability of Google Apps among user community. Release for English language only at present but soon coming in other languages too.

So now you have one more reason for dictching MS Office.

Read more:
https://documents.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=99064

Google Apps Tips - Creating a Dashboard

Creating a Dashboard

Whether you have a complex involving many members or simple project having handful of team members - a dashboard enhances the visibility and helps in tracking. In an addition to your project management tools small communication is the key to project success, particularly around sharing status and progress updates to keep everyone moving in sync through each milestone.

Since Google spreadsheets are shared on the web and have rich formatting capabilities, they're the perfect tool to help coordinate fast-paced, ad-hoc projects. Here is how to create your own - simple but powerful project dashboard:

* Start with creating a new Google spreadsheet and invite your project team to the document
* Create four columns: Milestone, Owner, Status, and Notes
* Meet with your team to collaboratively identify, record, and assign project milestones in the project dashboard
* As the project progresses, use fill to update the status cells with green, yellow, or red to indicate progress, and record any issues in the 'Notes' field

Add additional columns like due date, etc. based on your particular project's needs.

You can share your sheet with other team members to collarobate, with others within or outside organization to just view (need to publish). You can even add the same to your Google Sites Page.

Google Apps Tip: Google Docs Color-coded comments

When reviewing your co-workers online documents, you can insert color-coded comments to differentiate from the rest of the text.

How to insert color coded comments in a Google Document?

Place your cursor where you'd like your comment to appear, and click the 'Insert' tab along the top of the page. Select the 'Comment' icon from the displayed toolbar and let the ideas flow.

Using menu takes a lot of time. Is there are shortcut for inserting color-coded comments in a Google Document?

You can also use the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl-M, to insert a comment.

Offline Access for Google Docs

Now you can work on your documents off line when you do not have an internet connections. So you can work on your document while you are waiting at reception or traveling to California.

For offline access - Google Docs is using Google Gears, another open source technology (technically a browser extension) that enables web applications to run offline. So even when you aren't connected to the Internet, Google Docs will use information stored on your computer's hard drive rather than relying on information sent across the network. When you're offline, your edits are stored on your own computer and when you re-connect, your changes are going to be synchronized Google Docs' servers and made available to collaborators.

How to Enable Offline Google Docs

Here are instructions from Google: To install or enable Gears for Google Docs, click the Offline link in the upper-right corner of your Docs list. (If you do not see this link ask your administrator to enable new features)

Once clicked you will see the following dialogue box, here click the Get Google Gears now button.

During the process you will be asked to allow https://docs.google.com as a trusted site. Check the box next to 'I trust this site.

Allow it to use Google Gears.' Then, click Allow.

Once you've enabled Google Gears, you'll be able to edit your existing documents anywhere, even without an Internet connection. It will also create a shortcut at your desktop to access offline.

How to access offline?

To access Docs offline, just open a browser and enter the address http://docs.google.com or simply click the Google Docs desktop shortcut, which will look like this:

Cool! I am getting used to this and like this a lot.

Using Panorama Pivot Table for Google spreadsheets

Panorama Pivot Table for Google Spreadsheets in Google Apps (a Gadget provided by Panorama) is an interactive table that automatically extracts, organizes, and summarizes your data.

You can use this report to analyze the data, make comparisons, detect patterns and relationships, and discover trends. In just a few steps any users can find answers such as the best selling region, and best selling product or analyze results of an academic research. Interact with the data and look at it in various ways in a simple drag and drop environment.

Check an online tutorial on how to use Panorama Pivot in your Google Apps Spreadsheet

http://www.panorama.com/google/pivot-table/tutorial/

Let us know how useful this feature is for you? Leave your comments

New Features in Google Spreadsheets: Notifications & Gadgets

Notifications:

When working in collaboration with others now you can set notifications if others users who have access to same spreadsheet (of Google Apps), made any revisions. Cool! No need to look at document again and again – just set the notification.

To set notification just click on a new link enables by Google at the top bar called Set Notification Rules


Gadgets:

Now the power feature (of Google Apps spreadsheet) for doing stuff like - map your spreadsheet data? Pivot around it? Plot it on a fancy chart? Now you can create any visualization you want by choosing from Googles library of gadgets. At present some 20 Gadgets are available and Google has give API for developers to create more Gadgets - so in no time you will see loads og Gadgets there (like the ones available for Start Page).

Now how to insert a Gadget:

• Select Insert > Gadget. The Add a Gadget window appears, where you can select gadgets from a number of categories, including charts, tables, and maps.

• Click Add to your spreadsheet to insert a gadget. When you click a gadget in your spreadsheet, a gray border appears around the gadget, along with a Gadget drop-down menu. Click Gadget to open the menu and select Edit, Delete, Publish, or Add to iGoogle.

Note: If you have developed any new gadget for spreadsheet you can share will us.

Google Docs now in 40 languages

Google has just added two right-to-left languages, Arabic and Hebrew, in all features of Google Docs except for spreadsheets. And that brings our grand total languages supported by Google Docs to 40. Wow!

And changing your language is as easy as few click. Just click on settings link at top right of your Google Docs view, and you have following page open. Just select the right options and here you go. bingo!