CDD Vault integrates with Microsoft Office 365. You can view and edit Office documents (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) in Office 365 directly from a CDD ELN entry. If you edit the file, it will open in a new browser tab, auto-save every few seconds and automatically update the attached file in the ELN entry when you close the browser tab.
Attach an Office file
To attach an Office document to an ELN entry, either click Insert Attachment icon in the ELN toolbar or drag and drop the file from a folder on your computer to the ELN white-space. The file will attach where the cursor is located.
Once an Office file is attached to an ELN entry, the user may choose between multiple display options. The default view is a condensed view showing only the file name along with the appropriate Microsoft logo and menu options that appear when the user hovers over the file with the mouse. Clicking the Change Size icon from the menu will allow the user to preview the contents of the file directly within the ELN entry.
Excel
To open an Excel (.xlsx or .xls) or comma-separated (.csv) file from an ELN entry, mouse over the attached file and click the Open In Office For The Web icon.
The file will open in a new tab in Viewing mode. To edit an Excel or .csv file, click the Editing button. If prompted to log in, you will have the option to log into a work/commercial or school Office 365 subscription account, download the file or sign up for a new account.
You may receive a message asking if you want to convert older Excel files (.xls) and .csv files to .xlsx in order to edit in Office for the web. If you chose not to convert the file, you can open the file in the desktop application to make edits.
Edit the file as needed. It will auto-save every few seconds. When you finish editing, close the new browser tab. The attached file in the ELN entry is automatically updated. It may take up to 10 seconds for the edits to show in the ELN body. To see edits right away, switch back to Viewing mode in the new tab before returning to the ELN entry.
Pro tip: When an Excel file is uploaded to an ELN entry, users will have the option to import directly into the CDD Vault Activity and Registration system via the Import File Icon. This is a seamless way to register new compounds, biological entities, and protocol data from an ELN entry.
Word
To open a Word file from an ELN entry, mouse over the attached file and click the Open In Office For The Web icon.
The file will open in Viewing mode. You also have the option to edit, download or print the document. If you want to edit the document, click the Edit button. If prompted to log in, you will have the option to log into a work/commercial or school Office 365 subscription account, download the file or sign up for a new account.
Once you have logged in, you will be able to edit your document. The ‘Track changes’ feature is enabled by default and your document will auto-save every few seconds. When you finish editing, close the new browser tab. The attached file in the ELN entry is automatically updated. It may take up to 10 seconds for the edits to show in the ELN body. To see edits right away, switch to Viewing mode or Reading View (see View menu) in the new tab before returning to the ELN entry.
Pro tip: Once you have logged in and are able to edit your Word document, you can make use of Reviewing mode to leave comments and suggestions as action items in Word documents. Yet another way to use CDD Vault to foster collaboration between groups.
PowerPoint
To open a PowerPoint file from an ELN entry, mouse over the attached file and click the PowerPoint icon.
When the file opens, you will be able to view the presentation. You also have the option to edit, download, print to PDF or view the slideshow. If you want to edit the presentation, click the Edit in Browser button. If prompted to log in, you will have the option to log into a work/commercial or school Office 365 subscription account, download the file or sign up for a new account.
Once you have logged in, you will be able to edit the slides. It will auto-save every few seconds. When you finish editing, close the new browser tab. The attached file in the ELN entry is automatically updated. It may take up to 10 seconds for the edits to show in the ELN body. To see edits right away, switch to Viewing mode in the new tab before returning to the ELN entry.
Note: If you would like to annotate images, we recommend annotating the image in a PowerPoint slide attached to the ELN entry.
