35.0 Understanding Document Conversion

The document files that users attach to messages are as varied as the combinations of document formats, tools, and users throughout the world. The Document Viewer Agent (DVA) accommodates multiple attachment formats by converting GroupWise attachments into HTML format.

Two GroupWise components rely on document conversion for their functionality:

  • Post Office Agent: When GroupWise users access their mailboxes in any manner and use the Find feature to search for text, they expect to locate the text in attached documents as well as in email messages and other GroupWise items. For all GroupWise users, the DVA converts attached document files into text string files, so the attachments can be indexed by the POA.

  • GroupWise Web and WebAccess: When GroupWise users access their mailboxes through GroupWise Web or WebAccess, they expect to view attached documents in their web browser, regardless of the file format of the attached file. For GroupWise Web and WebAccess users, the DVA converts attached document files into HTML so that the attachments can be viewed along with the email messages or other GroupWise items to which the documents are attached.

Because some document files contain unexpected data, they cannot be successfully converted into HTML format. The DVA isolates the document conversion task from other GroupWise activities. If the DVA encounters a problem converting a particular document file, the problem does not affect conversion of other document files, nor does it affect the user experience in GroupWise, except that the problem document cannot be viewed in WebAccess and cannot be located using the Find feature.

IMPORTANT:If you are using an external DVA (not on the same server as the POA, GW Web, or WebAccess), you must have JAVA installed on the external DVA server so Power Point files can be converted.