Swedish Grammar Rules In iPhone and iPad

Learn Swedish on the bus, in the park, in the waiting room or whenever you have a few minutes. That is possible if you use Svensk grammatik, the grammar app that gives extensive guidelines for Swedish grammar, pronunciation and word formation, with examples and sound.

The grammar app I have told you about earlier has today been published in App Store, so now iPhone, iPod and iPad users have the same possibilities as Android users to become masters of the Swedish language.

The Tallstugan grammar app is intended for students who already know some Swedish, because all the text is in Swedish. To have the guidelines in the smartphone is very convenient, as you can read it for reference whenever you need it. Or learn an article or two on "waste time" each day. There are 198 of them so it will take some time, but when you are finished you can start giving grammar lessons yourself!

Please read more about Svensk grammatik in the earlier blog post, published when the app was released for Android smartphones.

By Kate Kalmström
kalmstrom.com Business Solutions and Tallstugan

Create SharePoint Web Application - New kalmstrom.com Tip

Create a SharePoint 2013 Web Application is the subject of a new tutorial in the kalmstrom.com Tips section. Use web applications to contain one or several site collections that should have special content or features.

SharePoint hierarchy
Farms are the highest level of SharePoint components. Within a farm you can have several web applications. Each web application can have several site collections, and each site collection can have several sites, but within a web application all site collections and sites normally have the same domain (and subdomain) name and the same log in method.

Before you can create a site collection you must have a web application for it. The web application consists of an Internet Information Services (IIS) website, and it is the logical unit for the site collections that you will create. It always has a unique domain or subdomain.

Separate and isolate with web applications
There are lots of reasons for creating more than the two default ones (one for the Central Administration and another for your default site collections), but the basic cause is that you want to separate units and isolate them from the rest of your SharePoint sites. Then you can create another web applicaton for this purpose.

You might need to create a new login system (for example via Forms Based Authentication) or provide your various departments with different SharePoint features. In my demo I create a new web application because I want to use a separate URL for my demo sites.

DNS response
As I must create a new URL for my web application, I first need to make sure the DNS can respond to that URL. To do this I go to DNS under Administrative Tools  on the SharePoint server. In the demo I am working directly on the server, so I can just go to the Start menu and select  the Tools. I create a new lookup zone and a host for the address I want to use, and to make sure it works I ping the URL from the command prompt.

Create in Central Admin
When you install SharePoint the central administration IIS site is created automatically, and it is also reached via the Administrative Tools. Here, in the section Manage web applications, is where new web applications are created in a few steps.

I must also fill the new web application with content, and for that I create a site collection. Microsoft has made that easy by giving a link to the creation form in the "Application Created" message.

Please watch the video below and read the step by step instructions on the Tips page. Creating a new web application is not complicated, but it is extremely useful!


By Peter Kalmström
CEO and Systems Designer
kalmstrom.com Business Solutions
kalmstrom.com Business Solutions

Kanban Task Manager For SharePoint Easier To Customize

Do you like to customize your kalmstrom.com products so that they fit your organization like a glove? We encourage that, and now we have released an update of Kanban Task Manager for SharePoint that makes it a bit easier.

Created for customization
SharePoint is a very customizable platform. Forms, views and columns can be added and customized. When we build the kalmstrom.com solutions we attempt not only to add functionality to SharePoint but also maintain as much as possible of the end-user-customization possibilites. That aim will of course make our solutions a bit more complex, but it also allows the users to stay in control.

Drag and drop color coded tasks

Kanban Task Manager for SharePoint is a sandboxed solution for project and task management. It vizualises a workgroup's tasks and projects in a SharePoint page, with color coding for either project or responsible. Tasks can be dragged from one phase and dropped in another one as the work proceeds.

One Kanban Task Manager site per team
For managers it is convenient to supervise the process when each team has their own subsite and Kanban Task Manager installation. A common navigation makes it easy to go from one subsite to another to see how projects are developing and identify blockers and bottlenecks.

Standard SharePoint lists
The SharePoint lists used with Kanban Task Manager are standard lists that we have given the features suitable for work with projects and tasks.

If you want to customize the lists, for example by adding another column that your organization needs or remove one that is never used, you can do that without problems – as long as you don't remove the specific Kanban Task Manager columns, like Project or Responsible. Kanban Task Manager obviously cannot work without them.

Easier to customize
We took one step towards easier customization when we added a custom column  to Kanban Task Manager. Give a name in the configuration page, and Kanban Task Manager creates a list where you can add the different values. Then this parameter can be added to all tasks, and you can also filter the tasks by it.

With the release of version 1.91 we have taken another step to facilitate customization of Kanban Task Manager. Now users can customize SharePoint more freely without having to worry about risking the functionality of Kanban Task Manager.

The new version of Kanban Task Manager checks if all necessary lists and columns are in place and gives a warning if there is a risk that something in the customization will prevent Kanban Task Manager from working.

Increased performance
During the development of the new version we also made a lot of small tweaks to increase performance of Kanban Task Manager. Our goal has been to minimize the number of times the JavaScript has to ask for data from the SharePoint server. This has made the Kanban Task Manager faster and more stable.

SharePoint tips
Would you like to learn more about how to customize SharePoint in general? Please take a look at the kalmstrom.com Tips section, where we have gathered tutorials on SharePoint 2010 and 2013. I am a Microsoft certified Trainer, and I also have all available certifications for SharePoint 2010, so my instructions are clear and easy to follow.

Upgrade or try
Community Members who are already using Kanban Task Manager for SharePoint are welcome to upgrade their installations to get the new functionality check and the increased performance. Upgrades are always included in the subscription, just like the support.

Have you not tried Kanban Task Manager yet? Please download Kanban Task Manager for SharePoint and try it for 30 days. The kalmstrom.com support services are for evaluators too, so you are welcome to contact us if you have any questions.

By Peter Kalmström
CEO and Systems Designer
kalmstrom.com Business Solutions

Publish KBase Articles As Web Pages

Maybe you have seen that the kalmstrom.com website has a new FAQ link in the top menu? As we have now relased a new version of KBase, we also want to use the new web design for KBase articles. Another change is that all FAQ are gathered in the same place.

KBase for Outlook and web
In an earlier article I have described how you can share the KBase articles via a SharePoint site, but in many cases you want to reach more people than those who have access to the team site.

Or maybe you have some article categories that are suitable for the intranet, while others are more suitable for a website?  In both cases I suggest you to publish articles as web pages.

Publish categories and types
With KBase you can categorize knowledge base articles in categories and types, and that is easily done in a tree view in the settings. When it is time to publish the articles to HTML pages you can do that by category or type by just checking boxes.

To publish by category or type is not the only option. You may also publish selected articles or articles created by a certain person. A table of contents can be created automatically, and you can select to name the articles by their subjects or by incremental numbering.

New design
In version 3 of KBase the design of the content and article pages is modernized. We hope you like it and want to keep it as it is, but as this is all in HTML you can change the design to suit your organization using any web design application.

All FAQ in one place
When we implemented the new design on the kalmstrom.com website we decided to gather FAQ for all products in one place, instead of spreading them on the product pages. That is more convenient, and the contents view makes it easy to find the article you are looking for. And if you cannot find it - please tell us, so that we can either direct you to it or create it if it doesn't exist!

By Peter Kalmstrom
CEO and Systems Designer
kalmstrom.com Business Solutions

Folder HelpDesk V13 For Structured Incident Management

Two major releases in eight days! I cannot remember that it has ever happened before, but this week the kalmstrom.com team has really enjoyed the results of hard work. First came KBase V3 last Friday, and today we have released Folder HelpDesk V13.

Issue tracking and user support
Folder HelpDesk is the kalmstrom.com incident management application for Outlook. It is often used together with our knowledge base KBase, which we released last Friday, and the development of the two products have been going on in parallell.

Reading Pane and Outlook features
Folder HelpDesk V13 incident tickets are standard Outlook post items, and that gives many advantages. One of them is that you can now apply the Reading Pane, so that you get a preview of each ticket below or to the right of the tickets list in Outlook.

When you open a ticket, you can make use of all the Outlook features you use with e-mails. Insert images, spell check and format the tickets before you send the answer to the caller directly from within the ticket.

Skype calls
In some cases it is more convenient to make a call instead of sending an e-mail reply, and in version 13 of Folder HelpDesk you can do that directly from the ticket too.

When a telephone number, Skype name or similar is entered in the Callers list in the Folder HelpDesk settings, this detail will be shown in the ticket with a telephone icon. Click it, and Folder HelpDesk will connect to Skype or any other desktop calling application that supports the callto tag.

Support for 64-bit versions
Folder HelpDesk V13 supports the 64-bit version of Office 2010 and 2013. This compatibility is not common among Outlook-addons, but the kalmstrom.com developers want to give users all options.

For most users there is no benefit in using the 64-bit version of Office. Office is not running faster or better, and as I mentioned most applications, smart phones and PDAs do not support the 64-bit version. However, when you work with huge (2GB) record sets and spreadsheets you need the 64-bit version, and therefore we want to give a compatible Folder HelpDesk.

You don't have to worry about whether you have a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Office. Folder HelpDesk V13 will understand what you have installed and use the correct executable files for your PC.

Excel reports
In Folder HelpDesk V13 we have replaced the earlier statistics tool with Excel reports. I have written about these reports in an earlier blog post, Sixteen Excel Reports On Support Team Performance. With these reports you can analyze many aspects on the incident management work.

Many more enhancements
Please have a look at the Folder HelpDesk Revisions page to see a list of all the enhancements and new features. There you will find improvements in the search, attachments handling and more.

Sponsorships
Some of the enhancements in version 13 of  Folder HelpDesk have been possible thanks to generous sponsorships from two Community Members, The Swiss Post and Rail Cargo, who both use Folder HelpDesk for their incident management. I am grateful for your confidence in the kalmstrom.com team!

Great team work
I also want to thank all members of the kalmstrom.com team for their dedication and good co-operation. I know you feel as happy as I do, when this hard work has now given us the new versions of KBase and  Folder HelpDesk. And I also appreciate that you are already tackling our next project with the same enthusiasm!

Upgrade or try
Community Members who are already using Folder HelpDesk for Outlook are welcome to upgrade your installations to get all the new features. I will send you all an e-mail with more info about the upgrade of both products, as most of you use KBase with Folder HelpDesk, but you can also find all information in the updated manuals.

Have you not tried Folder HelpDesk yet? Please download the solution and evaluate it for 30 days. Beside the manual there are various video demonstrations to help you get started, and below you can see an introduction to the application.

Should you get problems during the evaluation, please contact us! The kalmstrom.com team always gives support to evaluators as well as to Community Members. I am looking forward to hearing from you!

By Peter Kalmström
CEO and Systems Designer
kalmstrom.com Business Solutions

KBase for Outlook V3 released!

Today I am happy to announce the release of KBase for Outlook version 3. The kalmstrom.com knowledge base now takes even more advantage of the Outlook features, but at the same time it gives better possibilities for use with other platforms, like Excel, SharePoint and the web.

Reading pane
The KBase articles are now standard Outlook post items, and that means you can use a reading pane, just like you can do with e-mails. Many current KBase users have asked for a preview pane as an added feature, but with the earlier KBase form it was complicated and time consuming to add it. When we made it possible to use standard Outlook post items we got the Outlook reading pane "for free", without any extra coding at all!

The reading pane is not the only usable asset . Other Outlook features, like spell check, formating, insert images and attach files,  can also be used with KBase. This means that anyone who can create an e-mail with links and pictures can also create a KBase article using the same tools.

Categories, types and custom fields
The KBase articles have dropdowns for selection of category and type. If you want to categorize your articles in other ways, new fields can easily be added via the settings. Just write a name for the field and select if it should be a text or Yes/No field. That's it! KBase will add the custom field to all articles.

Export and new sharing options
The development of KBase V3 included a totally new architecture, so it has taken a long time. Therefore we have had time to blog about the news in several earlier articles. First came a general KBase export to Excel feature. We have also told you about what possibilities the new SharePoint sharing option gives to KBase.

Updated documentation
The KBase documentation has of course been updated, and below you are welcome to watch the new presentation video. When you evaluate or upgrade KBase, please also study the KBase user manual. Should you still get problems, we are here to assist you!

I am looking forward to hearing your comments!



By Peter Kalmström
CEO and Systems Designer
kalmstrom.com Business Solutions

Swedish Grammar App For Android Released

Do you study Swedish? Do you already know some of the Swedish language and want to learn more? Try our new app, Svensk grammatik! (Summary in Swedish below)

 Not only grammar
Tallstugans förlag, owned by the same family as Kalmstrom Enterprises and earlier the mother company of the kalmstrom.com products, have published an app for youths and adults who study Swedish.

The name of the app is Svensk grammatik, which means "Swedish grammar", but even if the focus is on the grammar this app also gives rules for Swedish word formation and pronunciation. The Swedish grammar is closely connected with Swedish pronunciation and word formation, so it comes naturally to give rules for all three in the same app.

 198 articles
Svensk grammatik is intended to give a full overview over the Swedish grammar system. Here you can find rules and guidelines for anything you might wonder about when you study Swedish as a foreign or second language, from the basics to the very advanced.

The information is divided into 198 articles, and the detailed table of contents makes it easy to find what you are looking for. As everything is explained in Swedish you need to know some Swedish to benefit from the app - and you will surely learn more while using it!

Examples with sound
In Svensk grammatik we show how the rules work in examples, and many of these have sound. The sound makes the examples easier for students to remember and use as models, and it is of course also a help to hear the Swedish pronunciation.

Grammar terms explained
All the typical grammar terms are explained in detail in separate articles, but when used in other articles they are explained in pop-ups. This means that the explanations do not disturb students who are used to grammar terms, but if you don't understand a word like "noun", "subject" or "vowel" you can just press it to get a short sentence and some examples to help you remember.

Google Play and Amazon
Svensk grammatik is now available at Amazon and Google Play. This means that if you study Swedish and use an Android smart-phone or tablet, you can always have information about the Swedish language at hand.

The iOS version of Svensk grammatik, for iPad, iPone and iPod, is also ready and approved for release in App Store. This app is scheduled to be released by the end of this month.

 We plan to market Svensk grammatik in Windows Store too, but some changes have to be made before the app will work on Windows phones as well. If you study Swedish and use a Windows device, please tell us!

20 years of grammar teaching aids
The new app is yet another step in a production chain that begun twenty years ago. I then wrote a series of books on Swedish grammar, word formation and pronunciation. Included in the series were also exercises that helped students of the Swedish language to test if they had understood the rules. The series is nowadays compressed into one Swedish grammar book, and it is still sold and used in schools and by students.

Next step was a program on a cd-rom with the rules and exercises. That was when my son Peter, our CEO and Systems Designer, became involved. He saw the benefits of using the texts of my books and adding sounds and photos, and he developed ways to make the exercises more fun to work with.

The third step was the website with rules and guidelines on Swedish grammar, wordformation and pronunciation that we published in November last year. It has approximately the same content as the cd-rom, but it is modernized and adapted to use on the web. For now the website is only meant for schools, but we plan to add a possibility for students of the Swedish language to subscribe to it for a low fee.

The fourth step
Now the fourth step has been taken - the app for mobile devices. This first version has no exercises, but all the rules are there, and we hope it will be useful for students of the Swedish language all over the world.

Also teachers might find it useful to have all rules easily at hand. The books and the website are used not only by students but also in training of teachers, and the app will hopefully be a good complement.

Swedish summary:
Tallstugans förlag har skapat en app för Android som bygger på mina böcker och webbsajten "Svensk grammatik och ordbildning". Här finns alla artiklarna och exemplen lätt tillgängliga i din smarta mobiltelefon eller surfplatta. Köp den hos Amazon eller Google Play. Kommer snart även för iOS, i App Store.

By Kate Kalmström
Tallstugans förlag
Documentation and Marketing, kalmstrom.com Business Solutions