Deploying ActiveX upload Control in IBM Lotus Quickr 8.5.x for Domino

Introduction

IBM® Lotus® Quickr® for Domino® uses an ActiveX Control to provide functions such as uploading, downloading, and previewing file attachments, and general integration with Microsoft® Office when using a Web browser.

Using the Quickr ActiveX Control, you can perform tasks such as:

• import a Microsoft Office file (Word document, Excel spreadsheet, PowerPoint presentation), HTML file, or JPEG / GIF image
• preview Microsoft Office files
• round-trip edit Microsoft Office files
• drag-n-drop (DnD) to upload or download files to and from Lotus Quickr

For Quickr 8.5 places using the new 8.5 theme and user interface, the dependency on ActiveX and the DnD applet was removed (for more information, refer to the Product Documentation topic, "Upgrade Overview"). However, based on customer requests, 8.5.1 Fix Pack 25 (8.5.1.25) re-introduced ActiveX for the 8.5.x release.

How to install

To enable ActiveX, administrators, place owners, and users must all perform certain steps.

Steps for administrators

First, make sure you have downloaded and applied Lotus Quickr 8.5.1 for Domino Fix Pack 25 or later from IBM Fix Central.

To allow ActiveX to be used, the Quickr administrator must perform these steps, to make ActiveX available on the Quickr server:

1. Locate the widgetRegistryConfig_ext.js file in your widgets\resources directory:
2. Check for modifications to widgetRegistryConfig_ext.js, as described below, then copy the file as noted:
3. Enable the following settings in the qpconfig.xml file:


4. Restart your Quickr server.

5. (Optional) As a good practice, clear the caches to minimize the chance of unexpected results due to cached data:

• server-side cache. At the server's operating-system level, delete all files in the "/data/domino/cache" and "/data/domino/quickplace/cache" directories to remove all server-side caches.
• browser cache. Clear all cookies and cache in your browser.

Steps for place owners or managers

Owners and managers can disable or enable the ActiveX setting, using a place's basic configuration (Customize > Basics). The default is for ActiveX to be enabled (see figure 1).

Figure 1. ActiveX setting

Steps for users

When you first access a Lotus Quickr place document that requires the Control, you are prompted to install the ActiveX Control in your browser. Sample pictures of the prompts in Internet Explorer are shown in figures 2 and 3.

Figure 2. Add-on window


Figure 3. Security warning window


Once you click Install, your action is complete. The server automatically provides the Control, and your browser auto-installs and registers it. (The exception is a locked-down client environment, described in the next section.)

Behind the scenes

When a browser accesses a document that requires the Quickr ActiveX Control, the following happens:

1. The client machine (the browser's ActiveX installer) checks whether it has the Control installed already. If it does, it extracts the Control's version number.
2. If the server contains a newer version of the Control, or if the client has no Control installed, the browser requests to download the Control from the server.
3. The server serves the newer Control (file name of qp2.cab) from the domino\data\html directory on the server machine. The browser receives it after the user accepts the security certificate.
4. The browser then auto-installs the Control and registers it as an ActiveX Control; the Control is ready for use by the browser.

Manual install for locked-down desktops

Some companies implement a locked-down client environment, for security or control reasons. If this is the case, then administrators, or someone with privileges to install software for that machine, must install and register the ActiveX Control manually because an auto-install is not possible.

One procedure to do this is outlined below. Note, however, that there are other ways to have a new ActiveX Control installed in a client machine. For example, IBM Support Technote #1214819, “Installing ActiveX through Group Policies for a secured environment”, describes another approach for secured environments implementing the Lotus iNotes ActiveX Control. Select a procedure that works for your environment.

Steps:

1. Make sure there is no existing Quickr ActiveX Control in the browser. (If needed, follow the steps to remove the Control in the Troubleshooting section below.)

2. Obtain a copy of the qp2.cab file. You can download it directly from the server and save it in your system by accessing the following URL:

3. Extract all files from the qp2.cab file to a directory you can access.

4. Open a command prompt and change directories to where you extracted qp2.dll.

5. Register qp2.dll by running the following command:
6. Next, check whether you already have a version of msvcr71.dll under your Windows System32 directory. If yes, you are done.

7. If you do not have msvcr71.dll under your system directory, copy the one extracted from qp2.cab in Step 3 to the System32 directory.

Installing the Control makes the following changes in the Microsoft Windows registry:

Created by the ActiveX installer:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{05D96F71-87C6-11d3-9BE4-00902742D6E0}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{05D96F70-87C6-11D3-9BE4-00902742D6E0}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface\{EB189910-87C5-11D3-9BE4-00902742D6E0}
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\QuickPlace.QuickPlace
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\QuickPlace.QuickPlace.1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID
\{05D96F71-87C6-11d3-9BE4-00902742D6E0}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface
\{05D96F70-87C6-11D3-9BE4-00902742D6E0}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface
\{EB189910-87C5-11D3-9BE4-00902742D6E0}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\QuickPlace.QuickPlace
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\QuickPlace.QuickPlace.1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Code Store Database\Distribution Units\{05D96F71-87C6-11d3-9BE4-00902742D6E0}
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\ModuleUsage\C:/WINDOWS/Downloaded Program Files/qp2.dll

Created and used by the Quickr Control itself to keep track of upload file state for recovery purposes:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Lotus\QuickPlace\<URL>

Installing the fix pack

Occasionally, a fix for a defect requires an update to the ActiveX Control. If this is the case, the fix pack's Readme section, “Important information before beginning install,” will note when the qp2.cab file---the file associated with ActiveX Control---was last updated.

If the fix pack does have an updated qp2.cab file, you as the administrator must inform your users to accept the updated Control the next time they access a place. The Install prompt they will see is the same as that when first installing the Control. For more details, refer to Technote #1459505, "ActiveX Control change in Lotus Quickr for Domino Fix Pack requires users to accept update".

Troubleshooting

Use the following options to troubleshoot problems with the ActiveX Control:

• Clear the browser cache. If users have unexpected results after applying this update, clear their browser’s cache. Check your browser's Help for how to do this.
  
• Clear the Java^TM cache. The user can also clear the Java cache. To do so, open the Microsoft Windows Control Panel, look for an item named something like "Java Plug-In" or "Java Control Panel," open this item, find the Cache or Temporary Internet Files settings, and clear the cache.
  
• Remove the ActiveX Control. If users are having problems in Internet Explorer, they should remove the Quickr ActiveX Control. The user will be prompted to install the ActiveX Control the next time he or she browses to a Quickr place.

The steps to remove a Control vary by browser and operating system. Example steps are provided below for Internet Explorer running on Windows XP. Depending on the browser type, the Quickr ActiveX Control might be listed as Lotus Quickr Class or as a file name qp2.dll or qp2.inf.

Internet Explorer 6:

1. On the General tab, click the Settings button.
2. On the Settings window, select View Objects
3. Select the Lotus Quickr Class (qp2.dll) and press the Delete key on your keyboard.
   

Internet Explorer 7:

1. On the Programs tab, click the Manage Add-ons button.
2. In the Manage Add-ons window, select the Lotus Quickr Class (qp2.dll).
3. Click the Delete button.

Internet Explorer 8:

1. On the Programs tab, click the Manage Add-ons button.
2. In the Manage Add-ons window, find the Lotus Quickr Class (qp2.dll); if you do not see it, make sure you select to Show all add-ons.
3. Right mouse click on the Lotus Quickr Class (qp2.dll) and select More Information.
4. Click the Remove button. (For Windows Vista, first disable the Control, then you can re-select and remove it.)

Removing the Control

To remove the Control, refer to the steps in Troubleshooting above, and if needed, clean up the Windows registry.

Resources

• Lotus Quickr wiki article, "What's enhanced in Lotus Quickr Fix Pack 8.5.1.25 for Domino?":
  
• IBM Support Technote #1154131, "How to manually install or remove ActiveX upload Control in QuickPlace or Quickr"

About the authors

Tate Joyner is an IBM Support Engineer, currently providing support for Lotus Quickr for Domino.
Jeanmarie White is a Knowledge Manager in IBM Support.