Opening applications and desktops
Once you have signed in, the portal shows the applications and desktops your company has given you. This page explains how to find them, open them, work with several at once, and close them when you have finished.
My Resources: your home page
After you sign in you arrive at My Resources. It shows everything you have been given, as tiles or as a list. There are three kinds:
| Kind | What happens when you open it |
|---|---|
| Application | A single program, such as Word or your accounts package, opens in its own window inside the portal, as if it were running on your computer. |
| Desktop | A whole Windows desktop opens inside the portal, with its own Start menu and programs. |
| Web application | A website, such as an intranet page, opens in a new tab of your browser. |
Your company decides what you see and how it is arranged. Items may be grouped into categories (shown as tabs or headings) or into folders you click to open.
If something you need is missing, or you see something you should not have, contact your IT team or helpdesk. Only they can change what you are given.
Finding things quickly
Depending on how your company has arranged the page, you may have some or all of these:
- Search. Start typing part of a name in the search box and the page shows only the matching items.
- Sort. Order the items by name, by type, by host (the computer the item runs on) or by the ones you used most recently.
- Grid or list. Switch between large tiles and a compact list. The portal remembers your choice.
Favourites
Each item has a star. Click it to add the item to your Favourites; a message at the top of the page confirms it, for example "Calculator has been added to your favourites." Click the star again to remove it. Your favourites are listed together on the Favourites view, so the few things you use every day are always one click away. Favourites only ever show things you have been given: if your company withdraws an item, it disappears from your favourites too.
Open an application or desktop
- Click the item on My Resources.
- Wait a moment while it starts. A tab for it appears in the strip along the top of the portal, and the portal shows a progress screen while the application starts. This usually takes a few seconds.
- Use it. When the application appears, click into it and work as you normally would. Your keyboard and mouse go to the application.
The application fits your browser window. If you make the browser window larger or smaller, the application adjusts to the new size. A few programs are set to a fixed size; those are scaled to fit instead.
Opened for you automatically
Your company may set the portal to open an application for you as soon as you sign in. If it is also set to open in full screen, you will see a message across the screen: "Click anywhere to open … in full screen". Click once to go full screen, or choose Continue without full screen. Browsers only allow a page to go full screen after you click on it, which is why this one click is needed.
Working with several applications
You can have several applications and desktops open at once. Each one has a tab in the strip at the top of the portal, next to a Home tab.
- Switch between applications by clicking their tabs. The application you pick comes to the front, and the others keep running in the background exactly as you left them.
- Go back to My Resources with the Home tab. Your applications keep running while you are there.
- Click inside a window and the tab strip follows: the tab for the program you clicked into becomes the highlighted one.
- Minimise an application with its own minimise button. It disappears from view; click its tab to bring it back.
Opening the same application twice
Clicking an application that is already open starts a second copy of it, just as it would on your own computer. Both copies are grouped under one tab with a small number showing how many are open. Rest the mouse on that tab (or click it, or tap it on a touch screen) to see a list of the copies, and pick the one you want.
Some programs only allow one copy at a time. If you open one of those twice, the second tab stays empty because nothing new was started; close that tab and use the first one.
Programs already running when you come back New in 2.1
If you left programs open last time (for example you closed the browser without closing them), they may still be running when you return. When you open an application, any of those programs that are also on your My Resources page get tabs of their own in the strip, a few seconds later, without being started again. Programs that are not on your My Resources page do not get a tab.
"Opened on another device" New in 2.1
Your company may set things up so that your applications follow you to the newest device you use. If you open an application on another computer, the tab on the first computer shows "Opened on another device" with two choices: Reconnect to bring the application back to this computer, or Close.
The session toolbar
While an application or desktop is in front, a small toolbar of icons appears in the portal header. It is hidden while you are on My Resources.
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Folder | Opens the file browser, for moving files between your computer and the application. Only shown if your company has switched file transfer on. See Files and printing in a session. |
| Ctrl+Alt+Del | Sends Ctrl+Alt+Del to the application or desktop. Pressing those keys on your own keyboard would go to your own computer instead. Use it, for example, to reach the Windows security screen inside a desktop. |
| Full screen | Fills your whole screen with the portal. The portal's header stays available, so you can still switch tabs and leave full screen. Press the button again, or Esc, to leave full screen. |
| Disconnect | Disconnects the application in front. |
Some company themes hide the portal header while you work, especially in full screen. Move the mouse to the edge of the screen where the header normally sits and it slides back into view.
Closing applications
To finish with an application:
- Close it from inside, for example with File → Exit or the × in the program's own window. Its tab closes by itself a moment later.
- Or click the × on its tab. On a tab that groups several copies, the × closes all of them; to close only one, open the list and use the × beside that copy.
Always save your work before closing. If you close the browser or reload the page while applications are open, the browser warns you first, because doing so disconnects all of them.
If something goes wrong
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| "… has not appeared" New in 2.1 | The application is taking longer than usual to start, or the computer it runs on has stopped responding. Choose Keep waiting to keep watching, or Close and open it again. If it happens repeatedly, tell your IT team or helpdesk. |
| You are asked for your Windows password when opening an application | Some applications need it. Type the password you use to sign in to Windows. If you are asked every time, tell your IT team. |
| The application opened, but typing does nothing | Click once inside the application so that it has the keyboard. |
| The highlighted tab does not match the program in front | Click the tab of the program you want; it comes to the front. |
| A message says you cannot start because no seats are available | Your company's licence is fully in use at the moment. Try again later, or contact your IT team. |
| A warning says the session will end soon | Sessions have a maximum length. Save your work; you can open the application again afterwards. |
| A web application did not open | Your browser may have blocked the new tab. Allow pop-ups for the portal's address and try again. |
| An item is missing from My Resources | Check any categories, folders or search box first. If it is still missing, contact your IT team or helpdesk. |
When you contact your IT team, tell them which application, the time, and any message you saw.
Related pages
Signing in and out
Sign in, extra steps, forgotten passwords and signing out.
Files and printing in a session
Move files in and out, and print.