This blog will show how to add the custom fields to the MetaData Properties in Central Admin as well as adding them to the Advanced Search page. It will also detail how to add the advanced search button to your site’s search box. This will allow for your customers/clients to search on the fields that they know and understand when migrating a system or creating a new system for an old issue.

Configure Central Admin

The below is a step by step process for adding these fields to the MetaData Properties section of search administration. You will need to be logged into the Shared Service Provider admin page inside Central Admin.

Select Search Administration from the SSP Administration page:

Figure 1 Search Administration

Select MetaData Properties from the Left Navigation Area:

Figure 2 MetaData Properties

Select New Managed Property:

Figure 3 New Managed Property

It is my recommendation to name the property as close to the actual property name as possible. In this example the Property Name is “Letter Type” There are no spaces or special characters allowed in the property name. I removed the space in the field name. This is a choice box so the information in the property is text. Click add mapping and find the correct maping, filter by SharePoint and find the correct mapping which is the field name. NOTE: the syntax will be ows_Letter_x0020_Type this x0020 is for the space in between the two words. Also if you have renamed this property it will remain as the original name in this area.

Figure 4 Property Settings

Click ok and ensure your search scope is set to “all content”

Initiate a full crawl of the content.

This concludes the central admin portion of this post. We will now Add and configure the advanced search page to show our custom fields as searchable properties. This piece is the tedious part.

Configure The Search Center

Create the Advanced Search page on your Site through Site Settings >Create >Enterprise Templates >Search Center. Once this is complete go to the Advanced Search button next to the Search box on the Search Center Page.

Figure 5 Advanced Search Page

Edit the Page in order to get to the Shared Web Part Modification GUI.

Figure 6 Edit Page

Figure 7 Modify the Shared Web Part

Expand the Properties Section of the Web Part Editing GUI and click in the Properties line of text and click the expand button. This will open the Search Properties Code. You will need to add the code for the custom fields. This is tedious but not specifically hard as I am not a programmer but was able to figure it out.

Figure 8 Web Part Properties

Once the Properties Text Box is opened in a “pop-up” window scroll down past the Language Section to the Property Definitions Area of code, add your fields to the bottom before the </Propertey Defs> closure section of Code. I expanded the size of the “pop-up” so that it was easier to see I also put in the proper line breaks for organizational purposes. You will also need to add them to each Result Type in the code but you can copy and paste once the first is changed. You can also add a PDF document as a Result Type in this section.

The Syntax for the Property Definitions is as follows:

<PropertyDef Name=”LetterType” DataType=”text” DisplayName=”Letter Type”/>

Make the Display name exactly as it appears in the list to avoid confusion, make the PropertyDef Name what you put in the MetaData Properties section of Central Admin and make the Data Type match that of the MetaData Property in Central Admin.

Figure 9 Property Definitions

The Syntax for the Result Type Section is as follows:

<PropertyRef Name=”LetterType” />

This PropertyRef Name will equal the MetaData Property name you entered in Central Admin

REMEMBER TO COPY THIS FOR ALL RESULT TYPES

Figure 10 Result Types

Add it to your Sites

Once this is finished go to Site Settings> All Site Settings> Go To Top Level Site Settings> Search Settings

Once there select Use Custom Scopes radio button and enter your advanced Search Page URL into the box. Click “OK” and the Advanced Search Link will be next to all Search Boxes on your site.

Figure 11 Add the Link

Figure 12 Advanced Search

Test Results show that the Custom Fields do in fact show results after these changes were made.

Please let me know if there are any issues.

ODC Files in Excel

The below is a step by step ODC creation guide with Screen Captures. If there are any questions please contact the Author of this Document. This example is Oracle DB related.

After Opening Excel 2007, click the Data Tab on the Ribbon:

Figure 1 Data Tab

Once the data tab has been opened click on the “From other Sources” button:

Figure 2 From Other Sources

Select the Data Connection Wizard which opens a wizard for connecting to the data sources not listed to the right of the “From Other Sources” button or on the Other Data Sources Drop down menu.

Figure 3 From Other Sources Wizard selection

Select the Microsoft Oracle Connection property and click next:

Fill in the necessary information including the server name and the Oracle log-in information. NOTE Windows Authentication is not possible when connecting to Oracle.

Figure 4 Server Name and Login information

Since we will be specifying our own SQL Query table selection input, uncheck Connect to a Specific Table and click next:

Figure 5 Do Not Connect to a Specific Table

Setting the Connection Properties is next ensure Always use this file to refresh data (Blue), add your SSO ID to the Authentication Settings (Yellow) and Check Save Password in File (Green), you may also change the name of the file and its Friendly name (Red).

Figure 6 Connection Properties

Figure 7 Authentication Settings

Click Finish and Select the type of Table you would like to build:

Figure 8 Insert Pivot Table

Once the Pivot Table is created go back to the data tab and click Connections button:

Figure 9 Connections

Click Properties:

Check the properties for Refresh (Enable background Refresh amd Refresh every 60 Minutes) under the Usage Tab:

Figure 10 Refresh Settings

Then click the Definition Tab (Blue) and select the following options (Always Use connection File, Save Password, Enter your SQL Query, Check to ensure your SSO ID is set in Authentication Settings)

Figure 11 Definition Settings

Then Click Export and Browse to the Data Connection Library you will be storing the Connections in:

Figure 12 Export the Connection File

Now Close Excel and Reopen it, we will now select the newly saved ODC file from SharePoint and re-create our Pivot Table. For whatever reason through the Wizard, the connection properties do not save properly.

Click Data Tab and Connections:

Figure 13 Connections

Click Add

Figure 14 Add

Click Browse for More

Figure 15 Browse

Select the appropriate Connection File:

Figure 16 Select Connection

Once the connection is selected go back to the Data Tab and click Existing Connections, the click on the Connection and select your Table display of choice. NOTE: Pivot Tables and Charts work in Excel Services, DATA TABLES DO NOT.

Select Existing Connections

Figure 17 Existing

Select the Active Connection (The one you just pulled from SharePoint)

Figure 18 Active Connection

Then select the table function you wish to display.

Figure 19 Pivot Table

Configure your Pivot Table.

The requirement has come to fruition to see the elapsed time from the “Modified Date” to “Now” on a reports document library. This is not possible in a calculated value unfortunately do to [Today] and [Me] values being consumed in a calculated value are considered “Volatile” by SharePoint out of the box. These use the core MOSS/WSS functions and since the list is 100% dynamic it doesn’t pull session or current state information before loading the list on page load. Every possible solution was attempted prior to using this custom solution. Although this is all “client side” customization all methods of using out of the box methods were tried prior to this solutions development, the downfall being that even when [Today] was able to be used in a calculated value it did not record the time, only the current date.

Required Items

This solution involves slight modification of Meta Data through a simple SharePoint Designer workflow, a short JavaScript function, and the creation of a “Last Updated” field that is a Date and Time field. Below are step by step instructions with screen shots of how to properly customize any List or Document Library to use this functionality. SharePoint Designer, .NET Frame Work 3.5, and WSS 3.0 are required to implement this solution.

Elapsed Time

Create or open an existing document library and go to settings.

Figure 1 Document Library Settings

Click Create Column

Figure 2 Create Column

Name the Column “Last Updated” (Red) and make it a Date & Time column (Blue)

Figure 3 Configure Column

Click Save, and go back to the Document Library page. Click Site Actions, and Edit Page.

Figure 4 Edit Page

Click Add a Web Part and select a Content Editor Web Part and click add.

Figure 5 Add a Web Part

Figure 6 Content Editor Web Part

Select Edit on the Content Editor Web Part and select Modified Shared Web Part

Figure 7 Modify Web Part

Select source editor and copy the following into the source box and click save.

I used the below code from this website: http://www.endusersharepoint.com/2009/01/23/jquery-for-everyone-replacing-today/

Source:

<script src=”http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.2.6/jquery.min.js” type=”text/javascript”></script>

<script type=”text/javascript”>

$(function() {

var str = “Last Updated”; //change this based on col header

var today = new Date();

today = Date.parse(today)/1000;

var a=0;

var headers = $(“table.ms-listviewtable:first> tbody> tr:first th”).get();

$.each(headers, function(i,e){

x = $(e).contents().find(“a[title*='"+str+"']“).length;

a = x > 0 && i > a ? i : a;

});

var dArray = $(“table.ms-listviewtable:first> tbody> tr:gt(0)”).find(“>td:eq(“+a+”)”).get()

$.each(dArray, function(i,e){       �

var d1 = Date.parse($(e).text())/1000;

var dd = (today-d1)/86400;

var dh = (dd-Math.floor(dd))*24;

var dm = (dh-Math.floor(dh))*60;

var time = ((Math.floor(dd) > 0 ? Math.floor(dd) +” days, ” : “”)+

(Math.floor(dh) > 0 ? Math.floor(dh)+” hrs, ” : “”)+

(Math.floor(dm)+” min”));

$(e).text(time);

});

});

</script>

Figure 8 Source Editor Selection

Figure 9 Source Editor Input

Open the page in SharePoint Designer and create a new workflow file.

Figure 10 Create a Workflow

Name the workflow as “SetLUAsModified” select the list to attach as the document library you are using and select on create and on edit as when the workflow will run.

Figure 11 Set Last Updated Time

Click next and now create your Action, we are setting the last updated field to equal modified. Go to the Actions Drop down and select set field in current item (Red), then set value 1 as “Last Updated” and Value 2 as “Current Item” “Modified” (Blue)

Figure 12 Set Field

Figure 13 Set Last Updated

Figure 14 Set Modified

Save the Workflow and go back to the site, add a document to the library or edit an existing document and the “Last Updated” field will change to 0 minutes.

Figure 15 Test Results

The Document Library drives this Workflow not the List.

As seen in the previous blog, Step 1 is the ChangeTitle step and this copies the File Name into the Title Column, the rationale was to maintain unique file names but keep the documents grouped by non-unique Titles.

Step 2 is new and it is the “CreateListItem” step.  This creates the item in the list if it not already there.  Validating that it is not there maintains only one record in the List while allowing for multiple records in the Library.  I validate it off of the current item (Document) title but it ensures that there is no such record in the List which maintains an accurate “Version” count.  Once this validation has completed the list Item is completed, if there is already an item with like Title in the list it skips to Step 3 which sets the Version count.  The Item is created the Title is copied from the Current Item (Document) and the Version Count is set to 0.  Please see the Screen Shots Below for “CreateListItem” Step.

Step 3 adds 1 to the current version # in the List.  If this is a new document it becomes Version 1, if it is an old document it is version x + 1.  We will use this field to create a variable to add to our New Calculated value we are calling this step “SetCount” and it updates the lists count and stores a “calc” variable.  The calc variable set in step three will enable the “Versioning” as seen in Step 4.  Please see the Screen Shots Below.

Step 4 has been modified slightly, as before the pause was to give time for the File Name to enter into the calculated value, since this step actually places the “Count” Value into the Item and Calculated Values pull from the Item itself the pause has been moved to below the input of the calc variable into the “Count” field on the current item.  The pause allows for the calculated value NameCount to wait for the Count variable to be added which takes about 30 seconds, however 1 minute is the shortest pause possible in SharePoint Designer.  Please see the screen shot below:

There will be a third post regarding this effort as far as adding the JavaScript mouse over tool tips for the groups by title in the default view.

I have recently had a requirement to Version reports while keeping them visible in a library without having to restore the version.  It also allows for grouping by like titles of reports, so that the title is not unique however, the file name or Name field is.

Initially, a Calculated Value Field called “NameDate” will need to be created.  The function for this field is:

=UPPER[Title]&”-“&TEXT([Created], “mmm-dd-yyyy”), This function will set the NameDate field to this syntax: TEST-OCT-22-2009

Next, a workflow will need to be created in SharePoint Designer Called “ChangeFieldName”

This Workflow will need to be associated to the correct Document Library and set to start when item is created.

The First Step of this workflow will copy the name of the file to the Title Field.  The reason for this is twofold: organization and to set the file name properly in the next step of the workflow.

This step is called “ChangeTitle” and will use the Check-Out, Set Field in Current Item, and Check-In Functions:

• Check out Current Item
• Set Field Title to Name, if you use name in forms, it will add the file extension,
• Check in Current with Comment UPDATE-Title.

Please see the first screen shot below (Click on image to expand):

The Second Step to the Workflow is called “ChangeName”, and it changes the file name to whatever is in the “NameDate” field.  The functions used in this step are Pause for Duration, Check-Out, Update field in current, and Check-In.

We are pausing for 1 minute.  This gives the Calculated Value time to catch up to the workflow to ensure that the title is not left out of the NameDate field, since the title is being copied from the name field in Step 1 of this workflow.

• Check-Out Current Item
• Set Name Field to Current Item NameDate
• Check-In Current Item with comment UPDATE-Name

Please see Screen Shot Below (Click on image to expand):

Finally, I created a View that groups by the Document Title so that all like “Versions” are grouped together making it easy to find the report type that the end user currently wants to look at.

• Group by Title Descending

See the Final Screen Shot (Click on image to expand):

Virtual PC VM’s are finicky at best. It is all of our responsibility to properly protect against loss of work and data on Virtual PC VM’s by taking the proper precautions to protect Data and Work done. VM’s can be version controlled in Virtual PC by enabling the Undo Disks functionality built into Virtual PC. This Undo Disks is automatically DISABLED when a virtual PC instance is created. This requires you to go into settings prior to start up and check the enable box in the right panel:

It really is that easy

This will give you the option will give you the ability to either Save the VM or Undo Changes made in a session, this will allow you to revert back one version.

The other way to save from work and data loss is to save your work off of the VM and Copy and save VHD files outside of the directory that they are using. This will allow you to add this Hard Drive as the primary in case of a failure of the Drive you are developing on.

I think the best practice is to:

Enable Undo Disks, and Save your VHD files after really large pieces of development