Archive for share
Configuring Custom Fields in SharePoint Advanced Search
Posted by: | CommentsIntroduction
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
ODC Creation in Excel 2007
Posted by: | CommentsODC creation is a valuable tool in Excel. It is a function that is wizard based and has some extensible features such as inputting SQL Query’s to get specific data sets within the Database. This document will explain how to properly create and store ODC files to build Excel Pivot Tables and Charts against Data Sets.
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
Show Elapsed Modified Time in a Document Library
Posted by: | CommentsIntroduction
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
“Versioning” Update
Posted by: | CommentsSo the customer came back with a change to the “Versioning” request which was instead of Displaying the date to display the “Version” count. This has lead me down an interesting change of the workflow which included the addition of a List to hold the version count as well as a calculation in the work flow which is no a couple of steps longer. The “ChangeTitle” step was not changed at all however the “ChangeName” field was changed due to the numbering system rather than the date. I also had to change the NameDate Field to be the NameCount Field which changes the file name to “%FileName%-%Version #%.” The custom list for the version number is also going to be used to assist fellow MSS employee Chris Lincoln in creating a JavaScript Mouse over in the Document Library showing the Description of each grouping or reports by title, which in itself will be a pretty cool blog entry for next week! Please see my previous blog post here to get the background of this issue/resolution.
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.
