Archive for SharePoint WorkFlow
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.
Add Navigation Buttons to Your SharePoint Site (Without SharePoint Designer!)
Posted by: | CommentsOk… so you’ve done it, you’ve dared to click the ‘Add Web Part’ button and have ‘ooohhed’ and ‘ahhhed’ at the enormous list of available Web Parts. 
Of course, each Web Part provides its own special function that can lend support to how content is displayed on your site. Through trial and error I have spent time learning functionality of available Web Parts. Over time– and with some creative application 
–I have also learned alternate uses to some of the commonly used ones. Probably my favorite, or at least the one I use most often, is the Content Editor Web Part (CEWP). I use this Web Part for a variety of different things such as for the creation of site banners and as a broadcast tool, which I’ll write about in my next blog. I also use the CEWP to create navigational buttons:
Buttons Example
Buttons are another way we can provide intuitive navigation for our site users.
Situations where use of buttons may be appropriate:
- To provide easy access to other related SharePoint sites (that may be several clicks away). For example, when implementing sites, you may choose to add a help button that links to a Technical FAQ Wiki.
- To provide navigation in a Web Part Page (WPP). Unless we access the code and ‘unblock’ the Quick Launch bar we don’t get that navigational tool in a Web Part Page. Using breadcrumbs to navigate out of a WPP can also be confusing to novice SharePoint users, because the breadcrumbs (of course) map to the library holding this file. Because of this, whenever I create a WPP I like to give users a ‘home’ button to give them easy access back to where they came from.
- To provide links into specific list and library views. Remember when you change views in a list or library, the URL also changes. You can use that path to provide users a link directly to a filtered view– for example, to provide a view of items that have been recently added –or to provide direct access a new list item form.
- To provide access to an external site or a network directory. If you have an address for it, you can link to it (it doesn’t have to be another SharePoint site).
The point is to provide your site users with navigation that is intuitive and easy to use. Buttons certainly fit the bill on both criteria. Ok, have I sparked your interest yet? The below steps will demonstrate how you use a CEWP to add a button to your page:
*Note: To create a button using the CEWP, you’ll need to begin by uploading the graphic you want to use as a button, to a SharePoint library. The steps below assume that you have already taken this action. * A friendly reminder, make sure those accessing the site displaying the button, have at least ‘read’ access to the image file.
To create a button using a CEWP:
1. On the site where you wish to add the button, click Site Actions then Edit Page.
2. Click Add a Web Part.
3. Select and add a Content Editor Web Part (displayed under the Miscellaneous category).
4. To configure your new Web Part, click on the Edit drop-down and select the option Modify Shared Web Part.
5. In the Properties box (displayed on the right hand side of your screen), click on the Rich Text Editor button.
6. In the HTML Editor box that appears, click the Insert Image icon.
7. In the Edit Image Properties window enter the path to the image, or use the browse button to navigate to, select, and add the image.
8. In the HTML Editor window, click the image (that you just added to your CEWP) to select it.
9. Use the Insert Hyperlink icon in the toolbar to map a destination path.
10. Either browse to a location within your site collection, or type (or paste) in a path.
11. Click OK to accept the path.
12. Click OK again to exit the HTML Editor window.
13. Turn off the chrome (you probably don’t want a title for your button), by expanding the Appearance section of the Web Part Properties box, and change Chrome Type to None.
14. Click OK at the bottom of the Web Part Properties box.
15. Click Exit Edit Mode.
You now have a new button- Congratulations!
Happy ‘SharePointing’
Building a Workflow in SP Designer Around CorasWorks rPrograms
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome, I met with someone who said I should get a little more technical in my blog so based on that advice I am creating this post. I have a customer who purchased rPrograms, a CorasWorks application that sits on top of SharePoint as well as the CorasWorks Workplace suite. The customer has an existing version of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) Enterprise edition with the Architecture Below:
This architecture is not the Microsoft recommended architecture but for the number of users they are dealing with and the scalability of MOSS they will be okay. Our requirements are to have a List where our users have the ability to view and create but not edit. SharePoint designer users the system account in Workflows but uses the permissions of the user creating and editing the item. The biggest issue here is if users outside of group A can create ad get assigned to things in this list they cannot edit these items. The challenge encountered with CorasWorks is it doesn’t like setting actions with lookup fields. I have worked around both of these issues with a simple SharePoint Designer workflow.
Below is a step by step picture of the workflow:
Name your workflow and select the list with the permissions set on it. Select on create and update.
Eliminate the CorasWorks issue by creating a drop down choice list column and filling it with your lookup list data. From there select the condition to take the data selected in your drop down. Then create your action to insert the path of the item from your lookup list into the lookup field. See below for setting that up:
Select the lookup list in source then select Path as the field. This sets the path as the inserted data, then to find the list item select the title, which is the same as the Drop Down menu, and find it by the selection of the current item’s Drop Down Value. This then fins the Title as text based in your drop down and inserts the SharePoint path (link) into the lookup field. After you have set this step for the CorasWorks work around, go onto to notifying your list members with edit rights.
Get the text for your email from the customer; you can add links and other lookups to the body. The group selected has “contribute” rights to the site and have editing duties.
I have created a second list in SharePoint in order to capture the assignee’s comments since they may or may not have edit rights on the original list. Here we are going to create a grab comments step that will allow this list to grab comments from another list. Now first we need to create an item on the assignee list as done below:
In the Condition I ensure that it will not duplicate entries on edit by setting it not to create one if the title already appears on the list. I then tell it to create an item on the full and open permissions list.
I set a 5 minute pause then an update, I also add a 1 day pause and update, and finally a 4 day pause and update. This will ensure near real time updates from the Comments list to the current list. Everytime it edits, even if by a workflow, it will restart the workflow enabling it to grab comments.
I am also setting the open status when the Assigned to field is not empty, as well as sending a completion notification to the creator. I have successfully worked around my issues of CorasWorks limitations as well as SharePoint Designer Workflow limitations.
