Written by: Lee Kohn
On a project I’ve just recently started I was tasked to create some SharePoint web services which would serve up data stored in lists. Having learned recently about a new tool for SharePoint 2010 called Linq to SharePoint I decided I would give it a try rather than taking my normal approach of using CAML …
Written by: Jennifer Hersko
While working on a client project I had a request to rollup all calendar items across a single site collection on the home page of the root site. After reviewing several blogs describing how to create a cross list data view web part (dvwp) I was able to successfully create a solution per the client …
Written by: Jennifer Hersko
Anyone who has ever worked with SharePoint knows that creating filters on date values is not as straight forward as one would expect. This example explains how to compile employee birthdays in a custom list that automatically displays only the current month’s birthdays. With a few calculated columns, a data view, and minor XSLT this is easy to …
Written by: Johnny Bouder
This blog post will outline the steps required to upgrade a SharePoint 2007 Visual Studio Project to a SharePoint 2010 Visual Studio Project using the VSeWSS Import Tool for Visual Studio 2010 (http://archive.msdn.microsoft.com/VSeWSSImport). The tool is kind of old at this point, but it is still very useful and I haven’t found a better tool.
This post will be helpful to you if you have created custom SharePoint 2007 solutions using the VSeWSS Visual Studio extensions. The tool above can be used to easily upgrade these projects to SharePoint 2010 projects. This post should be especially useful if you are upgrading existing SharePoint 2007 sites to SharePoint 2010 that already have these Web Parts added and you would like the ability to add additional modifications to these projects.
Installing the VSeWSS Import Tool
The VSeWSS tool is actually provided as a Visual Studio Project, which needs to be compiled in order to build the executable to install the tool into Visual Studio. One other thing to note is that in order to open the solution in Visual Studio 2010, you need to install the Visual Studio 2010 SDK (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=47305cf4-2bea-43c0-91cd-1b853602dcc5&displaylang=en). Why this isn’t included in Visual Studio by default is beyond me. Or why it is not mentioned in the VSeWSS Import Tool installation instruction is also beyond me.
So basically, install the SDK, and then follow the instructions to install the new project type.
Importing Your Projects
To get started you want to copy any old Visual Studio project directories over to computer where you will be writing your Visual Studio 2010 solutions.
Once you have your old projects ready and have everything installed go ahead and fire up Visual Studio 2010. Click New Project and you will now have a new project template called Import VSeVSS Project (if the installation went well). See below:
Written by: Chris Lincoln
Site Columns and Site Content Types are a great feature of SharePoint. They’re easy to create/modify and provide granular configuration capabilities. It’s commonly known that the Title Site Column can’t be removed from Site Content Types (or List Content Types, for that matter); it’s attached to the Item Base Content Type, after all.
But did you know that there are many Site Columns that can’t be removed from Site or List Content Types?
But did you know that there are many Site Columns that can’t be removed from Site or List Content Types?
Written by: Chris Lincoln
Do you have a customized SharePoint page that uses the query string variable “ID” to identify a List Item by its ID value? Did SharePoint throw an error that “no item exists at” that location? Are you certain it exists?
If you answered “yes” to each of the above questions, switch your query string variable name from “ID” to something -anything- else.
SharePoint 2010 apparently reserves “ID” for peculiar usage and therefore cannot be used as freely as with SharePoint 2007.
Written by: Chris Lincoln
By default, SharePoint 2007 creates a new column within a List when an attached workflow is started for the first time. The displayed column value is a verbose workflow status (e.g. “In Progress”, “Error Occurred”, etc.). However, if List Items are retrieved from a List View containing such a “workflow column” using the Lists Web Service, the returned values of any workflow columns are not verbose. In fact, they’re the opposite…
Written by: Johnny Bouder
For all of you out there that have not yet been allowed the opportunity to dig into the vastness that is SharePoint 2010 and have become bored with SharePoint 2007, I just might have something new for you to play with. That’s right…PowerShell! My new addiction…
Note that before getting started, you should have a good working knowledge of the SharePoint Object Model.
Step 1: Get started
PowerShell by default comes with Windows Server 2008, however it doesn’t come with Windows Server 2003 and my guess is that if you’re still running SharePoint 2007 you’re probably still running Server 2003. If you are among this group, all you need to do is install the hotfix (KB926139) on one of your web servers. If you’re running Server 2008, you’re ready to go.
Step 2: Get excited!
So without getting too deeply into the nuts and bolts of PowerShell, what you need to know is that it gives you a command line interface, which provides the added ability of leveraging compiled code without actually compiling any of your own code. How could anyone not be excited about that?
And given the richness of the SharePoint object model, you are basically given unlimited potential for managing your SharePoint applications…
Written by: Lee Kohn
If you ever have had the need to create your own pagination for SharePoint 2010 lists/views you will undoubtedly have run into a class called SPListItemCollectionPosition which is supposed to handle going forwards and backwards in the paging. Unfortunately as of this post the documentation on this little gem is non-existent. So after doing some googling and experimentation …
Written by: Monica Huie
When I started working here at MetroStar Systems, approximately 8 months ago, one of the very first things I remember being told was, “No Idea is a bad idea”…and I have learned that mantra definitely holds true. It’s great to be in an environment where no matter how off the wall your idea may be, it’s always taken into consideration, provided feedback and sometimes given the green light to make it happen. While most of the daily work hours are spent getting things done for clients, many of our developers and engineers spend their after-hours coming up with tools and solutions to help enhance and improve internal processes. As all these great ideas floated around, it was only a matter of time, something was created to house them…thus, StarLabs was born.
StarLabs is where our engineers and artists collaborate and share innovative projects. It allows those unfamiliar with MetroStar Systems to learn more about the behind the scene things we do and the people who bring them to life.
One of the current projects we feature on StarLabs is Visualize It, which provides a rich user experience for navigating and exploring SharePoint Libraries. It is a powerful solution for not only finding data but also discovering data. An example of how Visualize It works can be found on this blog! See the top of the page, the little guy holding the “Visual Search” banner. Click on it and type in a keyword like “SharePoint” and watch Visualize It in action.
Currently, Visualize It, is available for free download. System administrators can download it and implement it to their SharePoint Portals. If you test it out, please let us know your feedback!
Learn more about StarLabs and the different projects we are working on by visiting http://labs.metrostarsystems.com