Furuknaps SharePoint corner

SharePoint Designer 2010: Workflow Features

2009-07-14T21:02:00.001+02:00

I am sure you all saw the really fancy sneak peek of SharePoint 2010 yesterday. I thought that since most people now have seen the stuff, I can post some more info about what’s coming.

Let start with what you likely know already.

Now, the first thing I am going to mention is that SharePoint Designer 2010 will now support re-useable workflows. But you knew that, so not much news. You can create a workflow and then attach it to different lists.

Of course, the Workflow Designer itself will improve, and offer a more visually intuitive interface. I haven’t seen the designer myself, but I suspect that you will have a workflow designer integrated into SPD more like a page editor is today, as opposed to the dialog box wizard of SPD 2007. In any case, you’ll be able to add steps, branches, if/else conditions, etc. If Microsoft wants to mimic a really good and intuitive interface, they will make something like the Nintex Workflow Designer.

If you want to learn how intuitive the Nintex Workflow Designer is, pick up the free Using Nintex Workflow 2007 issue of Understanding SharePoint Journal.

Let’s move on to what I have learned but haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere.

Since we were talking about re-usable workflows… Well, actually, I was talking, or more correct writing, and you were reading… Anyway, on the topic of reusable workflows, you can now also create workflows that are made available for later attachment from the web interface. This is how workflows are made in Visual Studio; you create the workflow, deploy it to the site, and then, when the need arises, you attach it to any list from the web interface. This hasn’t been possible in SPD before, but if all features remain intact, it will be possible in SPD 2010 workflows.

Another massive improvement in SharePoint Designer 2010, is that SPD will support attaching workflows to content types, not just lists. Content types is by far the coolest thing in SharePoint, but a serious lack in functionality is the ability to attach SPD workflows to specific content types. That’s all about to change.

If you want to learn just how cool content types are, pick up issue 2 of USPJ, titled Developing SharePoint Content Types.

What you might not know, however, is that SPD 2010 will support workflow templates. Much like other workflow tools, like Nintex and K2, you can now create workflow templates for use at a later time. I don’t know too much about the details except that it will be possible.

Another topic I don’t really know much about, is the ability to import and export workflows from Visio. You may know that, like Excel got with its Excel Services, Visio now gets a service as well, the Visio Services. Thank heavens for creative naming. However, I do not know at this time if the workflow interaction will be part of the Visio Services, but I do know that you can both import SharePoint Designer workflows from Visio and export SharePoint Designer workflows to Visio.

If you have worked with K2 before, you may have heard about the concept of outcomes. Basically, rather than having simple approve/reject outcomes from a task, a task can have any number of outcomes, such as approve/reject/get second opinion/fire that bastard. From what I can tell, SharePoint Designer workflows will also support multiple and custom outcomes from a single task.

Now, I do have a surprise for you if you haven’t worked with K2 before, and you will want to sign up to the USPJ mailing list to learn more.

I’m starting to sound like a commercial for myself. I’ll stop now.

Ooh, and one more thing. SharePoint Designer workflows will now have the ability to impersonate another user in selected steps. This allows workflow designers to temporarily raise permissions in order to access functionality beyond the scope of a limited user, much like developers have been able to do in code for years. Not sure if one is able to impersonate a specific user, though, I’m not sure how they would solve the security issue of storing and maintaining passwords.

As always, everything I say here is a blatant lie, and I have likely gotten this information from highly illegal sources, meaning you should shun the information here. In fact, your best course of action is to burn this page and never think of it again.

SharePoint 2010 Sneak Peek: About bl**dy time!

2009-07-14T03:03:00.001+02:00

I am certain you have been waiting as much as I have on the ‘real soon now’ availability of SharePoint 2010 and WSS4.

Keep yer pants on, hotshot, it will still be a while, and to make sure we suffer as much as possible, Microsoft has now released a set of sneak peek videos to show off some of the new features.

http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/2010/Sneak_Peek/Pages/default.aspx

Now, I love SharePoint as much as the next person, but from what I can see here, I have one question for Microsoft: You kept us waiting three years for _that_?

I mean, come one, you’re not exactly creating a rounder wheel here, you’re adding bits and pieces on top of WSS3. I don’t see any new list templates, any new ‘wow’ stuff like content types and features were in WSS3. The artist formerly known as BDC, namely Business Connectivity Services (BCS) will be MOSS-equivalent in terms of availability (meaning you can still keep those pants on).

Sure, the supporting tools like Visual Studio 2010 seems impressive, but if we’ve learned anything from version 3 of SharePoint, it is that the amount of developer tools that improves on the Microsoft way would certainly go far beyond what Microsoft develops themselves. SharePoint Designer 2010 looks… new. But then again, I knew that. It’s still just an add-on, though. It’s not SharePoint, any more than a gas station is a car.

So, while the preview is nice, and it’s good to finally see some updates, I’m still far from certain why we have been kept waiting for, well, about three decades since the last release.

Anyway, feel free to head over to the SharePoint 2010 Sneak Peek page, and make up your own mind. I just sound like a grumpy old fart.

http://sharepoint.microsoft.com/2010/Sneak_Peek/Pages/default.aspx

Issue 5 released

2009-07-08T21:03:00.001+02:00

Yeah, I’ve been quite for a while, but now you may realize why. I’ve been up to my ears working on issue 5 of USPJ, the Beginning SharePoint Development issue.

If you are an aspiring developer or want to use your existing experience in SharePoint, you’ll want to check out this issue.

The issue covers the following aspects of SharePoint development:

Creating the development environment
Overview of SharePoint from a developer’s perspective
SharePoint development core concepts
Data development in SharePoint
Event handlers and workflows in SharePoint
SharePoint web part development
Development of visual elements

…and of course a ton of other material as well. After all, I had to fill 128 pages and over three hours of video, and I couldn’t spend all that time talking about myself.

Well, what are you waiting for?

Beginning SharePoint Development

SharePoint Governance from the Gurus

2009-07-02T11:19:00.001+02:00

I just heard this from my friend Paul Culmsee: Paul and some of the other SharePoint governance gurus will be holding a three-day workshop just prior to the SharePoint Best Practices conference in Washington.

Now, I’ve known Paul for quite some time, in fact, it was his excellent series on master pages in SharePoint that inspired me to start writing SharePoint stuff online. what I particularly like about his writing is the way he manages to clearly convey complex messages in easy to understand language. Anyone who ever wrote anything aimed at teaching someone something will know that such a style demands an incredible understanding of the subject matter. Any writer should aspire to reach his level of skill and ability to explain a topic.

I have no doubt in my mind that his SharePoint governance workshop will have the same clarity and that anyone attending will gain immense value. And that would just be if Paul did this by himself.

But wait, there’s more!

Paul will be accompanied by three other masterminds as well, namely Dux Raymond Sy, Andrew Woodward, and Ruven Gotz. So, for the price of one guru, you actually get four. If you’re attending the SharePoint Best Practices conference, you’ll even get a discount, but you can read all about that on Paul’s introduction to their SharePoint Governance Mentoring workshop.

Sadly, I wont be able to be there myself, but I hope to get the chance at a later point.

YouTube Video Series Posted

2009-06-11T16:36:00.001+02:00

As you’ll know if you follow my blog, I just announced that the next issue of Understanding SharePoint Journal will deal with beginning SharePoint development. You may also know that I have posted several videos on YouTube from that issue.

The video series is now complete and I just posted a final bonus video on how to recover a completely crashed SharePoint development environment, when even uninstall fails.

You can see the entire series on the USP Journal YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/uspjournal

Beginning SharePoint Development Video Part 1 Posted

2009-06-08T12:32:00.001+02:00

So, in preparation for the next issue of Understanding SharePoint Journal, titled “Beginning SharePoint Development”, I have uploaded the first in a series of videos that will be part of the issue.

The first video deals with IIS setup as a preparation for installing SharePoint on a lab server. I’ll also show you how to set up ASP.NET so it is recognized by IIS as a web services extension.

Oh, and it’s available as HD as well. Had to try it, and so should you :-)

Sadly, the next video, covering installation of SharePoint itself, spans more than 12 minutes, so no YouTube preview. If you have suggestions for free and simple video hosting that can do more than 10:59 minutes and doesn’t spam me to death, let me know, and I’ll post the next video there.

BTW, you can see the preliminary outline in my earlier post, titled Beginning SharePoint Development in Next USPJ Issue – What Are Your Concerns?

Pocket Projector? I Got to Get Me One of These!

2009-06-06T19:11:00.001+02:00

A friend just notified me about, well, something so not SharePoint-related as it can get, but still so cool that I just had to mention it. It’s the AITEK PocketCinema V10Plus Portable Projector with Media Recorder.

It’s a projector, no larger than my cell phone. Well, slightly larger, but still less than 5 inches, which would be just under 13 cm for those who use a proper system of measurement. Yeah, it’s still just 640x480, but it beats the crap out of looking at an iPod screen, and it seems incredibly useful for ad-hoc product demos or coffee-shop meetings.

I have one of these LED projector things already, and it’s quite small as well, but nothing as small as this.

And it’s less than $400! Sadly, Amazon doesn’t ship items like this to Norway, so I guess I’ll have to hope that some nice US citizen will agree to take it with them when they come to visit.

Please? I’ll buy you beer if you do.

Beginning SharePoint Development in Next USPJ Issue – What Are Your Concerns?

2009-06-05T18:29:00.001+02:00

Time to look ahead, or perhaps even take a step back. A lot of readers have asked about where to start out if they want to be SharePoint developers. In fact, I even had to include a section on this in the BSUX book. Sadly, the audience for that book is not beginners at all, and the room I could make for answering that question there was rather limited.

So, instead, I’ll write a USP Journal issue on the topic, titled “Beginning SharePoint Development”. that issue is already underway, but to make sure I answer as many questions as possible, I’ll ask you what you want to learn.

The outline so far is as such, with chapter titles in bold, and a short description of the sections below:

Overview of SP Dev experience
* Ready, steady, go!
Getting you and your environment ready

* SharePoint as Birds See it
A visual walkthrough of the interface of SharePoint

* The Structure of SharePoint
A deeper dive into the SharePoint architecture

* SharePoint Development Scenarios
Practical examples of SharePoint development projects

Core concepts
* The straw that brought the CAML back
Understanding CAML and its role in SharePoint development

* SharePoint Object Model principals
Introducing the SharePoint Object Model and common patterns for OM work

* Featuring the framework
SharePoint feature framework explained

Data Development
* Site for sore eyes
Detailed perspective on creating sites

* Lists of lists
Understanding SharePoint list development

* A Content Developer
Content types and their use in Business Scenarios

* Custom columns and field types
Overview of custom columns and field types

Visual stuff
* Yes Master!
Master pages and application pages basics

* WebParting ways
Learn to develop WebParts the SharePoint way

* You Must Delegate Control
A Walkthrough of DelegateControls and how they can be used to interact with a page

* Custom Actions
Modify the SharePoint menu experience

Behavior
* Event Handlers
Catching events as they occur.

* SharePoint Workflows
Simple and quick solutions to basic workflow tasks

I’m not sure I’ll be able to cover all of these topics in a single issue, even if I focus on the introductory stuff, so this is why I need your feedback:

What is it you most want to learn about SharePoint development for beginners?

Leave a comment here or email me at furuknap<[at]>gmail.com. I’ll start the main push on Wednesday June 10, so feel free to leave feedback before then :-)

A Meta-Discussion on the SharePoint Designer 2010 Post

2009-06-03T21:42:00.001+02:00

I originally wanted to put this as a comment to my previous post on SharePoint Designer 2010, however, as should become apparent from this post, I would like to keep the meta discussion separate.

This was what I intended to respond to Mr. Sam Wilson who commented in the previous post in response to another post by MVP Bill Simser:

While I am fairly certain that Mr. Simser is well able to defend himself, I would like to point out that he is in fact correct about the piracy issue. Even though most people silently accepts piracy, probably including most of his friends, publicly declaring that one does so may be stupid.

There is a point to that as well, however, as within minutes of this post hitting the google #1 spot for "sharepoint designer 2010" people started complaining that I was disclosing NDA material, and that MSFT would have my NDA revoked for this and probably sue me.

However, as I then pointed out, I am not, nor will I ever be, under any NDA from Microsoft. I updated the post to reflect that rather than breaching any NDA I was, in fact, getting the bits from a plain old pirate site.

When I didn't disclose the piracy stuff, everyone attacked me for disclosing NDA material. When I disclosed the piracy stuff, everyone attacked me for piracy.

Not one of the 'insiders' have bothered mentioning the content of the story, namely that SP 2010 is a requirement for a product that goes into preview in a couple of weeks.

So, Mr. Simser may very well be correct about his complaints. He can compare me to a car thief until the cows have come home, go out again, develop intelligence, and start a rebellion against people saying they are so slow at coming home.

What he does, however, is diverting attention of the point of the post, namely that it is likely that the code shipped to closed beta later this summer includes SharePoint 2010.

So, if you want to complain about the post, feel free to do so. You should also feel free to call me names, compare me to known criminals, mention my mother in foul language, or do whatever you feel is necessary to blow off you steam. However, I would appreciate it if you do that here so that we can maintain the topical discussion in the other post.

In the meantime, know that I really do appreciate both flame and praise alike, and I am thankful for your comment feedback.

Thanks!

Nintex Workflow Review on SharePoint Magazine

2009-06-03T18:15:00.001+02:00

Arno over at SharePoint Magazine just posted my new review of Nintex Workflow 2007. If you have even the slightest bit of interest in workflow, especially the non-code type, you should check that out.

Now, before you do, keep this in mind: I have been sponsored by Nintex to write the most recent USP Journal special issue. I’m making this very clear in the review, so you should apply at least a modest amount of skepticism to what I say there. I’m trying to be as unbiased as I can, and I am not keeping my mouth shut about anything I don’t like, but still, as long as there is money involved, you should be aware.

Check out the Nintex Workflow review and let me know what you think.

There are also instructions there for how you can get the free Nintex Workflow issue of USP Journal :-)

SharePoint Designer 2010: Preview? What Preview?

2009-06-01T14:25:00.001+02:00

UPDATE: I am not under any kind of NDA with Microsoft. The bits I got here were downloaded from an honest-to-god pirate site. My intention with posting this is to save you from having to do the same.

I’ve downloaded the unreleased technical preview (TP) of SharePoint Designer 2010. Yeah, I’m bad, I’m a real pirate, actually. I figure that if Microsoft is giving it away free, I might get away with it.

In any case, installing and everything went incredibly smooth, and the startup speed was impressive. I almost like the new interface right away, and that is really rare for someone who still thinks the interface change from NT3.51 to NT4 will still take some getting used to.

In any case, I whip up one of my lab environments and connect. No dice.

“Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer cannot be used to edit web sites on servers prior to Microsoft SharePoint Server 2009. To edit these sites, you need to use SharePoint Designer 2007.”

Of course, since a TP of SharePoint 2010 is not due until late in 2009, that sort of makes the whole point of a TP at this point, pointless. To make a point.

Now, I thought that at least I could just open a test HTML page, just to check how the editing experience was. Alas:

“You must first open a Web site before editing external Web pages.”

Nice, except it’s not.

Of course, any attempt at setting up a local IIS without SharePoint 2K10 fails just as miserably, as SPD 2010 will just complain that there is no SharePoint installation found.

So, here’s the big question. What is the point of having a preview of a product that cannot be used for months?

Beats me, but perhaps the beta users will also get a piece of the SP2010 to test. That is sort of the only thing, at this point, that I can imagine can even spark the slightest interest for SharePoint Designer 2010 TP.

You can see the program start, but you cannot use it for anything. And, of course, no help file yet either, or rather, the old SPD 2007 help file is still included.

Yes, I know, this is completely unsupported and I should only blame myself for looking a pre-release software, and the preview does not reflect the final product, etc. I just thought I’d save anyone else the time on trying this, though, as it plain won’t work.

Oh, yeah, if you would like to sue me for downloading this, Microsoft, email me at furuknap<[at]>gmail.com.

SharePoint Designer Workflow in a Nutshell

2009-06-01T00:16:00.001+02:00

Microsoft released SharePoint Designer as a free download on April 2, 2009. One of the most powerful features of SharePoint Designer is the ability for non-programmers to easily create business tailored workflows to improve their business process management.

So, What Is a Workflow Anyway?

Workflows are just what their name implies, flows of work. Think of any process where some set of actions are performed, such as buying an item in a store, taking a shower, filing a letter, or even dating someone special. All of these tasks are composed of tasks or states where some action or event is expected.

Let’s take a look at one of them, buying an item in a store.

When you buy an item, you need to do the following:

1. Find the correct item.
2. Take the item to the counter.
3. Receive the price from the attendant.
4. Decide between using cash or using a credit card.

If using cash:
5a.1 Give appropriate amount to the attendant.
5a.2 Receive any change.
5a.3 Verify change.
5a.4 Pocket change.

If using a credit card:
5b.1 Give credit card to the attendant.
5b.2 Receive receipt for signature.
5b.3 Verify amount.
5b.4 Sign receipt.
5b.5 Return receipt to the attendant.

6. Put pen in pocket.
7. Retrieve item, and run before the attendant notices the missing pen.

Don’t be fooled. This task may seem simple, but that’s only because we do it so often it has become routine. Several of these steps require an amount of substeps, and any failure will need to be handled according to some set of rules.

A workflow structures such processes into manageable chunks called activities. Each activity performs one or more small operations, such as verifying an amount or stealing a pen, and the workflow makes sure that everything is done in order and handles exceptions to the regular flow.

Workflows in SharePoint

SharePoint integrates tightly with Windows Workflow Foundation, or WF, and workflow is an integral part of SharePoint.

By default, the free version of SharePoint, Windows SharePoint Services, include only a single simple workflow, the Three-state workflow. The more advanced, and for-purchase version of SharePoint, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, include more workflows, such as Approval workflow, Collect Signatures workflow, and Disposition Approval workflow.

However, the true power of workflow in SharePoint comes from being able to design specific workflows that can adapt to and support an organization’s needs.

Businesses Needs Workflow

Most, if not all, businesses have business specific processes that will benefit from having at least some degree of automation. If nothing else, workflow enables organization to include auditing of business processes.

However, most businesses and organizations are also unique. Creating generic workflows that can be applied to many different organizations is difficult and not even desirable, because each organization works in different ways.

Not just that, but business processes change. Even if a business invests in custom developed workflow solutions, chances are, those solutions will require massive re-design frequently. Having a workflow solution that allows businesses to adapt their business processes as requirements change will greatly increase organization flexibility.

SharePoint Designer Workflow to the Rescue!

Perhaps the biggest advantage of developing workflows in SharePoint Designer is the ease of development. Most end users can create tailored workflows with just basic training. When business needs change, the same end users can adapt the workflows to support the changing needs.

A SharePoint Designer workflow workflow is an easy, cheap, and somewhat limited entry point to workflow development.

They’re easy, because most end users and administrators can become workflow developers without too much training.

They’re cheap, because both SPD and SharePoint are now free, and the learning curve is gentle.

They’re somewhat limited, because, despite workarounds and extensibility, SharePoint Designer workflows are designed for ease of development and lack several of the more powerful options available in other workflow design products.

Despite these limitations, however, SharePoint Designer remains a very powerful option for:

- Organizations without specialized workflow programmers

- Organizations with frequently changing needs

- Organizations with limited budgets or high return on investment requirements

Where can I Learn SharePoint Designer Workflow

If you, or your organization, want to explore the powers of SharePoint Designer workflow, you have several options.

For online training, EndUserSharePoint.com provides a free 5-part series of SharePoint Designer workflow videos. These videos will introduce you to developing SPD workflows, but also show some advanced features, such as looping and iterative SPD workflows.

Understanding SharePoint Journal also has several resources available on the newly launched website http://www.sharepointdesignerworkflow.com/, including Issue 4 of the journal, titled SharePoint Designer Workflow.

Besides these options, Microsoft also has several videos and tutorials available at their site. Woody Windischman has also recently released a book, titled Professional Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007 that includes a very good chapter on workflow as well.

SpotD reviews Building the SharePoint User Experience

2009-05-27T22:37:00.001+02:00

I’ll rest my case:

I told you SpotD was a dog for SharePoint…

Nuff said

SharePoint Designer Workflow in Issue 4 Out Now!

2009-05-26T17:04:00.001+02:00

For the last few weeks, I’ve spent more time in my office than outside, and ‘outside’ includes whatever time I have slept. The reason? Issue 4 of the Understanding SharePoint Journal is now out, and it' has been a massive undertaking.

I don’t know, I started out thinking I’d write small, simple instruction booklets to increase understanding of SharePoint, but so far, I’ve failed miserably. Perhaps not in the understanding part, but in the small and simple.

This time, I’ve made more than three hours of SharePoint Designer workflow screen casts and demonstrations to accompany the issue. The issue itself is 100 pages. The original idea was to keep each issue below 80 pages, but I’ve failed on that as well.

However, apparently not everyone thinks its all a failure, because sales have been fantastic so far. Even though, at this point, the issue has been out less than 24 hours, sales have already passed the old record for the entire launch week, and that’s not even taking into consideration that this issue launched on Memorial Day. The feedback also suggests that you enjoy this stuff, which is really the most important thing for me.

In any case, here’s a list of what you’ll get in this issue:

PDF of Understanding SharePoint Journal, issue 4
10 SharePoint Designer workflow videos from issue 4, total 1 hour and 25 minutes
5 web casts from a screencast series from EndUserSharePoint.com, total 1 hour and 28 minutes
All videos in both WMV and iPod-friendly MP4 format

Here’s the link where you can get the issue, and also see the entire web cast series online:

http://www.endusersharepoint.com/?p=1684

Enjoy!

What are SharePoint Content Types?

2009-05-16T06:09:00.001+02:00

One of the most powerful features of SharePoint version 3 is the introduction of content types. Not just are content types incredibly flexible, but they also allow a degree of control that far surpasses any other mechanism in SharePoint.

When I wrote issue 2 of Understanding SharePoint Journal, I assumed, perhaps wrongly so, that most people were familiar with the concept of SharePoint content types. I focused most of that issue on developing content types, but perhaps not enough time on explaining exactly what content types are.

So, I'm writing this relatively short overview. And I am saying relatively short, because any overview of content type must be vast, simply because of the span and importance of content types to any SharePoint solution.

SharePoint Content Types in five bullets:

1. SharePoint content types is a term used for describing a collection of metadata

For example, an invoice content type may contain a set of metadata such as buyer, date of sale, terms of delivery, order total, shipping cost, etc.

2. Content types support user interface customization

You can define the appearance of a content type, both while editing, creating, and displaying data based on the content type. For example, you may want to display or edit your invoices in a page resembling an actual invoice.

3. Content types support behavior through workflows and event receivers

Data derived from a content type can behave in a certain fashion or react to specific events. For example, an invoice may need approval from a manager, or you may want to prevent deletion of approved invoices altogether.

4. Content types can have specific user interface elements attached

Through the use of CustomAction elements, content types can have unique menu options attached to the user interface. For example, you may want to add a 'Pay now' menu option or button to an invoice, and only for an invoice.

5. SharePoint content types support inheritance of properties, appearance, and behavior

You can create content type hierarchies, for example by having a root accounting document content type that defines a set of metadata, user interface options, and behavioral settings, and have the invoice child content type inherit those settings and override or extend the definition to include the necessary modifications for an invoice.

If you think all of this sounds complex, don't worry. Content types are easy to use, and the complexity grows with your understanding.

How to Create Content Types

Creating content types is incredibly simple. You have access to the content types on the Site Settings page, accessible from the Site Actions menu. You can find the Site Content Type Gallery page by clicking the Site Content Types link in the Galleries section.

All content types inherit from an existing content type. The Site Content Type Gallery page gives you an overview of all available content types for your site and from which parent content type each content type inherits.

To create a new content type, click the Create button in the toolbar and type in a name and optional description for your new type. Then, select from which parent content type your new content type should inherit and choose or create a new display group or the type. Hit OK and you're done.

Once your new type is created, you can edit the settings for the content type, such as any new columns you want to add to your type, attach workflows to your content type, or change the name and description. You can also reach the content type configuration page from the Site Content Type Gallery, by clicking on the content type name in the list.

How to Use a Content Type

You need to attach your content type to a list or library in order to create items based on the content type. Generally, you can attach content types that inherit from the Document content type to a library and content types that inherit from the Item content type to most other lists.

To attach a content type to a list, go to the list settings of your chosen list and click the Advanced settings link on the Site Settings page. Click Yes in the section called "Allow management of content types?" and click OK. You will return to the Site Settings page and should now see a new section containing the content types. Click "Add from existing site content types", select your content type and click OK to add the content type.

You can now return to your list view and click the down-arrow on the New button to create a new item based on your content type. Note that any additional content type columns you added earlier will also be added to the list.

Some Questions about Content Types

Wait, this is too much, I prefer not to use content types. How can I avoid content types?

Your only choice to avoid using content types is not to use SharePoint. All data stored in SharePoint is stored using a content type. Even folders are content types. Therefore, you cannot simply choose to not use content types; you already are, if you are using SharePoint at all.

What do you mean? How can folders be content types?

The complete answer is beyond the scope of this short article, however, the fact that folders indeed are content types means you can also create new folder types and attach behavior and custom metadata to those folders. One example is to add a 'Zip Folder Contents' option to the folder menu.

Ok, you sold me, where can I learn more?

Mark Miller over at EndUserSharePoint.com has a beginner's guide to content types presentation available that will guide you through content types and show you some examples and best practices. EndUserSharePoint.com also has periodical workshop classes where you can learn even more about using content types. However, spaces in those classes are very limited, so I recommend you sign up for his newsletter to be notified whenever a new class is announced.

Of course, I may be a bit biased, but if you want to learn to develop more complex content types and harness all the power available, get issue 2 of Understanding SharePoint Journal, called Developing SharePoint Content Types. In that issue, I will teach you all the inner workings of SharePoint content types. Be prepared to get wet, though, because the content is targeted at people with some development experience.

Nintex and SharePoint Designer Workflows in Double Feature of USP Journal

2009-05-12T15:39:00.002+02:00

Well, the cat is out of the bag. The next issue of Understanding SharePoint Journal will not just be A issue, it will be two issues. For the next launch, I’ll be releasing two issues of the journal, as part of a new series of SharePoint Business Process Management issues.

The regular issue will be on SharePoint Designer workflows, introducing you to the wonderful world of end-user workflow authoring. Well, power-user may be a more appropriate term, but being a developer, I tend to blur the distinction of anything that doesn’t respond “value in collection” every time I start a sentence with the words “for each”.

The SharePoint Designer issue will teach the basics of workflows in general and show most of the default actions that ship with SharePoint Designer. Throughout the issue, I will guide you through creating a complete workflow for a simple order management system. Finally, I will show you some techniques of the more elusive type, such as having a SharePoint Designer workflow iterate through a list of items or documents.

Now, the big surprise with this launch is that I will also create a free issue. I’ve made a deal with Nintex, famous for creating enterprise workflow and reporting products for SharePoint, to sponsor a special issue on their Nintex Workflow 2007 product. In that issue I will guide you through both setup and installation, but also show you how to use Nintex Workflow to save tons of time and complexity over SharePoint Designer or Visual Studio workflows.

I’ll also show you how to use Nintex Workflow to create a neat little workflow for your sick employees: A ‘Get Well’ card workflow to send best wishes to employees from everyone in the office. Suddenly, everyone will want swine flu, just to get a nice card with personal greetings :-)

Oh, and I will also release a series of workflow web casts for EndUserSharePoint.com. I simply cannot get all the coolness of workflows inside two issues, so I’ll make a complimentary series to lead up to the launch. Watch EndUserSharePoint.com to make sure you catch those webcasts starting next week.

If you sign up for the USP Journal mailing list you will also be notified when the issues release. I haven’t set a release date yet, so the best way to be notified is to be a part of the mailing list. Did I mention you get a discount code if you’re on the list?

You can sign up for the USPJ mailing list using this form. Remember to check your email afterwards as you need to confirm the subscription.

Fast Track to SharePoint Feature Generation Webcast Available

2009-04-29T13:57:00.001+02:00

As I wrote last week in my plea for your support in the Washington DC SharePoint Saturday food drive this weekend, I will speak at the conference. However, despite what some of you may have been lead to believe, I will not be in DC, but rather deliver my session as a web cast.

The good news for all those who are now crying bitter tears for not getting to see me live is that the web cast is now available. And the even better news is that it is available to everyone, not just the SPDC attendees.

So, if you want some tips and tricks to speed up your SharePoint development, stop by the webcast now and sacrifice 47 minutes of your time :-)

http://www.sharepointsaturday.org/dc/meetings/33/FastTracktoFeatureGeneration.aspx

SharePoint Designer Workflows: What are your concerns and questions?

2009-04-22T02:46:00.001+02:00

The ink isn’t dry on USP Journal issue 3, but it is time to think ahead.

The next issue of Understanding SharePoint Journal will start a new series on business process management in SharePoint. Several topics will be covered, but first up is SharePoint Designer workflows.

I have a few good ideas for what I want to write, but I would also like to ask you what you think needs better coverage in the issue. So, my question is this:

What concerns, problems, or scenarios would you like to see covered in issue 4 of USP Journal?

Send your suggestions to furuknap<[at]>gmail.com or comment here.

Make a good suggestion, and you’ll at least get a free issue :-)

SharePoint Saturday DC: I will speak

2009-04-21T12:52:00.001+02:00

I usually don’t announce speaking engagements, but this time I have an important message. I will be speaking at SharePoint Saturday DC. If you don’t know what SharePoint Saturday is, well, it’s a one day SharePoint event in different cities in the US. You can read all about it on http://www.sharepointsaturday.org/.

That was not the important message.

The important message is:

SharePoint Saturday will be holding a food drive contest to support local charities. Dux Raymond, the mastermind behind SPSDC, came up with the brilliant idea to have attendees and others donate food, canned foods, which will then be distributed to charities in the DC area.

So, what’s in it for you? Hey! It’s charity! There shouldn’t be a need for motivation.

However, to make it a bit more desirable to donate, the 20 people to donate the most canned food will get to spend one hour of one-on-one time with one of several SPSDC speakers, including yours truly. Just ship those cans to Dux, and you can look forward to spending one hour of intense brain-picking with some of the industry’s leading experts.

Or me, if you would like that instead :-)

Here is my request, from all of you: If you are able, please donate whatever canned goods you can, and help out those who may be less fortunate.

I also encourage you to follow SharePoint Saturday DC on Twitter, and of course, feel free to follow me as well.

You can check out the SharePoint Saturday DC charity page to learn all the details and see a special message from Dux.

USP Journal issue 3 is finally done!

2009-04-20T15:19:00.001+02:00

So, I just spent the better part of 24 hours straight preparing for the launch of Understanding SharePoint Journal issue 3. Why so long? I’ll let you know in a moment.

USPJ issue 3 teaches custom field type development in SharePoint, and does so by explaining a new solution I put up on CodePlex today, called SPTags. In addition I’ll introduce you to web part development and show you how to set up a custom page in a SharePoint site.

The SPTags solution is a content tagging solution for SharePoint. Basically, you tag content using a set of keywords defined in a SharePoint list. You then display the tags used in a tag cloud, and the most frequently used tags are displayed larger than less frequently user tags.

In case you haven’t heard, Understanding SharePoint Journal now features video as well. Yeah, that’s right, if you don’t like reading too much you can now watch instead, and I’ll explain everything to you. That’s why it took 24 hours, I had to record 14 videos to demonstrate and do walkthroughs of the solution creation. And I really just decided to do the video stuff on last Thursday, so everything had to be done this weekend.

You can purchase the issue for $14.95, and all 14 videos come as a bonus, no extra charge. How’s that for a deal?

SharePoint and Women: 10 Tips on How to Succeed

2009-04-15T22:09:00.001+02:00

This is a post about SharePoint. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.

With that said, I’d like to give you a few general pointers, completely unrelated to women in any form. Forget I mentioned that.

It’s all about getting your “content” into the “site”
You want two front ends and a huge back end
If your “site” goes down on you, that is a good thing
Don’t put your “content” in more than one “site”
Never, ever, turn to your backup unless your “site” is completely dead
Don’t skimp on the money for upgrades or the performance of your “site” may suffer
Having a working “site collection” is very difficult, but the rewards can be great
A well designed “site” is a good thing, but it is what is inside that really matters
Don’t let multiple people contribute “content” to a single site
Keep your “site” happy by continually provide more “content”. The occasional design upgrade can also help

I’m married, and extremely happy so. Luckily, my wife never reads my blog…

WSS4: Official Name and Release Date for Big Brother Announced

2009-04-15T15:48:00.001+02:00

CMS Wire broke the news, and twitter spread the word: The official name for SharePoint vNext, is Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. Yeah, that means a late release, at least later than what some people hoped.

The official release date is to have a technical preview in Q3, 2009, and final release sometime in Q1-2 2010, more or less in tune with what I mentioned in an earlier post on the delay of vNext in February.

The long-awaited SP2, however, is set to ship a lot sooner, and should hit the shelves in late April, according to Joel Oleson. It is from the early previews of that service pack that several people, my self included, reported on the theory that CAML might be removed as the rendering language in WSS4. At least, CAML will be removed for custom list views and maybe also custom field types.

Good news or bad? Well, it depends on whether you enjoy CAML or not. If you do, you might want to pick up my book, which has a chapter dedicated to CAML.

Custom Field Type Properties in SharePoint : Buggy or Not?

2009-04-13T21:18:00.001+02:00

All over the wide world web, SharePoint developers are screaming their lungs out about bugs in SharePoint custom field types, especially when working with custom properties in field types. The claims are that the SetCustomProperty and GetCustomProperty methods does not work at all, and never save anything. Not just that, but it is impossible to render any of the damn things.

So, are they right? Let me answer that, once and for all:

NO!

With that answer, the debate should be dead, once and for all. Thank you for your time, I’ll return shortly with another answer to another question.

Oh, you want to know more, do you? Well, if you had used some of that curiosity to investigate how custom field type properties works in SharePoint, perhaps the question would never arise?

Ok, I’ll try the short version here.

I explained in a previous post why custom field types have two constructors. I’ll elaborate a bit on the answer now.

When a user is creating a new column through the web interface, SharePoint uses two objects to handle the process. The first object is responsible for the interaction with the custom field type editor, which takes user input for any custom properties. the second object is the object responsible for creating and saving the new column to the list.

When the user hits OK to create the new column, SharePoint fires a method in the field editor class, called OnSaveChange. This method is passed an SPField object which on the surface seems to be the object representing the new field. However, it is not, and while it may seem like a strange notion, it does make sense from several perspectives.

First, consider what you would do if you need to validate the new field as part of the OnSaveChange method. If the column was already created, and its SPField object was sent to the method, how would you possibly be able to make any corrections or cancel the whole operation? Second, the method parameter is passed as a value type, not as a reference. Any changes you would make, such as setting custom properties, will simply disappear once the method completes.

The problem then is to find out how to send the custom properties from the field editor object to the object responsible for creating the column. You can use multiple methods for this, but in the upcoming Understanding SharePoint Journal issue 3 I will show you how to use Thread Local Storage to temporarily store the properties in memory so that the creator object can retrieve the settings later.

Other methods I have seen uses the list’s SPFolder properties as a storage mechanism, which sort of works, but only for list columns, and not for site columns. Of course, this may be a trade-off you are willing to make.

However, I chose the TLS method because that is what Microsoft does when they need to store custom properties. If you look at the BDC field type in reflector you will see how they do this. I figured, if Microsoft thinks it is OK, then who am I to argue.

Building the SharePoint User Experience is out!

2009-04-07T20:58:00.001+02:00

I just got the news myself, and flippin heck, I’ve never been so surprised since… Well, I was really surprised last time.

The book was just sent to the printer, so it might be that Apress forgot to cancel some automatic publishing thing, but to make sure you get your copy before someone finds out, stop by Apress and pick up a copy.

The reason why I noticed was that one of the members of the book’s mailing list sent me an email stating that the first three chapters looked very good. As no-one but a very few people have even seen the first three chapters together, I was a bit surprised. To say the least.

Now the wait is over, and one of the most anticipated SharePoint developer books is finally here. At least it is the most anticipated by me :-)

Why IE8 will kill my SharePoint Development Experience

2009-04-07T17:03:00.001+02:00

Recently, Microsoft released IE8, which is probably great for some people. but not so much for me. You see, IE8 introduces several features which changes the way I must do development work on SharePoint. In short, IE8 kills my SharePoint development experience by forcing me to do a lot more to accomplish the same tasks that were easy before.

I’ve posted a YouTube video to demonstrate one such feature:

Oh, and yes, I realize I can work around this issue. I realize that there is a security motivation for this. I still think it, plain and outright, sucks.

No, changing browsers wont help. I don’t care if FF or Opera has a certain feature set. I’m not looking for that, I am looking to get IE8 to behave as IE7 and not force me to work twice as hard to do simple stuff.

What do you think, do you use IE8 for SharePoint development? What are your thoughts so far?