Amazing 11 New Features of SharePoint 2013 Content Management

Microsoft SharePoint 2013 is a new and better version of SharePoint 2010. SharePoint 2013 has better features and provide improved user experience. Today we will be discussing top 11 features of SharePoint 2013 which are improving the quality of content management.

Those features are-

#1 Drag and drop

Document library comes with drag and drop features now. Drag and drop the document on the page and it will upload with the quick progress bar.

#2 Call-up menu

In this new version, ECB menu is replaced with ‘call-up-menu’. It’s a call-out popup which displays preview of an item and actions which a user can take.

#3 Download a copy

With this feature, end users can download the copy of the document to their local. It’s a very direct and easy way to perform this task.

#4 Print to PDF

With this feature, you can convert your word doc into PDF and also directly send it for printing. This saves a lot of time of the user and simplifies the action.

#5 Follow and share feature

Now users can share their documents with other users, groups etc. with just one click. This feature is a social feature which has been introduced under SharePoint 2013. Owner can also follow the document himself in order to see its progress.

#6 Find a file

Find a file has been added to each document library which helps the user to find files within the library while working on a project. It’s a real-time search function.

#7 Assets library

The new and improved asserts library give the access to the user to upload digital asset with the out-of-box views like thumbnails and video page etc. in a very interactive way.

#8 Video page and Thumbnail

Every time a user upload a new video in asserts library, an evasion videoplayerpage.aspx gets formed in which you can view video and the metadata. This page will also create a thumbnail with which you can later upload the metadata for the video.

#9 Introduction of people

Another feature has been added to this version of SharePoint “People in videos”. Now the user can specify the people in the video as part of their company in the metadata. One can use this feature in the properties of the video.

#10 Cut and paste from word

The user can now directly copy & paste directly from the word document into any other text field as per his requirement. This feature saves lot of time of the user.

#11 Image renditions

This is one of the amazing features of SharePoint 2013, this feature helps in visualizing different sized versions of images on different pages. You can specify the width and height for all the images as per your requirement.

All the above mentioned features are just some of the prominent features of SharePoint 2013. There are so many more features which will lead the user by surprise. After understanding the whole SharePoint, we can certainly say that it’s a product made for the future.

Amazing 11 New Features of SharePoint 2013 Content Management

Posted by Sophina Dillard No comments

Microsoft SharePoint 2013 is a new and better version of SharePoint 2010. SharePoint 2013 has better features and provide improved user experience. Today we will be discussing top 11 features of SharePoint 2013 which are improving the quality of content management.

Those features are-

#1 Drag and drop

Document library comes with drag and drop features now. Drag and drop the document on the page and it will upload with the quick progress bar.

#2 Call-up menu

In this new version, ECB menu is replaced with ‘call-up-menu’. It’s a call-out popup which displays preview of an item and actions which a user can take.

#3 Download a copy

With this feature, end users can download the copy of the document to their local. It’s a very direct and easy way to perform this task.

#4 Print to PDF

With this feature, you can convert your word doc into PDF and also directly send it for printing. This saves a lot of time of the user and simplifies the action.

#5 Follow and share feature

Now users can share their documents with other users, groups etc. with just one click. This feature is a social feature which has been introduced under SharePoint 2013. Owner can also follow the document himself in order to see its progress.

#6 Find a file

Find a file has been added to each document library which helps the user to find files within the library while working on a project. It’s a real-time search function.

#7 Assets library

The new and improved asserts library give the access to the user to upload digital asset with the out-of-box views like thumbnails and video page etc. in a very interactive way.

#8 Video page and Thumbnail

Every time a user upload a new video in asserts library, an evasion videoplayerpage.aspx gets formed in which you can view video and the metadata. This page will also create a thumbnail with which you can later upload the metadata for the video.

#9 Introduction of people

Another feature has been added to this version of SharePoint “People in videos”. Now the user can specify the people in the video as part of their company in the metadata. One can use this feature in the properties of the video.

#10 Cut and paste from word

The user can now directly copy & paste directly from the word document into any other text field as per his requirement. This feature saves lot of time of the user.

#11 Image renditions

This is one of the amazing features of SharePoint 2013, this feature helps in visualizing different sized versions of images on different pages. You can specify the width and height for all the images as per your requirement.

All the above mentioned features are just some of the prominent features of SharePoint 2013. There are so many more features which will lead the user by surprise. After understanding the whole SharePoint, we can certainly say that it’s a product made for the future.

List Event Handlers In SP 2013 To Perform Duplicate Check

While implementing practical solutions as a SharePoint consultant, the need to perform duplicate checks of different lists is a very common scenario.

Here is a real world example you may come across. Your client needs two lists, one to store regional information and one to store country specific information. The regional list, along with different information pertaining to a region, will also store an acronym for that region (e.g. EMEA, APAC, etc.). Similarly, the country list also will store the country acronym (FR, RU, IN, etc.) among other relevant country information. And this acronym data will be used in many places to accomplish many business requirements.

In most cases, we can easily utilize the OOB concept to validate the uniqueness of the columns. But to validate across different lists we need to provide some customization. We can achieve this in various ways.

In this article we will handle this validation through the event handler. We are assuming that a project from a SharePoint template is already created.

As shown in the image below, firstly we’re going to add an event receiver, select the list to which the event handler needs to work , check the item added and item being updated (as we need to validate during edits as well).

Please repeat this for the regional list as well.

Now we will write our validation code in the event receiver. Let us write for the “Adding” scenario first. In this code we will check if the acronym exists in the other list, if yes, we will cancel the addition. The code will be as shown below. Please update the column names as appropriate.

public override void ItemAdding(SPItemEventProperties properties)
        {
            base.ItemAdding(properties);
           
           
            properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym"] = ((string)(properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym"])).Trim();
            string newAcronym = ((string)(properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym "])).Trim();

            if (!CheckDuplicateAcronym(properties.List, properties.ListItemUniqueId, newAcronym, "Ctry_Acronym", "Text"))
            {
                //check in Country Profiles list
                SPList LegalEntityProfilesList = properties.Web.Lists.TryGetList("Country Profiles");
                if (CheckDuplicateAcronym(LegalEntityProfilesList, new Guid(), newAcronym, "country", "Text"))
                {
                    //cancel the event with error
                    properties.ErrorMessage = "Acronym already exist";
                    properties.Status = SPEventReceiverStatus.CancelWithError;
                    return;
                }
            }
        }

The generic duplicate checking function
public static bool CheckDuplicateAcronym(SPList List, Guid ItemId, string NewAcronym, string AcronymFieldName, string AcronymFieldType)
        {
            bool bAcronymExists = false;
            try
            {
                SPQuery query = new SPQuery();
                query.Query = @"<Where>" +
                    "<Eq>" +
                    "<FieldRef Name='" + AcronymFieldName + "' />" +
                    "<Value Type='" + AcronymFieldType + "'>" + NewAcronym + "</Value>" +
                    "</Eq>" +
                    "</Where>";

                SPListItemCollection items = List.GetItems(query);
                if (items != null)
                {
                    if (items.Count > 1)
                    {
                        bAcronymExists = true;
                    }
                    else if (items.Count == 1)
                    {
                        bAcronymExists = !(items[0].UniqueId == ItemId);
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        bAcronymExists = false;
                    }
                }
            }
            catch { }
            return bAcronymExists;

        }

The code is written in such a way that you can reuse this function for any list or for any field type by passing the relevant parameters. Even this function will take care of the updating scenario duplicate validation.
Next we’ll write the updating part of the code, as shown below. In the updating scenario we will pass the unique ID of the item rather than new GUID which we passed in the above adding scenario.
public override void ItemUpdating(SPItemEventProperties properties)
        {
            base.ItemUpdating(properties);
            properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym"] = ((string)(properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym"])).Trim();

            string newAcronym = ((string)(properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym"])).Trim();
            if (0 != string.Compare(newAcronym, properties.ListItem["Country_Acronym"].ToString(), true))
            {

                if (!CheckDuplicateAcronym(properties.List, properties.ListItemUniqueId, newAcronym, "Ctry_Acronym", "Text"))
                {
                   
                    SPList LegalEntityProfilesList = properties.Web.Lists.TryGetList("Country Profiles");
                    if (CheckDuplicateAcronym(LegalEntityProfilesList, new Guid(), newAcronym, "country", "Text"))
                    {
                        //cancel the event with error
                        properties.ErrorMessage = "the Acronym value already exist";
                        properties.Status = SPEventReceiverStatus.CancelWithError;
                        return;

                    }
                }
                else
                {
                    //cancel the event with error
                    properties.ErrorMessage = "the Acronym value already exist";
                    properties.Status = SPEventReceiverStatus.CancelWithError;

                }
            }

        }

That’s it! This event receiver can now be reused for duplicate validation of any number of lists.

Authored by:

Alvin Ubiera is a Microsoft SharePoint Technologist at the Houston-based business software provider, Rand Group and is a regular contributor to Dynamics 101. He hails from the sunny Dominican Republic and has varied experience in architecture, web development, and SharePoint.

List Event Handlers In SP 2013 To Perform Duplicate Check

Posted by Sophina Dillard No comments

While implementing practical solutions as a SharePoint consultant, the need to perform duplicate checks of different lists is a very common scenario.

Here is a real world example you may come across. Your client needs two lists, one to store regional information and one to store country specific information. The regional list, along with different information pertaining to a region, will also store an acronym for that region (e.g. EMEA, APAC, etc.). Similarly, the country list also will store the country acronym (FR, RU, IN, etc.) among other relevant country information. And this acronym data will be used in many places to accomplish many business requirements.

In most cases, we can easily utilize the OOB concept to validate the uniqueness of the columns. But to validate across different lists we need to provide some customization. We can achieve this in various ways.

In this article we will handle this validation through the event handler. We are assuming that a project from a SharePoint template is already created.

As shown in the image below, firstly we’re going to add an event receiver, select the list to which the event handler needs to work , check the item added and item being updated (as we need to validate during edits as well).

Please repeat this for the regional list as well.

Now we will write our validation code in the event receiver. Let us write for the “Adding” scenario first. In this code we will check if the acronym exists in the other list, if yes, we will cancel the addition. The code will be as shown below. Please update the column names as appropriate.

public override void ItemAdding(SPItemEventProperties properties)
        {
            base.ItemAdding(properties);
           
           
            properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym"] = ((string)(properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym"])).Trim();
            string newAcronym = ((string)(properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym "])).Trim();

            if (!CheckDuplicateAcronym(properties.List, properties.ListItemUniqueId, newAcronym, "Ctry_Acronym", "Text"))
            {
                //check in Country Profiles list
                SPList LegalEntityProfilesList = properties.Web.Lists.TryGetList("Country Profiles");
                if (CheckDuplicateAcronym(LegalEntityProfilesList, new Guid(), newAcronym, "country", "Text"))
                {
                    //cancel the event with error
                    properties.ErrorMessage = "Acronym already exist";
                    properties.Status = SPEventReceiverStatus.CancelWithError;
                    return;
                }
            }
        }

The generic duplicate checking function
public static bool CheckDuplicateAcronym(SPList List, Guid ItemId, string NewAcronym, string AcronymFieldName, string AcronymFieldType)
        {
            bool bAcronymExists = false;
            try
            {
                SPQuery query = new SPQuery();
                query.Query = @"<Where>" +
                    "<Eq>" +
                    "<FieldRef Name='" + AcronymFieldName + "' />" +
                    "<Value Type='" + AcronymFieldType + "'>" + NewAcronym + "</Value>" +
                    "</Eq>" +
                    "</Where>";

                SPListItemCollection items = List.GetItems(query);
                if (items != null)
                {
                    if (items.Count > 1)
                    {
                        bAcronymExists = true;
                    }
                    else if (items.Count == 1)
                    {
                        bAcronymExists = !(items[0].UniqueId == ItemId);
                    }
                    else
                    {
                        bAcronymExists = false;
                    }
                }
            }
            catch { }
            return bAcronymExists;

        }

The code is written in such a way that you can reuse this function for any list or for any field type by passing the relevant parameters. Even this function will take care of the updating scenario duplicate validation.
Next we’ll write the updating part of the code, as shown below. In the updating scenario we will pass the unique ID of the item rather than new GUID which we passed in the above adding scenario.
public override void ItemUpdating(SPItemEventProperties properties)
        {
            base.ItemUpdating(properties);
            properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym"] = ((string)(properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym"])).Trim();

            string newAcronym = ((string)(properties.AfterProperties["Country_Acronym"])).Trim();
            if (0 != string.Compare(newAcronym, properties.ListItem["Country_Acronym"].ToString(), true))
            {

                if (!CheckDuplicateAcronym(properties.List, properties.ListItemUniqueId, newAcronym, "Ctry_Acronym", "Text"))
                {
                   
                    SPList LegalEntityProfilesList = properties.Web.Lists.TryGetList("Country Profiles");
                    if (CheckDuplicateAcronym(LegalEntityProfilesList, new Guid(), newAcronym, "country", "Text"))
                    {
                        //cancel the event with error
                        properties.ErrorMessage = "the Acronym value already exist";
                        properties.Status = SPEventReceiverStatus.CancelWithError;
                        return;

                    }
                }
                else
                {
                    //cancel the event with error
                    properties.ErrorMessage = "the Acronym value already exist";
                    properties.Status = SPEventReceiverStatus.CancelWithError;

                }
            }

        }

That’s it! This event receiver can now be reused for duplicate validation of any number of lists.

Authored by:

Alvin Ubiera is a Microsoft SharePoint Technologist at the Houston-based business software provider, Rand Group and is a regular contributor to Dynamics 101. He hails from the sunny Dominican Republic and has varied experience in architecture, web development, and SharePoint.

Significance of Using SharePoint for Public Facing Websites

Public facing websites are not password-protected or in other words are not blocked from the general Internet. It is freely accessible by all internet users. It has all the information about the company's business, their products and services, contact information, company history and even may have links to other related web sites of their company. It is an information source about a company for its customers and its partners.

Microsoft is still claiming SharePoint Server as the fastest growing product in company history; they have claimed there are so many fortune 500 companies that have built their public facing websites on SharePoint. SharePoint usage is widely spread due to its complex collaboration structure and its flexibility. From enterprise search, enterprise content management (ECM), Business Process Management, business intelligence, records management, archiving, Intranet/Extranet, file sharing to public-facing websites etc. list of few companies using SharePoint for public facing websites are – ConocoPhillips, Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Valero Energy, Dell, Kraft Foods, Viacom, and more.

Significance of Using SharePoint for Public Facing Websites

Posted by Sophina Dillard No comments

Public facing websites are not password-protected or in other words are not blocked from the general Internet. It is freely accessible by all internet users. It has all the information about the company's business, their products and services, contact information, company history and even may have links to other related web sites of their company. It is an information source about a company for its customers and its partners.

Microsoft is still claiming SharePoint Server as the fastest growing product in company history; they have claimed there are so many fortune 500 companies that have built their public facing websites on SharePoint. SharePoint usage is widely spread due to its complex collaboration structure and its flexibility. From enterprise search, enterprise content management (ECM), Business Process Management, business intelligence, records management, archiving, Intranet/Extranet, file sharing to public-facing websites etc. list of few companies using SharePoint for public facing websites are – ConocoPhillips, Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Valero Energy, Dell, Kraft Foods, Viacom, and more.

SharePoint 2013 Community Site Creation Best Practices

We all agree that Microsoft SharePoint 2013 is awesome and it is offering all these new features to developers and enterprises. A particular feature which everybody is really excited about is “Community Sites”.

What is Community site?

With this feature the user can create communities to discuss anything related to SharePoint 2013 or otherwise. The user can also invite other people to be a part of this community. There is a point as well as badges system for the users who reply and post on the threads. The user can configure this feature only on the live site.

Some of the best practices which the user must adopt while creating a community sites are-

SharePoint 2013 Community Site Creation Best Practices

Posted by Sophina Dillard No comments

We all agree that Microsoft SharePoint 2013 is awesome and it is offering all these new features to developers and enterprises. A particular feature which everybody is really excited about is “Community Sites”.

What is Community site?

With this feature the user can create communities to discuss anything related to SharePoint 2013 or otherwise. The user can also invite other people to be a part of this community. There is a point as well as badges system for the users who reply and post on the threads. The user can configure this feature only on the live site.

Some of the best practices which the user must adopt while creating a community sites are-