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Posts Tagged ‘SharePoint’

SharePoint 2007 had a commonly used feature that enabled users to create views on lists that grouped by Content Type.

For some reason, this feature was removed from the user interface in SharePoint 2010.

Solution 1: The Easy Method

If you wish to do this today, you can do this using SharePoint Designer to create a view and then change the Xsl to specify a different field name to group by (e.g. “ContentType”).

Overriding the Field Used for Grouping

Solution 2: The Better Method

Alternative, we could try and get our options added to the ViewEdit.aspx page. Options aren’t great for this as it’s a _layouts (application) page, and therefore we can’t just edit it in the browser or SharePoint Designer.

You could add a piece of JavaScript to do this though. Plan a) would be to add this to the bottom of you v4.master, and customise this for the whole site/site collection.

Plan b) would be to create something like a sandbox solution that deploys a “scriptlink” element, placing the script on every page that gets rendered.

I’ve create a CodePlex project for plan b). Here’s some of the code. Firstly, here’s the JavaScript I’d like to run on every page. It simply creates a new <option> tag in HTML and adds it to the drop down list if it exists on the page. Let’s call it “ListViewEdit.js”.

_spBodyOnLoadFunctionNames.push("jbCTFix");

function jbCTFix() {
    jbCTKludge('idGroupField1');
    jbCTKludge('idGroupField2');
}
function jbCTKludge(selName) {
    var sel = document.getElementById(selName);
    if (sel) {
        if (sel.selectedIndex >= 0) {

            var o = document.createElement('option');
            o.text = 'Content Type';
            o.value = 'tp_ContentType';

            var prev = sel.options[sel.selectedIndex];
            try {
                sel.add(o, prev);
            }
            catch (ex) {
                sel.add(o, sel.selectedIndex);
            }
        }
    }
}

Next, here’s the element manifest to apply this on each page in the site collection.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Elements xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">
  <CustomAction Id="Ribbon.Library.Actions.Scripts"
              Location ="ScriptLink"
              ScriptSrc="~site/ListViewEdit/ListViewEdit.js" />
  <Module Name="ListViewEdit">
    <File Path="ListViewEdit\ListViewEdit.js" Url="ListViewEdit/ListViewEdit.js" />
  </Module>
</Elements>

You can download the full project and source code for the SharePoint 2010 ViewEdit Group by Content Type project from the CodePlex project here: sp10ctgrouping.codeplex.com

Technorati Tags: Content Types, SharePoint, SharePoint 2010, SharePoint Development

One of my students tonight asked if it was possible to add a condition to a SharePoint Designer 2010 declarative workflow to detect if the initiating user is a member of a particular audience.

There’s nothing built-in to deliver this in SharePoint 2010.

So I knocked-up the following solution based upon the excellent reference implementations of workflows from the SharePoint Prescriptive Guidance Pack at spg.codeplex.com.

I’ve put the full version of my source code and a completed release up on CodePlex.

Firstly, the .Actions file, which must be deployed to 14\\Template\\Xml\\1033\\Workflow:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<WorkflowInfo>
  <Conditions And="and" Or="or" Not="not" When="If" Else="Else if">
    <Condition Name="User is member of audience"
        FunctionName="IsUserMemberOfAudienceCondition"
        ClassName="joelblogs.co.uk.WorkflowActivities.AudienceActivity.AudienceMemberActivity"
        Assembly="joelblogs.co.uk.WorkflowActivities.AudienceActivity,
          Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=d926d259b11539d4"
        AppliesTo="all"
            UsesCurrentItem="True">
      <RuleDesigner Sentence="The user is a member of audience %1">
        <FieldBind Id="1" Field="_1_" Text=""/>
      </RuleDesigner>
      <Parameters>
        <Parameter Name="_1_" Type="System.String, mscorlib" Direction="In" />
      </Parameters>
    </Condition>
  </Conditions>
</WorkflowInfo>

Next, the workflow activity class itself:

using System;
using Microsoft.SharePoint;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.WorkflowActions;
using Microsoft.Office.Server.Audience;
using System.Workflow.ComponentModel;
using System.ComponentModel;

namespace joelblogs.co.uk.WorkflowActivities.AudienceActivity
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Windows Workflow Activity for SharePoint 2010. Checks if
    /// Initiating User is a member of the specified Audience.
    /// Written by Joel Jeffery, 2011-10-28.
    /// </summary>
    class AudienceMemberActivity : Activity
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Returns whether the user exists in the specified audience or not
        /// -- signature to match SharePoint Designer Requirement
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="workflowContext">Environment for activity</param>
        /// <param name="listId">ID of the list the workflow is running on (unused)</param>
        /// <param name="itemId">Item ID of the item the workflow is running on (unused)</param>
        /// <param name="siteUrl">The audience name to determine whether the user is in it or not</param>
        /// <returns>True if site exists, false if not </returns>
        public static bool IsUserMemberOfAudienceCondition(
            WorkflowContext workflowContext, string listId, int itemId, string audienceName)
        {
            string exception;
            return (IsUserMemberOfAudience(
                workflowContext.InitiatorUser.LoginName, audienceName, out exception));
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Determines whether [is user member of audience] [the specified login name].
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="loginName">Name of the login.</param>
        /// <param name="audienceName">Name of the audience.</param>
        /// <param name="exception">The exception.</param>
        /// <returns>
        ///   <c>true</c> if [is user member of audience] [the specified login name]; otherwise, <c>false</c>.
        /// </returns>
        public static bool IsUserMemberOfAudience(string loginName, string audienceName, out string exception)
        {
            try
            {
                exception = null;
                SPServiceContext context = SPServiceContext.Current;
                AudienceManager audManager = new AudienceManager(context);
                return audManager.IsMemberOfAudience(loginName, audienceName);
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                exception = e.ToString();
                return (false);
            }
        }

        public static DependencyProperty AudienceNameProperty =
            DependencyProperty.Register("AudienceName", typeof(string), typeof(AudienceMemberActivity));

        [Description("The absolute URL of the site or site collection to create")]
        [Browsable(true)]
        [Category("joelblogs.co.uk Activities")]
        [DesignerSerializationVisibility(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Visible)]
        public string SiteUrl
        {
            get { return ((string)base.GetValue(AudienceNameProperty)); }
            set { base.SetValue(AudienceNameProperty, value); }
        }

        public static DependencyProperty ExistsProperty =
            DependencyProperty.Register("Exists", typeof(bool), typeof(AudienceMemberActivity));
        [Description("The result of the operation indicating whether the site exists or not")]
        [Browsable(true)]
        [Category("joelblogs.co.uk Activities")]
        [DesignerSerializationVisibility(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Visible)]
        public bool Exists
        {
            get { return ((bool)base.GetValue(ExistsProperty)); }
            set { base.SetValue(ExistsProperty, value); }
        }

        public static DependencyProperty ExceptionProperty =
            DependencyProperty.Register("Exception", typeof(string), typeof(AudienceMemberActivity));
        [Description("The exception generated while testing for the existance of the site")]
        [Browsable(true)]
        [Category("joelblogs.co.uk Activities")]
        [DesignerSerializationVisibility(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Visible)]
        public string Exception
        {
            get { return ((string)base.GetValue(ExceptionProperty)); }
            set { base.SetValue(ExceptionProperty, value); }
        }
    }
}

 

You’ll also need a terribly clever feature receiver implementation from the SPG that uses the SPWebConfigModification class to add AuthorizedType blocks to the web.configs throughout our farm, or our class won’t be loaded by WF.

using System;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Globalization;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using Microsoft.SharePoint;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration;

namespace joelblogs.co.uk.WorkflowActivities.AudienceActivity.Features.AudienceTestActivity
{
    /// <summary>
    /// This class handles events raised during feature activation, deactivation, 
    /// installation, uninstallation, and upgrade.
    /// </summary>
    /// <remarks>
    /// The GUID attached to this class may be used during packaging and should not be modified.
    /// </remarks>

    [Guid("a91d2258-b39b-4ca4-8282-2565c061378d")]
    public class AudienceTestActivityEventReceiver : SPFeatureReceiver
    {
        public override void FeatureActivated(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties)
        {
            try
            {
                SPWebService contentService = SPWebService.ContentService;
                contentService.WebConfigModifications.Add(GetConfigModification());
                // Serialize the web application state and propagate changes across the farm. 
                contentService.Update();
                // Save web.config changes.
                contentService.ApplyWebConfigModifications();
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(e.ToString());
                throw;
            }
        }

        public override void FeatureDeactivating(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties)
        {
            try
            {
                SPWebService contentService = SPWebService.ContentService;
                contentService.WebConfigModifications.Remove(GetConfigModification());
                // Serialize the web application state and propagate changes across the farm. 
                contentService.Update();
                // Save web.config changes.
                contentService.ApplyWebConfigModifications();
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(e.ToString());
                throw;
            }
        }

        public SPWebConfigModification GetConfigModification()
        {
            string assemblyValue = typeof(AudienceMemberActivity).Assembly.FullName;
            string namespaceValue = typeof(AudienceMemberActivity).Namespace;

            SPWebConfigModification modification = new SPWebConfigModification(
                string.Format(CultureInfo.CurrentCulture,
                    "authorizedType[@Assembly='{0}'][@Namespace='{1}']" +
                    "[@TypeName='*'][@Authorized='True']", assemblyValue, namespaceValue),
                "configuration/System.Workflow.ComponentModel.WorkflowCompiler/authorizedTypes");

            modification.Owner = "joelblogs.co.uk";
            modification.Sequence = 0;
            modification.Type = SPWebConfigModification.SPWebConfigModificationType.EnsureChildNode;
            modification.Value =
                string.Format(CultureInfo.CurrentCulture,
                "<authorizedType Assembly=\"{0}\" Namespace=\"{1}\" " +
                "TypeName=\"*\" Authorized=\"True\" />", assemblyValue, namespaceValue);

            Trace.TraceInformation("SPWebConfigModification value: {0}", modification.Value);

            return modification;
        }
    }
}

You can download the full source code to my SharePoint 2010 Audience Membership Workflow Activity (Full Trust) here: http://spamwaft.codeplex.com.

Technorati Tags: SharePoint, SharePoint 2010, SharePoint Designer 2010, SharePoint Development, Workflow

Renaming a Standalone SharePoint 2010 Server

OK. You never create standalone servers. I know. But, let’s just say you *did* have one, maybe for development or test, and let’s say you had such an environment on your laptop, and also let’s say your machine had an embarrassing name that you needed to change before you next demoed SharePoint stuff on it… OK, you get the picture. Smile

The Microsoft recommended steps are:

  1. Rename your PC using Computer properties:
    Renaming your PC
  2. Reboot.
  3. Run the PowerShell Command “Rename-SPServer

There is only one problem with this suggested method: it’s a steaming pile of nonsense.

The correct procedure would be:

  1. Rename your server using “Rename-SPServer”
  2. Rename the PC using Computer properties
  3. Reboot
  4. Rename your SQL instances
  5. Restart SQL
  6. iisreset /noforce

If you are unlucky enough to have tried to follow the official guidelines and renamed the PC before executing Rename-SPServer, you would get a message like this when trying to launch the SharePoint Management Shell:

The local farm is not accessible. Cmdlets with FeatureDependencyId are not registered.

Then the correct recovery would be:

  1. Rename the server using “stsadm -o renameserver
  2. iisreset /noforce
  3. Rename your SQL instances.
  4. Restart SQL
  5. iisreset /noforce

Best of luck!

Technorati Tags: PowerShell, SharePoint, SharePoint 2010, SharePoint Administration

UPDATED: Fix Slow SharePoint 2010 System Performance with the CRL Check

Sometimes you need to install SharePoint 2010 in an environment where the servers do not have an effective Internet connection. This posses a big problem.

Most Microsoft assemblies and DLLs are digitally signed. Each time signed assemblies are loaded, default system behaviour is to check with the owner of the root certificate that the cert with which the assembly was signed is still valid. In the case of Microsoft assemblies, this means “phoning home” to read the Certificate Revocation List at crl.microsoft.com .

Whilst this is all very well and good if you have an Internet connection, sometimes you don’t have this luxury. Many web servers, for instance, don’t have outbound Internet accessibility. The CRL check will attempt to connect to Microsoft’s servers and then timeout, usually within 30-60 seconds.

With SharePoint, you’ll get a lot of delays in this scenario. One way to check if your server is affected by this condition is to open up a SharePoint Management Console PowerShell window and run the “STSADM -help” command. If it takes 30 seconds or more to display the usage instructions, then you will be experiencing really slow server performance.

See how long STSADM takes to load

Disabling the CRL Check

There are three workarounds to this problem, in reverse order of preference:

  1. Give your servers an outbound Internet connection
  2. Edit the hosts file at “%SYSTEMROOT%\\System32\\drivers\\etc\\hosts” to fool the CRL check into thinking your local machine is crl.microsoft.com by pointing it at 127.0.0.1 (localhost):
    Editing the HOSTS file in Notepad
  3. Edit the registry to disable CRL checking by setting the State DWORD to 146944 decimal (SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\WinTrust\\Trust Providers\\Software Publishing for both HKEY_USERS\\.DEFAULT and HKEY_CURRENT_USER) with the following lines of PowerShell:
    #the following statement goes on one line
    set-ItemProperty -path "HKCU:\\Software\\Microsoft\\Windows\\CurrentVersion
    \\WinTrust\\Trust Providers\\Software Publishing"
     -name State -value 146944
    
    #the following statement goes on one line also
    set-ItemProperty -path "REGISTRY::\\HKEY_USERS\\.Default\\Software\\Microsoft
    \\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\WinTrust\\Trust Providers\\Software Publishing"
     -name State -value 146944
    
    #UPDATED: and the following statement goes on one line too
    get-ChildItem REGISTRY::HKEY_USERS | foreach-object {set-ItemProperty -ErrorAction
    silentlycontinue -path ($_.Name + "\\Software\\Microsoft
    \\Windows\\CurrentVersion\\WinTrust\\Trust Providers\\Software Publishing")
    -name State -value 146944}
  4. UPDATED: Edit the machine.configs and disable it there. There’s a nice piece of code from the most excellent AutoSPInstaller (autospinstaller.codeplex.com) that does this:
  5. Write-Host -ForegroundColor White " - Disabling Certificate Revocation List (CRL) check..."
    ForEach($bitsize in ("","64"))
    {
      $xml = [xml](Get-Content $env:windir\\Microsoft.NET\\Framework$bitsize\\v2.0.50727\\CONFIG\\Machine.config)
      If (!$xml.DocumentElement.SelectSingleNode("runtime")) {
        $runtime = $xml.CreateElement("runtime")
        $xml.DocumentElement.AppendChild($runtime) | Out-Null
      }
      If (!$xml.DocumentElement.SelectSingleNode("runtime/generatePublisherEvidence")) {
        $gpe = $xml.CreateElement("generatePublisherEvidence")
        $xml.DocumentElement.SelectSingleNode("runtime").AppendChild($gpe)  | Out-Null
      }
      $xml.DocumentElement.SelectSingleNode("runtime/generatePublisherEvidence").SetAttribute("enabled","false")  | Out-Null
      $xml.Save("$env:windir\\Microsoft.NET\\Framework$bitsize\\v2.0.50727\\CONFIG\\Machine.config")
    }%MINIFYHTMLd973f223de223a38ed031f67f292d1e419%

Method 3 is the preferred method, and should have things loading about as quickly as possible. UPDATED: Method 4 is more likely to work, but you’re editing some pretty important files there, so be careful!

UPDATED: You can download a script that combines these methods here: http://joelblogs.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Disable-CRLCheckv2.zip.

As usual, no warranty etc etc, use at your own discretion!

Technorati Tags: SharePoint, SharePoint 2010 Training, SharePoint Administration, SharePoint Administrator

After much persuasion, I’ve decided to fly in the face of public opinion and record one of the songs from my SharePoint show Smile

Stop, Collaborate and Listen:
SharePoint’s Back with a Brand New Invention.

Technorati Tags: Comedy, Development, SharePoint, SharePoint 2010 Training, Songs, Videos