SharePoint Development Beyond the Object Model

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SharePoint Development - Beyond the Object Model

• Raymond Mitchell
• Information Worker Consultant _at_ Inetium
• kid_at_iwkid.com
• www.iwkid.com/blog

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Agenda

• Quick review of the SharePoint Object Model
• SharePoint Web Services
• SharePoint RPC
• Customizing SharePoint with OOTB Web Parts
• SharePoint Designer and the Data Form Web Part
• SharePoint Features

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SharePoint Object Model

• Why we love it
• It gives us full access to SharePoint
• Why we hate it
• Only available on the server
• Resources/Tools
• Windows SharePoint Services SDK
• Windows PowerShell

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Common Classes

• Most Common
• SPSite site collection
• SPWeb web site
• SPList list
• Lesser Known
• SPFarm
• SPWebService
• SPWebApplication

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Demo

• Access SharePoint site/list data using Windows
  PowerShell on the server.
• Windows PowerShell

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SharePoint Web Services

• Why we love them
• Available remotely
• There are TONS of them
• Why we hate them
• Not all OM functionality available
• Not always the best return values
• Resources/Tools
• Windows SharePoint Services SDK ? On the Web
• Fiddler 2

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Web Services List
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Demo

• Access SharePoint site/list data using SharePoint
  Web Services
• Console Application

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SharePoint and FrontPage RPC

• Why we love it
• Available remotely
• Additional functionality not available in Web
  Services
• Why we hate it
• Poorly documented
• Terribly formatted responses
• Resources/Tools
• Windows SharePoint Services SDK
• Fiddler 2

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RPC Types

• FrontPage RPC
• Legacy operations
• (Lots of things you could do with FrontPage
  Server Extensions)
• Windows SharePoint Services RPC
• SharePoint-Specific Operations

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FPRPC
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WSSRPC
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SharePoint List Template Ids
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Demo

• Use Test Pages to create a new library, then add
  a Web Part Page to the library.
• Test Pages

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Demo

• Show how to use Fiddler to view SharePoint
  Designers communication with SharePoint.
• SharePoint Designer
• Fiddler

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OOTB Web Parts

• Why we love them
• Lots of functionality for free
• Can add our own code to the page
• Why we hate them
• Cant always get the control we want
• Resources/Tools
• Internet Explorer
• InstantSource
• Notepad?

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Demo

• Use a CEWP to add CSS to a page and override the
  OOTB UI. Then add JavaScript using the fancy
  _spBodyOnLoadFunctionNames.push
• SharePoint UI

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Data Form Web Parts

• Why we love them
• Blank Canvas
• Can create HIGHLY customized pages
• Why we hate them
• XSLT and XPATH can be tricky
• SharePoint Designer its a love/hate thing
• Resources/Tools
• SharePoint Designer

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Demo

• Create a DFWP that reads from a list and displays
  custom info (add conditional formatting and show
  how to manipulate the XSLT)
• SharePoint Designer

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Demo

• Create a DFWP that reads from one of the
  SharePoint Web Services
• SharePoint Designer

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Demo

• Show a DFWP that reads AND writes to an XML file
• SharePoint Designer

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Demo

• Create a Master/Details view
• SharePoint Designer

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Custom Action Features

• Why we love them
• Easily add functionality to the SharePoint UI
• Why we hate them
• Requires Server File System Access
• People dont use them enough!
• Resources/Tools
• Windows SharePoint Services SDK

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Demo

• Add a custom menu item to the ECB that links to
  our custom details view
• Notepad, Server file manipulation

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References

• www.iwkid.com slide deck and presentation
  resources
• Windows SharePoint Services SDK
• InstantSource
• Fiddler 2
• Windows PowerShell

kid_at_iwkid.com