Fun with Variations
May 19, 2009
While implementing variations we started investigating how document libraries will react once the source sites are updated. The scenarios were pretty interesting and I thought I’d quickly share them:
Scenario 1 – Web part is propagated
Initially we were not entirely sure how the creation of a web part in the source site will react as variations is ’sold’ to only keep web content in synch. We were pretty happy to find that if you drag a web part onto a page in the source site, the actual web part is also propagated to the target site(s).
Scenario 2 – Document Library with same name?
So now that the document library web part has propagated to the target site, what document library is actually referenced in the web part? To our astonishment we found that if a document library with the exact same name exists in the target and source library the web part on the target site will reference its document library. Therefore if a document is uploaded in the source site, English, the document will not be visible in say German.
Scenario 3 – Document Library with different name?
Once we realised that scenario 2 removes the ability to manage documents across multiple languages we started scratching with options and found that if the source document library has a unique name, the web part that is propagated to the target will in fact reference back to the source site. Therefore if a document is uploaded in the source site, English, it will also be visible in German.
Enable Enterprise Features: Timer Job Fails
May 19, 2009
So you need to develop on Forms Services, but your MOSS installation does not have the enterprise features installed. Never fear, just enable it via Central Admin – PROBLEM. While trying to enable it, with a valid enterprise key, the process fails.
To get around this problem, delete the existing timer job definition and repeat the process. Ignore the error, execute the Configuration Wizard and restart your MOSS server – Badaboomtish!
Seamless upgrade path hey?
SharePoint – Search
January 27, 2009
SharePoint Search is very powerful, but in most cases it does take a skilled consultant or developer to unlock the potential of this feature in SharePoint.
I’ve seen a number of interesting examples, but one that really sticks out is on http://www.starbucks.com. Here you can search for the nearest Starbucks coffee bar based on location and the results are integrated into Microsoft Live Earth. I was a bit suprised when a colleague at Microsoft showcased this and afterward mentioned that it is using SharePoint. Go and have a look, it’s well worth it and really broadens the horizon for the application of SharePoint Search not only in the enterprise, but also on externally facing websites.
Another great article that I came across while reading up a bit more on search was this one from Robert Mclean on the SADEV website. Here he gives a broad overview of Faceted and Federated search and also touches on an interesting development addition which allows for better SharePoint Search usage amongst users. The article can be found here – http://www.sadev.co.za/node/262.
Ho ho ho, make your SharePoint portal snow!
December 15, 2008
To make your SharePoint portal snow, add the following line into the <head> section of your master page:
<script src="http://s3.wordpress.com/wp-content/plugins/snow/snowstorm.js?ver=2" type="text/javascript" />
The unsupported easy way to do this is to simply open default.master located in TEMPLATE\GLOBAL and add it directly in there.
If you don’t want to link directly to the file on wordpress, simply save the .js file somewhere in your layouts folder and reference it like that.
Thanks wordpress for making this available for us to pillage 
That’s the Christmas spirit!
Generate thumbnails automatically in SharePoint
December 14, 2008
If you need to insert a thumbnail into your content, use the following url as the image source:
http://servername/_layouts/AssetUploader.aspx?Size=Medium&ImageUrl=/TestSite/Pictures/TechnicalLead.jpg
The ‘Size’ parameter can be set to Small or Medium, and the ‘ImageUrl’ parameter is the location of the image that you wish to generate the thumbnail from. This image must be located within the site collection. If the url to your full size image was http://servername/sitename/listname/filename.jpg, the value to pass here would be /sitename/listname/filename.jpg.
I’ve found this comes in handy when creating announcements with links to screenshots or photos, where you require an image to be dynamically resized to a thumbnail.
Installing CRM 4.0 on Windows Server 2008
December 12, 2008
Installation Failure
While installing CRM 4.0 on Windows Server 2008 I was faced with the following error message during the installation:
“Microsoft.Crm.Setup.Server.ConfigureAspNetAccountAction failed.”
To resolve this issue, ensure that you select Network Service when asked to configure the service account for the installation.
Here is the full article from Microsoft: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950100
The Business Benefits of an Agile Approach
November 30, 2008
Read my recent article for iWeek magazine on the topic of agile development and some of the business benefits it can provide.
From the article:
“Agile methods enable software development teams to deliver the highest possible business value in the shortest amount of time, while being able to adapt to changes in requirements during development. This is a huge leap forward in terms of value for money, in an industry where late delivery, inflexible requirements, cost overruns, and quality issues are all too common.
So what are some of the business benefits of an agile approach?”
Configuring Forms Based Authentication on MOSS 2007
November 25, 2008
Configuring FBA on MOSS 2007 is fairly straight forward, but if you do not pay attention to each step, you could be in a world of pain. I found the configuration pretty simple and the value it gives the organisation immense.
I did however run into one small issue on my initial testing server. The famous “Uknown Error”. This error occurred as I tried to authenticate my user. Turns out I had forgotten to give the application pool identity rights to the custom database created for my FBA user store. Once allocated all worked like a charm.
I couldn’t find anything on the net about this so either everyone started from scratch when they saw this error or simply haven’t run into it. In any event, hope this helps!
SharePoint Language Packs and Windows Server 2008
November 18, 2008
We are currently busy with a pilot roll out in Europe and while deploying the farm with various updates I came across the fact that not a lot of information on Windows Server 2008 and Language Packs are available. In any event, I soldiered on and eventually got it to work thanks to lots of trial and error and a colleague from home.
Now most if not all websites I consulted prior to installing the language packs simply mention that you need to install the MOSS Language Packs if you are running SharePoint and there is no need for the WSS Language Packs. Well, thanks to a colleague that figured this out the hard way, we installed the WSS language packs after the MOSS language packs (yes I frowned as well) and badaboomtish, the language features started working.
I find it very odd that this isn’t well documented on the net, but ja, here is the installation path I took to get our server farm up and running language packs, infrastructure updates included:
- Scripted MOSS Installation (Not slipestreamed as I’ve read about some issues with it)
- WSS and SPS SP1
- Infrastructure Update (read more here)
- All necessary updates (August Cumulative et al, read more here)
- WSS / MOSS Language Packs (order does not matter)
- Language Pack Service Packs
Note: If you are busy with a particular update, complete that on all the servers in the farm before moving to the next. For example, don’t install WSS language packs and move onto the MOSS language packs without installing them on all and executing the configuration wizard.
Pay special attention to each step and if the wizard fails to update (Configuration Failed) there is a 99% chance that your server is not on the same patch level (one or two behind) as the other servers. Trust me, spending an extra hour on a large farm will save you days in the long run.
I’ve seen posts where people are asked to add missing files to 12 hive directories and dll’s to the bin directory and honestly, if it gets to that, it’s time to re roll.
If I come across any other funky workarounds I will be sure to update this post.
Happy Deploying.
Quote of the Day
November 4, 2008
“The first 90% of the code accounts for the first 90% of the development time. The remaining 10% of the code accounts for the other 90% of the development time.” – Tom Cargill
