More SharePoint 2007 case studies and Internet sites.

http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2007/05/03/top-17-case-studies-for-microsoft-office-sharepoint-server-2007-and-several-new-moss-based-web-sites.aspx

This article will look at utilising ASP.Net 2.0 AJAX inside WSS 3.0. This article is also based off some great work completed by Todd Bleeker in his book Developers Guide To Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.

To complete the code associated with this article you will need to install ASP.Net 2.0 AJAX Extensions and the ASP.Net 2.0 AJAX Control Toolkit as we will be utilising AJAX Extensions, namely the AutoCompleteExtender control.

The first thing you need to do is make your WSS site AJAX ready. This blog article from the SharePoint team takes you through the steps in completing this and also has a nice little web part example to test and make sure everything is working as it should be.

Ok, what we are going to demonstrate is creating an AutoComplete Web Part that provides users with the ability to filter a drop down list as they type in a text box. See image below. This will be a two step process, firstly creating a web service that is the data source for the drop down list, and secondly creating the AutoComplete Web Part. I must also point out that there is no difference between creating this Web Part in WSS 3.0 or any standard ASP.Net 2.0 application (which is what WSS is J).

Web Service

1. Open VS.Net and choose ASP.Net AJAX Enabled Web Site template (if you don’t see this option then you need to install ASP.Net 2.0 AJAX)
2. Ensure location is HTTP and enter a URL like http://localhost/WebServices.
3. In Solution Explorer, right click the project name and add a new item. Choose Web Service from the templates window.
4. Enter SimpleWebService for the name and uncheck the Select code in separate file checkbox.
5. Decorate the class with the ScriptService to enable AJAX calls.

   [Microsoft.Web.Script.Services.ScriptService]
   public class SimpleWebService : System.Web.Services.WebService

6. Create a WebMethod that will return a list of employees. The WebMethod must conform to the precise interface expected by the AutoComplete extender control which includes two arguments that must be named prefixText and count. The prefixText argument contains the letters typed by the end user and the count contains the maximum number of items returned.

   [WebMethod]

   [Microsoft.Web.Script.Services.Script]Method]

   public System.Collections.Generic.List<string> GetEmployees(string prefixText, int count)

   {

                   string[] employees = new string[]{

   “Adam Wells”,

   “James MacGuire”,

   “Jeff Phillps”,

   “Jemma Knowles”,

   “Mary Jullop”,

   “Mark Dent”};

   System.Collections.Generic.List<string> employeeList = new System.Collections.Generic.List<string>();

   Int i = 0;

   foreach(string employee in employees)

   {

                   //check if max number of employees has been reached

                   if(i == count)

                   {

                                   break;

   }

   else if(employee.ToLower().StartsWith(preficText.ToLower()))

   {

                   employeeList.Add(employee);

                   i++;

   }

   }

   return employeeList;

   }

   This WebMethod returns a string array containing the first and last name for employees. This example could easily be altered to return a result from a database.

7. This ends the Web Service/WebMethod necessary for the AutoCompleteExtender control.

Ok, now for the Web Part.

1. Open VS.Net and create a new Class Library project. Enter AJAXStyleWebParts for the name.
2. Add a reference to the ASP.Net AJAX assembly (Microsoft.Web.Extension.dll), and to the toolkit assembly AjaxControlToolKit (the extender controls are not found in the core ASP.Net AJAX assembly and you will need to build the ToolKit solution that you downloaded previously at the beginning of the article).
3. Add a new class called AutoCompleteWebPart : System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart (and inherit WebPart class)
4. Add declarations to the top of the class:using

   using System.Web;

   using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
   using AjaxControlToolkit;

5. Override the CreateChildControls method

protected override void CreateChildControls()

{

            //establish a path to the web service

            string webServicePath = “http://localhost/WebServices/SimpleWebService.asmx”; 

            try

{

//TextBox label

Literal textboxLabel = new Literal();

textboxLabel.Text = “”Type the name of a Employee: “;

this.Controls.Add(textboxLabel);

 

//TextBox to extend with the AutoComplete AJAX behaviour. Note: this is a normal asp textbox

TextBox textbox = new TextBox();

textbox.Attributes.Add(“id”, “SelectEmployeeTextBox”);

this.Controls.Add(textbox);

 

//autocomplete AJAX behaviour

AutoCompleteExtender autoComplete = new AutoCompleteExtender();

autoComplete.MinimumPrefixLength = 1;

autoComplete.ServicePath = webServicePath;

autoComplete.ServiceMethod = “GetEmployees”;

autoComplete.TargetControlID = “SelectEmployeeTextBox”;

this.Controls.Add(autoComplete);

}

catch(Exception ex)

{

                Literal errMsg = new Literal();

                errMsg.Text = ex.Message;

                this.Controls.Add(errMsg);

}

}

6. This ends our AutoComplete Web Part. Now all we have to do deploy to the web applications bin directory or GAC, add a safe control entry, recycle the app pool, add the Web Part to the gallery and then add to your WSS page.
7. Type the letters “mar” in the textbox to see the Web Part in action.

So, now you have AJAX’ed your WSS site, created a Web Part and implemented the AutoCompleteExtender control which I think provides great functionality for any WSS site.

I have been reading Todd Bleekers book Developers Guide To Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and came across a great implementation in creating a custom field type in WSS 3.0. This custom field type is a Regular Expression Validation Custom Field Type. I love this implementation as it can be used for many situations…anywhere you want to validate input using regular expressions.

• Emails
  

• Telephone numbers
  

• Address
  

• Numbers only
  

• Letters only
  

• Alphanumeric only
  

If you are after a regular expression to validate input then this is one of the best sites to use.

Here are a couple of screen shots that displays the objective.

A Custom Field Type is a class that is complied into an assembly, so the first thing to do is open VS.NET 2005 and create a new Class Library project.

• Provide a meaningful project name
  

• You need to add an assembly reference to Windows SharePoint Services 12.0.0.0 in the .Net project.
  

• Rename the default class Class1.cs to RegExTextField.cs. (VS.NET will refactor the project to update the related references to the new class name)
  

• Add two directives to the top of the class.
  

  • using Microsoft.SharePoint
    

  • using System.Text.RegularExpressions
    

• You need to now inherit functionality so it behaves like a CFT. There are many different CFT classes you can inherit from to get different behaviour, but we want to inherit the SPFiledText as this most resembles our CFT. So the declaration will look like the following
  

  • public class RegExTextField : SPFieldText
    

• WSS v3 will call into one of two constructors so the class must implement both of them even though they don’t implement any code.
  

  • public RegExTextField(SPFieldCollection fields, string fieldName)
    : base(fields, fieldName)
    { }
    

  • public RegExTextField(SPFieldCollection fields, string typeName, string displayName)
    : base(fields, typeName, displayName)
    { }
    

• The GetValidatedString method converts the field type value into a validated serialised string. We can use this method to create our own custom validation from the value entered. Insert this after the second constructor.
  

  public override string GetValidatedString(object value)
  {
      string textValue = value.ToString();
  

    //Only compare RegEx if a value is present
    if (textValue.Length > 0)
    {
        //setup regex based on custom property
        Regex reg = new Regex(GetCustomProperty(“RegularExpression”).ToString(), RegexOptions.IgnoreCase);

        //if the value entered does not match
        if (!reg.IsMatch(textValue))
        {
            throw new SPFieldValidationException(GetCustomProperty(“ExceptionMessage”).ToString());
        }
        else
        {
            return textValue;
        }
    }
    else
    {
        return textValue;
    }
}

• Sign the assembly so it can be deployed to the GAC. You can sign the assembly by navigating to the Class Library project properties and click the Signing tab. Build the project to produce the assembly and deploy to the GAC.
  

Now you need to define what elements you want displayed when the CFT is used in the Create Column and Additional Columns Settings.

• In the same Class Library project choose Add àNew Item and select XML File.
  
• In the Name field type fldtypes_RegExTextField.xml. (The name of the file is important as CFTs must begin with fldtypes)
  
• Add the following code to your .xml file
  

  <?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″ ?>
  <FieldTypes>
      <FieldType>
          <Field Name=”TypeName”>RegExTextField</Field>
          <Field Name=”ParentType”>Text</Field>
          <Field Name=”TypeDisplayName”>
              Single line of text (with RegEx validation)
          </Field>
          <Field Name=”FieldTypeClass”>
              CustomFieldTypes.RegExValidation.RegExTextField,
              CustomFieldTypes.RegExValidation, Version=1.0.0.0,
              Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=d7f772d26282eb60
          </Field>
          <PropertySchema>
              <Fields>
                  <Field Name=”RegularExpression” DisplayName=”Regular Expression” MaxLength=”255″ DisplaySize=”35″ Type=”Text”>
                      <Default></Default>
                  </Field>
                  <Field Name=”ExceptionMessage” DisplayName=”Exception Message” MaxLength=”255″ DisplaySize=”35″ Type=”Text”>
                      <Default></Default>
                  </Field>
              </Fields>
          </PropertySchema>
      </FieldType>
  </FieldTypes> 

  • The FieldType elements define the attributes associated with the CFT when it appears in the Name and Type section of the Create Column page.
    
  • The PropertySchema elements define the attributes associated when it appears in the Additional Column Settings (after you select the CFT radio button)
    

  

• CFT have two scopes, Farm or List.
  
  • Farm: fldtypes*.xml files reside in the ..\12\Template\XML folder.
    
  • List: The schema.xml file that defines a list template can include CFTs.
    
• Because this CFT will be useful across the farm we will copy it to the ..\12\Template\XML folder In Windows Explorer copy the fldtypes_RegExTextField.xml to ..\12\Template\XML.
  
• Now all you have to do is perform an application pool recycle, then go to any WSS 3.0 list and add a new column and you will see your CFT.
  

Now you can use your new WSS 3.0 RegEx Validation CFT in many situations.

Installing MOSS 2007 in a farm environment requires a few dedicated accounts and can be quite a confusing process. I came across a couple of great resources so I thought I would save you the heart ache and post them here. 

This information was found on TechNet and in Bill English’s book Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Administrator’s Companion

It is strongly recommended that you use a dedicated account to log in and install Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Server 2007 servers. This account can also be used as the identity of the Central Administration site application pool, or it can be unique. By design, the Welcome menu displays “system account” if that account is used to log on to any application pool or Web site. This behavior continues even if the application pool identity is changed to the Network Service. This means your administrator account should not be used as an application pool identity or to install an SharePoint Server 2007 server.

 I have been using VPC for a few years now and I am still learning lots about using it. After upgrading to Vista I was unable to connect my VPC images to the Internet to activate the OS and download system updates. I was scratching my head changing my VM network adapter settings to Shared Networking (NAT) or to my wireless adapter but no matter what I did I couldn’t get an Internet connectivity from my VPC.

So I went to the person I always go to when I am stuck (this is the person after google) Mr Mark Daunt. He solved it in about a minute asking me if I have installed the Virtual Machine Network Service on my wireless adapter….the what???

So he showed me where to install it and wholla…I could connect

My LAN adapter had the Virtual Machine Network Service installed but my wireless adapter didn’t.

1/ Navigate to your physical network adapter that you want your VPC to use and click the Install button

2/ Highlight Service and click Add
 

3/ If you don’t see the Virtual  Machine Network Service click Have Disk button (mine displays as I had already added it).

4/ Navigate to the following directory: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Virtual PC\Utility\VMNetSrv and select the VMNetSrv.inf file and Ok your way back out.

5/  This should install the service and you should now see the service in your connection properties

6/ In your VPC make sure you set your network adapter to the adapter that you just installed the Virtual  Machine Network Service

 7/ Internet connection from VPC :)

Here is a good blog post for a couple of other issues if Virtual Machine Network Service is installed but you still can’t get network connectivity.

Another good article by Microsoft explaining the virtual machine network settings.