SharePoint 2010: Missing Search Scope Dropdown

 

In SharePoint 2007 there is a search scope dropdown:

 

This is missing in a default setup of SharePoint 2010:

 

It’s still available, you just have to turn it on. Just go to Site Actions, Site Settings, Site Collection Administration, Search Settings:

Note that this is a site collection setting, not per sub site.

 

Select “Show scopes dropdown and it’s back!

 

This was an option only in MOSS 2007. WSS 2007 always had the scope dropdown. I have not checked SharePoint 2010 Framework yet to see if is an option there…

SharePoint 2010: "the update is not applicable to your computer”

 

If you install SharePoint 2010 Beta 2 you will probably get this error when using search and other services:

Unrecognized attribute 'allowInsecureTransport'

 

If you do a little web searching you will find that you need this update:

KB976462: https://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?DownloadID=23806&wa=wsignin1.0

 

If you have already installed SharePoint 2010 Beta 2 then go ahead and run this patch. But, be aware: “Service Applications that have been successfully provisioned without the update installed may need to be removed and re-provisioned once the update has been successfully applied”

 

If you start a new server build and try to install this patch you will get:

"the update is not applicable to your computer"

You must install the SharePoint 2010 prerequisites first, then install this patch.

 

Then I got this error: (but only on my second build! Go figure…)

“Failed to create sample data”

and found the fix here:  (and then restarted the Configuration Wizard)

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sharepoint2010general/thread/f239de4a-488e-47e1-8f1e-b382fd4668fa

 

Here is the correct install order (or at least what worked for me):

1. Install Windows Server 2008 (I installed 2008 R2 Standard and did no additional configuration except for networking)
2. If you are going to rename the server, do it before installing SharePoint (or at least before you install SQL Server).
3. Run the SharePoint install and click “Install SharePoint 2010 prerequisites” and complete this install.
4. Now install the “patch” (you will need to restart after the install)
5. Now return to the SharePoint install and click “Install SharePoint Server”

 

Just in case you are curious… the SQL Server installed with a “standalone” install is the 64bit version of SQL Express:

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 (SP1) - 10.0.2531.0 (X64)
       Mar 29 2009 10:11:52
       Copyright (c) 1988-2008 Microsoft Corporation
       Express Edition (64-bit) on
        Windows NT 6.1 <X64> (Build 7600: ) (VM)

 

 

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SharePoint 2010 Beta 2 now on MSDN and TechNet!

Got an MSDN or TechNet subscription???

But don’t start your download until I’m finished!!!

 

First notes:

• Both Foundation and Server are available for download
• The downloads are installers. No virtual disks yet.
• The download is a single file install. When started in offers a link to “Read the install guide” that when clicks opens a browser to a Microsoft SharePoint 2007 web page. (It’s a beta…)
  
• There is a bug!  (Unrecognized attribute 'allowInsecureTransport'") See here for the pending fix, and for additional installation notes:
  http://blogs.msdn.com/opal/archive/2009/11/16/installation-notice-for-sharepoint-2010-public-beta.aspx

Exam Discounts

This is a note for people who have attended my classes. (Everyone else go see their own MCT!)

If you are thinking about Microsoft certification, check with me before signing up for an exam. I can usually get you a discount on both the exam and on practice exams.

Currently:

• 10% off of the exam
• 40% on any MeasureUp 60 Day Online Practice Test

Not all exams qualify, but most MCP exams do. MeasureUp does not have a practice test of every Microsoft exam.

If you would like a discount voucher, email me at the email address I gave you during class or just call MAX Technical Training.

 

Know any college or tech school students? They can 55% off of exams here:
http://www.prometric.com/microsoft/student

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SharePoint: Hide a web part with zero rows

 

(I wrote this up a few months ago, and then forgot to post it. So here it is finally!)

 

Here’s a JavaScript trick to hide a list or library web part when there are no items in the list, or the current view used in the web part.

 

Steps:

• On the same page as your web part, add a Content Editor Web Part (CEWP)
• Select Edit and then Modify Shared Web Part
• In the Advanced section set the Chrome to none
• Click the Content Editor button and add the JavaScript from below
• Replace "Test List" with your web part's name
  (If you don’t know the name or your guess does not work, view the HTML source of the page (View, Source in IE) and do a search for “summary=”.)

Note that the commented out section can be used to just hide the title bar instead of the entire web part.

 

<script>
function HideWebPartWithZeroRows()
{

  var a = document.getElementsByTagName("TABLE")
  for (var i=0;i<a.length;i++)
  {
    if (a[i].summary=="Test List")
    {
      if (a[i].rows.length==1)
      {
        //hide all but the title bar
        //var x =  a[i].parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode

        //hide the entire web part
        var x =  a[i].parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode.parentNode

        x.style.display="none";
      }
    }
  }

}

_spBodyOnLoadFunctionNames.push("HideWebPartWithZeroRows") 

</script>

 

 

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SharePoint: Don’t Upgrade to SharePoint 2010!

 

Don’t upgrade to SharePoint 2010!

   There, I said it.

        Don’t do it.
            Just say no.
                 Put the DVD down and just walk away!

 

Unless when you rolled out 2007….

you really planned ahead,
created the ultimate governance plan document,
enforced that plan,
planned a farm with scalability and redundancy  in mind,
designed your taxonomy,
properly trained your users,
created and routinely executed an audit plan, 
and have a well documented and tested disaster recovery plan,

then you will just be creating the same mess again.

 

Do it right this time!  And then migrate only the business appropriate content into a clean, safe, secure, reliable and useable system.

You have probably learned a lot about SharePoint 2007 and probably learned a lot about how NOT to install it, release it to the corporation, train users and organize sites and data. You most likely now an expert on what NOT to do.

Now go do your homework. You have the time. It’s worth every minute. Go research “governance”, “best practices” and other people’s horror stories. Get your governance team trained on governance and a project methodology. Get your plan together, carefully implement it and enjoy!

 

 

 

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Cincinnati SharePoint User Group Meeting (November 2009)

We have a new URL! http://www.CincinnatiSPUG.org
(this still works:  http://cincyspug.securespsites.com )

 

6:00 PM 11/5/09 at MAX Technical Training

Topic: SharePoint 2010 (what else could it be, just after the big announcements!)

 

We have door prizes!  We have a number of SharePoint books and other goodies to give away!
We will also have some discount codes just for people who attend from several major book publishers.

SharePoint: SharePoint 2010 Posters (Technical diagrams) Available

14 free posters for SharePoint 14!  34-by-44-inch posters.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc263199(office.14).aspx

 

Services in SharePoint 2010 Products
Describes and illustrates the services architecture, including and common ways to deploy services in your overall solution design.

Cross-farm Services in SharePoint 2010 Products
Illustrates how to deploy services across farms to provide centralized administration of services.

Topologies for SharePoint Server 2010
Describes common ways to build and scale farm topologies, including planning which servers to start services on.

Hosting Environments in SharePoint 2010 Products
Summarizes the support for hosting environments and illustrates common hosting architectures.

Search Technologies for SharePoint 2010 Products
Compares and contrasts the search technologies that work with SharePoint Products 2010:SharePoint Foundation 2010,Search Server 2010 Express,Search Server 2010,SharePoint Server 2010,FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint

Search Environment Planning for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
Walks through primary architecture design decisions for search environments.

Search Architectures for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
Details the physical and logical architecture components that make up a search system and illustrates common search architectures.

Design Search Architectures for Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
Walks through the initial design steps to determine a basic design for a SharePoint Server 2010 search architecture.

Business Connectivity Services Model
This model poster describes the architecture of Microsoft Business Connectivity Services in SharePoint Server 2010 and provides information about how to create solutions that are based on the service.

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Upgrade Planning
This model covers planning for an upgrade from Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010.

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Upgrade Approaches
This model helps you understand the in-place, database attach, and hybrid approaches to upgrading from Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010.

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 — Test Your Upgrade Process
This model explains the methodology for testing the upgrade process before upgrading from Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010.

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 — Services Upgrade
This model covers upgrading services from Office SharePoint Server 2007 to SharePoint Server 2010.

Choose a tool for business intelligence in SharePoint Server 2010
Discusses the tools available for business intelligence

SharePoint: Setting a People Picker field using the API

 

Funny how the obvious does not always work… For example, you want to create a new task in code and assign it to some one. You might try to set the Assigned To field to the user's name:

      SPItem itm6 = lst.Items.Add();
      itm6["Title"] = "test2";
      itm6["Assigned To"] = @"MAXSP2007\samc";               //fails!
      itm6.Update();

“Assigned To” is a “People Picker” field and only accepts data in certain ways, any but the obvious. If you read this field you will see a value like:  “8#;MAXSP2007\samc”, and using that value will work…

What the "People Picker” field wants is the ID of the user, the “8”.  The rest appears to be ignored. So, here’s several ways to get there:

      itm1["Assigned To"] = web.AllUsers[@"MAXSP2007\samc"];  //works
-

      itm2["Assigned To"] = 8;                                //works
-

      itm3["Assigned To"] = web.AllUsers[@"MAXSP2007\samc"];  //works
-
      SPMember member = web.AllUsers[@"MAXSP2007\samc"];
      itm4["Assigned To"] = member.ID;                        //works
-
      SPMember member = web.AllUsers[@"MAXSP2007\samc"]; 
      itm5["Assigned To"] = member;                           //works

 

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SharePoint: Hiding the Search Box

Sometimes a site or site page has only one purpose, and you don’t want the distraction of the search controls. The search controls are easy to hide and can be hidden at various levels…

 

To hide the search control on just one page:

• Add a Content Editor Web Part (CEWP)
• Edit the web part and click the Source Editor button
• Paste the following:

   <style>
     #SRSB {display:none}
   </style>

 

To hide the search control on all pages:

• Use SharePoint Designer to edit your master page and put the above style tag just after the SharePoint style controls

   <SharePoint:CssLink runat="server"/>
   <SharePoint:Theme runat="server"/>
   <style>
     #SRSB {display:none}
   </style>

To let the site owners hide or show by using a feature:

The search box is actually an ASP.Net Web User Control (.ASCX) that can be replaced by using a SharePoint “feature”. If you want nothing displayed you can just create a one line .Net Web User Control (using Notepad if you like):
<%@ Control Language="VB" ClassName="yourclassname" %>
Here's an article with enough info to get you started on building the feature (just leave out the Google stuff):
http://techtrainingnotes.blogspot.com/2009/07/sharepoint-custom-search-boxes-google.html

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