You are currently browsing the monthly archive for March 2010.
I am currently planning my trip to California, for the second half of April. I’ll be in the San Diego area the week of April 19th, and possibly in the San Francisco area the week after.
As usual, I am trying to make the most of such trips, meet with user groups, and discuss business opportunities with partners and customers. If you’d like me to come and visit you, please drop me a note at Christophe@PathToSharePoint.com and I’ll be happy to respond!
Today I decided to test in SharePoint 2010 the Image Rotator I released yesterday. I just followed the instructions and filled out the form:
http://www.pathtosharepoint.com/sharepoint-user-toolkit/Pages/Image-Rotator-Lite.aspx
It worked like a charm, I didn’t notice any difference in behavior between SP 2007 and SP 2010.
Of course, we have to wait until the final SharePoint release in a few weeks to confirm it. But this is pretty good news and I couldn’t wait to share the result!
After the Easy Tabs and color coding earlier this month, I am releasing today a new, beta version of the Image Rotator: http://www.pathtosharepoint.com/sharepoint-user-toolkit/Pages/Image-Rotator-Lite.aspx
Lite means that it is written in plain JavaScript and doesn’t require any external library like jQuery. The ”heavy” version, written with jQuery, allows some additional transition effects.
A key feature of this image rotator is that it takes advantage of the specificities of SharePoint libraries: instead of full size pictures, you can choose to load thumbnails or Web optimized pictures, for better performance.
What’s new in v2?
The main difference with version 1 is that you can now choose the view the rotator pulls the images from. It means that if you apply rules to a view (filtering, sorting), the rotator will follow them. See the context help in the form for details on how to select the view.
You can also choose between random and sequential for the images order.
The new version adds alt text to the images, a usability feature that was missing in version 1.
I have also included in the form a basic debugging option. If your rotator doesn’t work, include the debugging option, and (hopefully) you’ll get an error message that will help you troubleshoot the issue.
Why a copyright?
By including a license, I explicitly grant you the right to use the script without having to ask me first.
Why beta?
The new version has several new options, and testing all the variations on various browsers is time consuming. A beta version allows me to accelerate the release process and benefit from your input.
In particular, I haven’t done much on the styles (e.g. how to position the description). Feedback, ideas and sample stylesheets are welcome!
To report an issue, leave a comment below, or send an e-mail to Christophe@PathToSharePoint.com.
I have tested the script in IE7, IE8, Firefox, Chrome and Safari.
Will it work in SharePoint 2010?
It’s too soon to tell for sure, but I expect the image rotator to work in SP 2010. A couple adjustments may be needed.
No documentation?
The page is still under construction, and I’ll add more information in the weeks to come. For information on the options, hover over the help icons on the form.
How to get the script?
Go to the Image Rotator page, fill out the form, and click on the “Save to Disk” button. Once you have your script, you can add it to a SharePoint page via a Content Editor Web Part (preferred solution: upload the text file containing the script to a SharePoint library, then link to it from the CEWP).
Notes:
- if you don’t have Flash 10 installed, you won’t see the “Save to Disk” button. In this case, just copy and paste the code displayed in the text area.
- this image rotator only works in authenticated environments. I’ll publish soon another script for anonymous users.
- the picture library needs to be on the same domain as your Web page. If the picture library is on www.domain1.com, you can display the Image Rotator on any page that belongs to www.domain1.com, but not on www.domain2.com for example.
- the view of your picture library needs to be a “view without folders”.
- keep in mind that this is a beta version, for evaluation purposes.
I am working on a new formula generator for color coding calendars and lists, to replace the current one. If you are already using the HTML Calculated Column, I’d appreciate if you could give it a try and tell me how it goes.
You’ll find the new formula generator here:
http://www.pathtosharepoint.com/sharepoint-user-toolkit/Pages/Color-Coding-Calendar-List.aspx
The new form includes a color picker, which will allow you to choose among more than a hundred different color names supported by all major browsers.
I have updated the formula, and the rendering should be improved in calendar views. I am also including a fancy semi-transparent background. This is a risky exercise because of browser compatibility issues, so let me know if it doesn’t render as expected.
Known issue: if you choose to color the text, border and background, you’ll notice that the formula becomes quite heavy because the color calculation is repeated three times. The formula may even become too long for SharePoint, and you’ll get the following message:
The formula contains a syntax error or is not supported.
To address this issue, I am working on an option to store the color calculation in a separate field.
I am presenting three live online workshops this week, with Mark Miller from EndUserSharePoint.com. As usual, each participant receives a sandbox to try out the solutions we provide.
March 23, 2010 – Inline Visualizations in SharePoint
An entry level workshop where you’ll learn how to add color and other effects to your SharePoint lists. Here is a live demo:
http://www.pathtosharepoint.com/Lists/TasksVisualization/AllItems.aspx
March 24, 2010 – SharePoint Gantt Chart Enhancements
The participants will receive 6 snippets of code. The centerpiece is the dynamic timescale (month/week/day), as demonstrated on this mockup:
http://www.pathtosharepoint.com/Pages/GanttTimeScale.aspx
March 25, 2010 – Dynamic Feedback through SharePoint and Sparkline Charts
Sparklines are a fascinating, relatively new way to communicate. More compact than traditional charts, richer than traditional indicators, they are very popular in dashboards that require to synthesize large amounts of data.
jQuery and Google will come to the rescue to help us integrate these mini-charts in SharePoint. But of course we’ll also share some homemade recipes!
For more information and to register, follow this link:
http://eusp-chartsandgraphs.eventbrite.com
I am currently working on the next release of the Image Rotator that I plan to release this month. I have already identified a couple improvements that will make their way in the new version.
There are many image rotators available on the Web – I have built a couple myself. The interest of the one I propose is that it takes advantage of SharePoint’s built-in features to improve performance: instead of loading the full image, you can choose to use a thumbnail or a Web-optimized copy.
“Lite” refers to the script being written in plain JavaScript, without the need for additional libraries like jQuery. My other more advanced (and heavier) versions use jQuery and plugins to include transition effects (fade, slide, bounce, etc.).
What I haven’t decided yet is how to add a description for each picture. Should it be displayed below the picture? Should it just show up on mouseover? Well, your ideas are welcome! Just keep in mind that it is a “Lite” version, so don’t expect fancy effects.
Last year, I published a sample script that changes the layout of boxed views from two columns to a single column.
Several readers reported that it didn’t work for them. Larry Pfaff investigated the issue, and came up with the following update:
<script type="text/javascript">
var boxedview = document.getElementById("WebPartWPQ1").innerHTML;
boxedview = boxedview.replace(/<td width="1.5%"> <\/td>/gi,"<\/tr><tr style='font-size:6px\;'><td> <\/td><\/tr><tr>");
boxedview = boxedview.replace(/<td width="1%"> <\/td>/gi,"<\/tr><tr style='font-size:6px\;'><td> <\/td><\/tr><tr>");
boxedview = boxedview.replace(/<td> <\/td>/gi,"<\/tr><tr style='font-size:6px\;'><td> <\/td><\/tr><tr>");
document.getElementById("WebPartWPQ1").innerHTML = boxedview;
</script>
To include the script in your page, use a CEWP placed below the boxed view.
The above script is written for wss v3. It identifies the Web Part by its id “WebPartWPQ1″. If you use MOSS, or if the boxed view is on a page along with other Web Parts (typically on the site home page), you’ll need to change the id to “WebPartWPQ2″ or ”WebPartWPQn“. Or you can modify the code to scroll through all the Web Parts on the page and grab the boxed views.
Larry’s update works for all boxed styles, while my initial code only worked against the “Boxed, no labels” style.
Remember that the purpose of this sample script is simplicity (5 lines!). It relies on the innerHTML property.
I am going to publish a more complete (and of course heavier) solution that will allow you to choose the number of columns.
About Larry:
“Larry Pfaff, Sr, Systems Analyst working for Convergys Corp, a global company, based out of Jacksonville Florida delivering training and outsourcing for major corporations. I have been working with SharePoint for almost 7 years and manage many internal projects using SharePoint as the collaboration tool. I enjoy new challenges and automating existing process. I seek out cookie cutter solution and mold them to fit for “Non-Developers” working with SharePoint by developing and providing training for end user and sharing my knowledge with as many as I can.”
Larry is a long time reader of my blog and other power user blogs, like EndUserSharePoint.com and SharePoint JavaScripts. While we were collaborating on a case study, in the past few weeks, Larry decided to take the plunge and start his own blog, SharePoint Hacker.
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