Sipping cocktails in Queensland

For those that know me, you will know that I have a tendency of collecting all sorts of things, but my main collection fetish is all things M&M related. I have in my collection some 40 M&M chocolate dispensers, some are classic ones from the 80′s and some are newer ones I got for Easter. I also collect M&M folders, pens, cups and stuffed toys. My favourite item is a mini M&M jukebox dispenser that plays the Lambada when it dispenses. For Christmas my mother in law got a hold of my four Star Wars M&M post cards and had them block mounted (very cool present).

So I was reading Chris’ blog and found that he had posted about a cool website that lets you design your own M&M character (www.becomeanmm.com). So I cranked up the site a created a character that is going to sum up my holiday in Queensland…so off I go to the warm sunny beaches to sip cocktails…see you when I get back.

Away in the Sun with my family

I am heading north to sunning Queensland on Saturday morning to spend some well deserved holiday time with my lovely wife and two wonderful children. I am not taking my laptop with me and therefore blogging will be just a little bit difficult. So my blog will be quiet for the next two weeks.

We are spending 5 or so days on the Gold Coast and will be doing Dreamworld, White Water World and lots of Direct Factory shopping at Habourtown Shopping Centre, before we head further north to Noosa where we will spend another 5 or so days.

I will speak to you all again and post some holiday snaps when I get back.

Change the default page when site is created

When you create a new publishing site in MOSS it automatically gets a default page created using the WelcomeLinks.aspx page layout. How can you change this behavior and have it automatically create a page based on a content type and page layout of your choice? Read on to find out how.

The Publishing template (as do all templates) have an ONET.XML file. In this file there is a modules section (as below), this defines the PublishingPageLayout and ContentType to be used when a site is created.


<Modules>
    <Module Name="Home" Url="$Resources:cmscore,List_Pages_UrlName;" Path="">
        <File Url="default.aspx" Type="GhostableInLibrary" Level="Draft" >
            <Property Name="Title" Value="$Resources:cmscore,IPPT_HomeWelcomePage_Title;" />
            <Property Name="PublishingPageLayout" Value="~SiteCollection/_catalogs/masterpage/WelcomeLinks.aspx, ~SiteCollection/_catalogs/masterpage/WelcomeLinks.aspx" />
            <Property Name="ContentType" Value="$Resources:cmscore,contenttype_welcomepage_name;" />
        </File>
    </Module>
</Modules>


This could be changed to specify any default content type and page layout. The following shows how you might change it to a content type called MyContentType and a default page layout called MyPageLayout.aspx;


<Modules>
    <Module Name="Home" Url="$Resources:cmscore,List_Pages_UrlName;" Path="">
        <File Url="default.aspx" Type="GhostableInLibrary" Level="Draft" >
            <Property Name="Title" Value="$Resources:cmscore,IPPT_HomeWelcomePage_Title;" />
            <Property Name="PublishingPageLayout" Value="~SiteCollection/_catalogs/masterpage/MyPageLayout.aspx, ~SiteCollection/_catalogs/masterpage/MyPageLayout.aspx" />
            <Property Name="ContentType" Value="MyContentType" />
            <Property Name="PublishingAssociatedContentType" Value=";#MyContentType;#0x010100C568…3A09F31E1FBA;#" />
        </File>
    </Module>
</Modules>


Note: The big number 0x010100C568…3A09F31E1FBA is obtained from the Url of the Content Type.

Using ASP.Net user controls ASCX in MOSS/WSSv3

Chris Johnson has posted a great article on using ASP.Net ASCX user controls in MOSS/WSSv3. I have been recently creating custom controls in Visual Studio (i.e. Control Classes not ASCX). To use these I add the controls to the GAC and then add an entry to the web.config to make it a safe control. The benefit of the ASCX model is that you can develop the user control in a more visual manner.

The ASCX controls can be used in MOSS/WSSv3 via the following method:

1. Create a Directory called “usercontrols” in the root of your sharepoint web site on the file system E.g. C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\moss.litwareinc.com80\UserControls

2. Open IIS manager and in the root of your SharePoint site create a VirtualDirectory called “_controls” and point it to that newly created directory.

3. Put your user control in that newly created directory on the filesystem

4. Open the web.config file and add the following:

<SafeControl src="~/_controls/*" mce_src="~/_controls/*" IncludeSubFolders="True" Safe="True" AllowRemoteDesigner="True" /">

5. In your ASPX page add the following:

<%@ Register src="~/_controls/SomeControl.ascx" mce_src="~/_controls/SomeControl.ascx" TagName="somecontrol" TagPrefix="uc2" %">

And…

<uc2:somecontrol id="mycontrol1" runat="server"></uc2:somecontrol>

6. Run your ASPX page and your control should render correctly.

MOSS AdRotator Control

I recently had a client who wanted an AdRotator on their MOSS Internet site. The client wanted to randomly choose an image from a nominated Image Library and display it on the home page. Unfortunately there is no Moss AdRotator control out-of-the-box. So I went back to my MCMS roots and adapted the MCMS AdRotator found on MCMS faq.com.

Take the MCMS AdRotator, rename it to MossAdRotator, and modify the OnAdCreated to obtain a random SPListItem from the nominated SPList (adsLibraryName) of the Current Web. Note: The code below assumes that the Image Library is located in the current web, but that could be adapted.

protected override void OnAdCreated(AdCreatedEventArgs e)
{
    try
    {
        SPWeb web = SPContext.Current.Web;
        SPList list = web.Lists[adsLibraryName];
 
        if (list != null)
        {
            int resourceIndex = Randomiser(list.ItemCount);
            SPListItem li = list.Items[resourceIndex];
 
            string webUrl = web.ServerRelativeUrl;
            if (webUrl != "/")
            {
                webUrl = webUrl + "/";
            }
 
            e.ImageUrl = web.Url + "/" + li.Url;
            e.AlternateText = li.DisplayName;
        }
        else
        {
            throw new Exception(
              "The Picture Library '" +
              adsLibraryName +
              "' could not be found.");
        }
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
        if (displayErrors)
        {
            e.AlternateText = ex.Message;
        }
        else
        {
            this.Visible = false;
        }
    }
}

Update: Quite a few people have asked me for a downable copy of the MossAdRotator control, so I have created a C# class file that you can download.

Most recent document sidebar gadget

I was looking through the Vista sidebar gadgets on live gallery and found this excellent gadget “Microsoft Office 2007 Recently Used Documents“.

“Quick and easy access to your most recently used Microsoft Office Word 2007, Excel 2007, and PowerPoint 2007 documents. This gadget lets you easily open, pin, or unpin the most recent items from your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint MRU. Requires Office 2007.”

I am using it now and have found it to be very useful, so I can recommend checking it out. Hopefully the list of files, which currently only support Word, Excel and PowerPoint will be expanded in the future.

New Groove developer portal on MSDN

Just read that the new Groove developer portal on MSDN has gone live.

This is a home for developers who want to learn more about Groove and how to develop solutions on the Groove platform. The site also links to relevant content on TechNet and Office Online, providing easy access to those materials.

This enables developers new to Groove to build a solid foundation of knowledge before taking Groove deployments to the next level by building a custom solution.

MOSSIG Meeting on Wednesday evening 28th March 2007

Don’t forget that Marc Dimmick will be presenting part 2 of his Microsoft Office Groove 2007 presentation at the MOSSIG meeting on Wednesday evening, this month from a business scenario perspective. If you are wondering what the value of Groove can be for your business this is a must see presentation.

New sections on my website

I have created two new sections on my website

1. MOSS Resources – A page that has links to bloggers, books that I recommend, etc…
2. MOSS Bug List – Thanks to Alan Coulter for starting of my bug list page. As I discover or get told of issues I will post them here.

MOSSIG March 2007 Meeting

This months MOSSIG meeting will again be at Microsoft Southbank, Level 5, 4 Freshwater Place Southbank on 28 March 2007 at 5:30 (pizza, drinks and networking), 6:00pm (presentation starts).

Show and Tell Session – Outlook Asset Management add-in

At last month’s meeting, Kevin Ramsey raised his hand to do a show and tell session on his outlook add-in. In doing so Kevin received a set of Microsoft Binoculars. How is your new “Vista” Kevin? This should be a very interesting seesion.

Business Session – Microsoft Groove

Marc Dimmick will be presenting part 2 of his Microsoft Office Groove 2007 presentation, this month from a business scenario perspective. If you are wondering what the value of Groove can be for your business this is a must see presentation.

Technical Session – WSSv3 and MOSS Exams

Having completed both the WSSv3 and MOSS Beta exams, Elaine van Bergen will be giving MOSSIG members an overview of the topics covered and an understanding of why Microsoft Certifications are extremely important.

To register please email register@mossig.net by COB Monday 26th March 2007.

Don’t forget to stay up to date with the latest agenda by downloading the MOSSIG Updater sidebar gadget for Vista. [Download]

Complete STSADM reference for MOSS 2007

Jose Barreto has posted an excellent reference for all STSADM operations (with parameters) in MOSS 2007. The reference includes 189 operational uses of STSADM.

SharePoint error handling (crank up the volume)

When developing with MOSS sometimes you come across a point in time where the page renders “Error: An unexpected error has occurred”. This is absolutely pointless for a developer who really needs to know what has gone wrong. There is however a way to crank up the volume on error reporting for MOSS (but only do it in your development environment).

1. Edit the web.config file for the site.
2. Look for “CallStack” in the SafeMode section, change the value from false to true.
3. Look for “CustomErrors” in System.Web section, change the value from On to Off.

And vola you now have full stack traced .Net error messages instead of the usless “Something – but I am not telling you what – went wrong” message.

RSS Feeds disappear from Outlook

I have been using Office 2007 since Beta 1 and have had no real issues with the product (stability at the start, but that is much better in the final release). I have been using the RSS features which are really cool but just this morning Outlook is not updating my RSS feeds. On further investigations Tools|Account Settings|RSS Feeds no longer contains a list of RSS Feeds. I now have to delete each RSS and re-add it manually (I didn’t have an OPML file – doh!).

For those of you that are using Office 2007 and the RSS feed feature, I recommend using the Import and Export feature to create an OPML file of your feeds occasionally (then you wont loose them like I did).

If anyone else has experienced this issue then let me know and if I find a fix to this issue I will update this post.

Microsoft Exam Insurance and TechNet Subscription

If you missed out last time, Microsoft are offerring Exam insurance plus TechNet Subscription once again. I might just take the plunge this time around and do an exam.

“When you purchase Exam Insurance and take your initial exam by April 30, 2007, you get a one-year subscription to Microsoft TechNet Plus Direct (US$349 value). TechNet Plus Direct is the must-have online resource for the latest Microsoft updates, tools, and guidance. Hurry though. You must register and take your first exam by April 30 to qualify.”

More information

Microsoft Enterprise Search Deep Dive Training

[via Angus Logan]

Angus has posted some great links to Microsoft Enterprise Search Deep Dive Training. I recently attended a Microsoft Enterprise Search partner briefing and can say that Microsoft are most definitely serious about their presence in the Enterprise Search space. Something quoted during the briefing was, “80% of business data lives on desktop computers.”, Microsoft have some serious plans for enabling businesses to get access to this data and all the other data that they require to do business better.

This deep dive training will be an excellent learning platform for anyone interested in understanding Microsoft’s Enterprise Search strategy.

Tenth year Wedding anniversary

Today is my tenth year Wedding anniversary. Ten years ago Nicole and I got married at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, this weekend we are going to return there with our two children Ethan and Jayde and show them were their Mum and Dad got married.

Microsoft Virtual Labs for Office System

Angus Logan has posted an excellent list of virtual labs for the office system, including Office 2007, WSSv3, MOSS 2007 and Groove. He also included a link to the virtual lab RSS feed so you can keep up to date as more virtual labs are released.

APAC SharePoint Conference

This exclusive Microsoft event is the third and final of three global SharePoint Conferences, following Seattle and Berlin. This world-class, two-day conference, to be held at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney from May 15-16, will showcase the latest innovations, features and functionality for the 2007 SharePoint products and technologies. The conference will provide an unprecedented opportunity for customers and partners in the Asia Pacific region to meet and network with Microsoft Office System product development teams, fellow IT professionals and architects, and partners.
With only 500 places available, this event is not to be missed!

Expert Presenters

SharePoint experts from the Asia Pacific region and members of the SharePoint product group such as Derek Burney (General Manager), Mike Fitzmaurice and Joel Oleson (both Senior Technical Product Managers), will provide attendees with technical information and demos for the latest release of SharePoint products and technologies: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, and Office SharePoint Designer 2007. And for the first time in Australia, information on Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 will be presented.

Brand New Deep Dive Content

Multiple tracks focused on specific solution technologies including Collaboration, Enterprise Search and Portals, Business Intelligence and Enterprise Content Management will be offered. Plus, there will be additional opportunities for attendees to learn about, and get hands on experience with, SharePoint products and technologies.

Technical “how to” breakout sessions covering subjects such as architecture, security, integration, deployment, migration, management and scalability, will help attendees develop, customise, integrate and build powerful, enterprise-ready solutions with SharePoint products and technologies.

Event Details
Dates: 15-16 May 2007
Venue: Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia
Cost: $549.00 for two days (includes registration, Welcome Night, conference sessions, and evening entertainment event)

Save the Date

Registrations for this conference will open soon (look for an announcement on this blog), and seats will be strictly limited. Block off May 15-16 on your calendar right now, so you won’t miss out!

What about Partner Sponsorship?

My company SDM is hoping to be a partner sponsor for this conference.

Local Speakers

I am currently in negotiations with Angus Logan to be one of the local speakers at the conference.

[As seen on Angus Logan's Blog and the SharePoint Team Blog]

Alternative Access Mappings

The SharePoint Product Team have justed posted an excellent article on Alternative Access Mappings for MOSS. This is Part 1 of a three part series that is going to be excellent. I can’t wait for the other 2 posts – keep the information coming guys.

Upgrade to MOSS today

I have previously posted about the removal of customer support from Microsoft for MCMS SP1a on January 9th 2007. I highly recommend that customers that wish to maintain their support arrangements for their content management platform, upgrade MCMS to SP2.

Also the new MOSS platform is providing lots of benefits to previous MCMS customers. A lot of the custom built features of MCMS such as content publishing, workflow extensions, search and content review notifications are now straight out of the box.

Quite a few of my customers are reviewing both their Intranet (SharePoint Portal Server) and Internet (MCMS) platforms and are consolidating towards a single technology platform (MOSS).

I would highly recommend migrating to the new MOSS technology platform for any of my SPS or MCMS customers as this Enterprise level solution is providing lots of benefical features to help organisations operate more effectively.

CodeJedi has moved

After lots of trouble with the RSS feeds under Blogger, I have made the move and relocated my blog to WordPress. My RSS feed will be the same as always http://feeds.feedburner.com/CodeJediNET. If you are reading this post via RSS, be sure to check out the new look blog site.