The Digital DoorMatt : sharepoint

Understanding Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007

digitaldive — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:36:32 GMT

Ever wanted to know more about SharePoint? Ever confused about the plethora of different features and functions? Take a look at my 30 minute webcast, giving a high-level overview of SharePoint, and how it can benefit your business:

SharePoint workflows and starting issues

digitaldive — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:24:00 GMT

Using a workflow in SharePoint is a very powerful tool. Workflows allow for a greater degree of control and automation. When a document is added or changed in a library or list, the workflow can be set up using the SharePoint Designer wizard to automatically create list items, send an email, create to-do items, and so forth. You can also set conditions on whether the workflow runs (see screen shots below), for example, if a field contains a certain word or number. Basic workflows can be also be inserted via the canned functionality in SharePoint. Even though the wizard allows for more customization and control, it's a cinch to use.

I've been using workflows in a recent SharePoint creation to automatically send an email when an item is created in a document library. The document was created and submitted via an InfoPath form. However, I noticed a bizarre bug which I eventually found a workaround for.

The bug

On creating a new item, for the first document I added, the workflow ran fine. However, for subsequent documents, the workflow would be shown as "Starting", and would not complete, no matter how long I left it (see screen shot below).

The solution

I simply pointed the InfoPath form to a brand new document library, and then pointed it back to the original one. This seemed to solve the issue, and the workflow worked fine from then on. I'm not sure of the root cause of the problem (a SharePoint expert I talked to said it could be either server, the workflow itself or the document library causing problems), so I'm not suggesting this solution would work for everyone. However, if you find that your workflows are not running for no discernable reason, and your conditions are set correctly, give this a go!

Pulling a username in InfoPath

digitaldive — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:01:00 GMT

Not only am I delving into the world of server management, but I'm also feeling my way around the wonders of InfoPath!

InfoPath is a great tool to allow you to manage data gathering, create electronic and online forms, and integrate with SharePoints.

Specifically, I recently wanted to pull in the username of the person filling out an InfoPath form, and it's actually insanely easy! Here's how:

Open your InfoPath form in design view, and create a text box or expression box.
Click the button in the properties of the box
Click "Insert Function..."
Click "All" in the Categories List
Scroll to the bottom of the Functions list and click "userName"
Click "OK"

Now, when the form is opened to be filled out, the user's username will appear in the box. Easy!

More information can be found about InfoPath, which forms part of the Microsoft Office suite, here.