The Snow Web Part I created last year still works on any SharePoint site (v2 or v3):
You can download last year's snow.dwp Web Part here. Just import it onto a page.
I thought it would be fun to release another simple, holiday CEWP.
(50 plus images in the AJAX-style slide show)
The Mindsharp staff enjoyed the images I showed them at SnowCrystals.com; so I asked the image owners if I could wrap their awesome photos into a Web Part. They gave me permission to proceed. I also thought I could use the opportunity to show off how the CEWP can use the RPC URL Protocol to access a List/Library in either WSS v2, SPS, WSS v3, or MOSS. So, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Use the following steps (generic steps given to prevent WSS version confusion) to create a standard Picture Library, add the images, and point the CEWP at the Library.
- Upload my snowcrystals.stp (WSS v2 version or WSS v3 version - both custom List Templates target the STS 1033 site definition; that is Team Sites, Blank Sites, and Document Workspaces using the US English language) into your list template gallery on the top-level site of any site collection.
- Create a new Picture Library using the uploaded list template.
OR, if you are using a site based a site definition other than STS or in a locale other than 1033, or you just want to create the Picture Library from scratch, use these alternate instructions:
- Download the snow crystal images (I made them all 200x200).
- Unzip the images to your local file system.
- Create a Picture Library named SnowCrystals.
- Upload the images into the new Picture Library.
After the Picture Library is created, the following steps are required:
- Ensure everyone that will see the Web Part has at least read access to the new Picture Library.
- Navigate to Picture Library Settings. In the URL, you will see the List as a parameter in the QueryString. It looks like the bolded section below (the v2 version will not have escape characters, either is OK):
http://[site]/_layouts/listedit.aspx?List=%7B2F6C6FAC%2D7E9A%2D42C2%2DBA99%2DCC986C67D7AE%7D
- Copy this List ID.
On the page that you want to display the snow crystals:
- Put my snowcrystals.dwp CEWP onto any WSS page.
- Choose Modify Shared Web Part from the Web Part's smart menu.
- Click the Source Editor... button in the tool pane and at the top of the JavaScript modify the following constants:
Paste the List ID you copied from the URL into the LIST_ID constant as follows:
var LIST_ID = "%7B2F6C6FAC%2D7E9A%2D42C2%2DBA99%2DCC986C67D7AE%7D";
Optionally, change the wait seconds to the number of seconds you want each image to show before displaying the next image in the library:
var WAIT_SECS = 1;
If the Picture Library IS on the same site as the Web Part (easiest) continue on to the next step. Otherwise, change the URL constant to the Web Application (same as v2 Virtual Server including both protocol and domain - do not end with a forward slash). Also, change the ROOT_URL to the fully qualified location to the site where the SnowCrystals Picture Library is located. If the library's URL is http://portal/sites/subsite/SnowCrystals/Form/AllItems.aspx, change these two lines as follows (they default to the values for the current site):
var WEB_URL = LOC_HREF.substring(0, LOC_HREF.indexOf(document.domain))+ document.domain;
var SITE_URL = LOC_HREF.substring(0,LOC_HREF.lastIndexOf('/'));
to these:
var WEB_URL = "http://portal";
var SITE_URL = http://portal/sites/subsite;
- Click Save and then Exit Edit Mode.
- Be amused.
Much bigger and crisper images can be seen in the three galleries at http://snowcrystals.com. There are also lots of interesting articles about snow crystals including a scientific discussion about whether two snow flakes could ever be alike or not.
In my next post, I'll explain how the code inside the Web Part works and how it can be used in other scenarios.
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