WSS v3

"I'm just not sure how well this plan was thought through"

Todd Bleeker — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 06:19:00 GMT

Hello, yeah, it's been a while
Not much, how 'bout you
I'm not sure why I [blogged]
I guess I really just wanted to talk to you

And I was thinking maybe later on
We could get together for a while
It's been such a long time
And I really do miss your smile...

The last few months have kind of been like a hangover from my book and courseware writing. I really didn't want to write anything that I didn't have to write. Metaphorically, I've had my coffee and I'm ready to warm up the keyboard again.

Snow Web Part, Part Two - Crystallized

Todd Bleeker — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 13:33:00 GMT

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.

Developer's Guide to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

Todd Bleeker — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:32:00 GMT

Want to get your hands on some early WSS v3 developer help? My book, the Developer's Guide to Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 should be on shelves the day after Christmas:

<Todd />

From 40 to 50 to 60 to 12 in six years flat

Todd Bleeker — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:01:00 GMT

As was the “60 Hive”, the “12 Hive” is the starting place for everything SharePoint in WSS v3. I’ve mapped some of the key IIS virtual directories and built-in site definitions below:

But what is it about Microsoft versioning that goofs up all their version numbers? You may have noticed that I've changed the name of my blog from "the 60 Hive" to "the 12 Hive" to match the new WSS v3 structure. But, 60 --> 12, what is Microsoft thinking? Is this twice (6.0x2=12) the release or perhaps one fifth the release (60*0.2=12)?

Not that Microsoft has a good track record on this front. Consider the Microsoft Windows operating system was first labeled with standard numerical version numbers (Windows 1.0 through Windows 3.11), then by years (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000), and also by alphanumeric codes (Windows Me, Windows XP). All the while versions of Windows from 95 on have continued the standard numerical versions internally: Windows 95 is Windows 4.0, 98 is 4.10, 2000 is (NT) 5.0, Me is 4.9, XP is (NT) 5.1, 2003 is (NT) 5.2, and Vista is (NT) 6.0 (excerpts from WikiPedia.com).

Windows Operating System Versions
• Windows 1.0
• Windows 2.0
• Windows 3.0
• Windows 3.1
• Windows 3.11
• Windows 3.51 (NT)
• Windows 95
• Windows 98
• Windows 4 (NT)
• Windows 2000
• Windows ME
• Windows XP
• Windows 2003
• Windows Vista
(more details here)

While officially part of the operating system Windows SharePoint Services version 3 (WSS v3) is the foundation for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS). Coupled with tight integration in the Office clients and WSS v3 feels like it is part of Office. But the Office team hasn’t done much better on this front:

Microsoft Office Versions (excerpts pieced together from various sources and just from my memory)
• Office 3.0 released August 30, 1992: CD-ROM version: Word 2.0c, Excel 4.0a, PowerPoint 3.0, Mail (repackaged as Office 92).
• Office 4.0 released January 17, 1994: Word 6.0, Excel 4.0, PowerPoint 3.0.
• Office for NT 4.2 released July 3, 1994: Word 6.0 [32-bit, i386 and Alpha], Excel 5.0 [32-bit, i386 and Alpha], PowerPoint 4.0 [16-bit], "Microsoft Office Manager".
• Office 4.3 released June 2, 1994: the last 16-bit version; Word 6.0, Excel 5.0, PowerPoint 4.0, Mail 3.2 and in the pro version, Access 2.0. Last version to support Windows 3.x.
• Office 95 (7.0) released August 30, 1995: Word 7 for Windows 95, etc. - coincided with the Windows 95 release.
• Office 97 (8.0) released December 30, 1996: Word 97, etc. was published on CD-ROM as well as on a set of 45 3½-inch floppy disks), was Y2K safe with Service Release 2.
• Office 2000 (9.0) released January 27, 1999: Word 2000, etc. Last version to support Windows 95.
• Office XP (10.0) released May 31, 2001: Word 2002, etc. Last version to support Windows 98/ME. Improved support for working in restricted accounts under Windows 2000/XP
• Office 2003 (11.0) released November 17, 2003: Word 2003, etc.
• Office 2007 (12.0) released November 6, 2006: Word 2007, etc.
• Office ???? (13.0) will never be released, Microsoft is skipping Version 13 and going straight to Office 14.0

So, I predict that a few years from now my blog will be renamed to “the 14 Hive” (that sounds hard to say, doesn't it?).

As an aside, I’ve been traveling and training for the last 12 (like the 12 Hive) of 15 weeks (yikes!). My evenings have also been very full learning, writing courseware, learning, writing book chapters, and learning. Never stop learning or you become an old dog (I guess) - no new tricks, right?

Watch for new tricks in the coming weeks.

PS: 40 (four ohhh) was FrontPage Server Extentions 2002, 50 (five ohhh - like the TV show) was SharePoint Team Services, 60 (six ohhh) was Windows SharePoint Services 2.0, and 12 (twelve) is Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. It's not twelve ohhh but at first it's hard not to say that.

Reliable, supported deployment of CAS policies is available in WSS v3

Todd Bleeker — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 17:05:00 GMT

I typically avoid posts that merely link to some other person's hard work. But you just can't miss Maurice Prather's recent post on deploying CAS using Solution CABs in WSS v3:

http://www.bluedoglimited.com/SharePointThoughts/ViewPost.aspx?id=249

I am so pumped to try this (have to wait until B2TR which is just weeks away now).