SharePoint Web Part Development

Hide Site Contents from the Left Navigation in SharePoint Server 2013 Community sites

Now that SharePoint Server 2013 RTM has been released, I am seeing more and more questions from clients about what has changed in 2013, or specific questions about their implementation of 2013 so far.  One recent request was to hide the Site Contents link from the left navigation.  Now, your probably thinking to yourself, that's easy, just click that "Edit Links" button in the left navigation and then click the X to delete that link.  To be honest, you wouldn't be wrong!  However, what about the site templates that do not give you this option, for example a Community site.  If you look at one of these sites, SharePoint 2013 has limited a lot of access.  By this I mean they hide a lot, and one of the things that is hidden or not included is the Edit Links button in the left navigation.  So lets get into this SharePoint Help topic:

To get Site Contents to not show in the left navigation, you have to make the change through CSS or the master page.  I have done it through CSS to make things easier, since you do not have to really go into SharePoint Designer or touch the master page.  Here is what I have done:

•          I created a .css file with the following contents (3 lines!)

#ctl00_PlaceHolderLeftNavBar_PlaceHolderQuickLaunchBottom_idNavLinkViewAll {
 
visibility:hidden;

} 

•          With this file, I then uploaded it to a library in SharePoint (any will work).
•          Then, a bit tricky, you need to tell the community site to use this custom CSS file, but you do not get the option to change this, or at least they do not give you the link to do this through site settings (the link would be under the Look and Feel section called Master Page).
•          Luckily the page does exist but you have to enter the URL manually.
•          The URL to this page is the following: _layouts/15/ChangeSiteMasterPage.aspx
•          This would go at the end of your Community site URL.  EX: http://sp2013.com/sites/magrest/community/_layouts/15/ChangeSiteMasterPage.aspx
•          Doing so should take you to a page that looks like the following:

•          Here, expand the Alternate CSS URL section.
•          With this section expanded, select the “Specify a CSS file to be used by this site and all sites that inherit from it:
•          This will then let you click Browse…
•          Browse to where you saved the .css file and click ok

After adding this custom CSS file, your left navigation should be ready to go.  Here is what my left nav looks like when this is applied.

Notice no more Site Contents!  Pretty simple isn't it? 

You could also do this through a Content Editor web part, and then just paste in the above CSS.  This would only affect the page the Content Editor web part was placed on.  If that is the need for just one page to not show this, I would go this route.  Otherwise, if you want the entire site to be affected, go with the CSS file route. 

IncWorx Consulting is a leading Microsoft Gold Partner focusing on SharePoint Consulting, SharePoint Support, and SharePoint Application Development.

What is Branding?

When I first started in the industry I was brought on as a Jr. SharePoint Designer. At my previous position I was a creative director in a small marketing firm with some web development experience and a lot of design experience. It was an innovative idea at the time to take a designer and turn him into a developer. Traditionally, employers expect their developers to double as designers as well. It was quite embarrassing for me during my interview when I was asked what I knew about branding. I responded with a 5 minute synopsis of my knowledge of brand identities, which while relevant, was not what the interviewer meant. He explained that in the SharePoint industry branding is the process of taking a company’s brand identity and merging it with a cohesive web design and user interface to enhance the overall user experience.

One may ask, "Well isn't that just like web design then?"... NO! Web design is a part of the overall branding process and usually does not account for the various business practices and day to day tasks that SharePoint users perform. When one "brands" a SharePoint site they need to account for the daily activities of the clients end users. This leads us to UI (user interface) design.

One question I hear almost on a day to day basis is, "Why should we spend our resources on custom branding?" In short, what many project stakeholders, managers, supervisors, CIOs, etc., do not realize is that branding can make their SharePoint site more functional in the long run. I don't mean functional in the sense that branding will enhance functionality of the SharePoint framework. I mean functional as in, a branded SharePoint site will be far more likely to be incorporated into an employee’s day to day functions. Why would any end user want to spend an hour or more per day using a platform that they do not feel is relevant to them. It’s these thoughts that lead us to consider designing for user acceptance by enhancing the UX (user experience).

Basic Principals of Branding

The basic principles behind branding a SharePoint site revolve around the corporate culture of your client, and ultimately the end user. It is with the end user in mind that we can identify the core principals of branding as:

• Brand Identity
• UI ( User Interface )
• UX ( User Experience )
• and User Acceptance

Brand Identity

Pictured left to right: Lanette Bauer, Jeff Scallet, Jason Billman, Fanan Lemezis, and Michael Mayes with Inc Jr. on casual Friday

First, let’s talk about Brand Identity. A company's brand identity is more than just a logo, trademark, or set of colors. It is a system that unifies an organization. An effective brand identity lets users, affiliates, and consumers alike know that "This is our company". It is a show of pride in an organization. Take IncWorx for example. One of our strongest brand assets is Inc Jr. He is the first thing you see on our website and the first thing you will see in our office. He represents our corporate culture and who we strive to be. With his S3 shield he protects our clients from the pitfalls and dangers that dwell in the SharePoint world. He is cool, modern, and a fun guy to hang out with. While, Inc Jr. is clearly not a real person who slays memory leaks and protects us from unsupported practices, he represents our organization.

Many companies spend thousands of dollars or more to develop an effective brand identity. This is why it is so important to incorporate this identity into the overall design and brand implementation. It not only shows that one understands their client's corporate culture, but it also gives the organization an intranet that they can be proud of and show off. I have yet to meet a CIO that does not want an intranet that they can show off to others. It's also important for employees to be able to feel at home and part of the organization whenever they log on. Once again brand identity instills pride in one’s organization.

User Interface

Now, that we have discussed a little about brand identity and the importance of conveying the corporate culture through branding lets discuss UI (User Interface). Google defines UI as, “The means by which the user and a computer system interact, in particular the use of input devices and software.” This is technically correct, but it doesn’t capture the human component. All people are different, as are all organizations, and therefore all UI should be different as well. Now one cannot expect to have a separate user interface for each individual, but one can account for the majority of similarities across an enterprise.

In most circumstances during the assessment process I’ll find that there are a core set of functional needs and requirements that span at least 80% of the organization. So I can then develop an interface that meets the majority’s needs, but not alienates the remaining 20%. This is accomplished by research and investigation into the daily habits of the typical end user. For example, one can make certain UI decisions based on the technical affluence across the organization. I would never suggest modern design, with right hand navigation for a group of lawyers who still prefer to use fax machines, file cabinets, and a Motorola Pulsar DynaTAC from 1994. No offence to the lawyers out there who still use fax machines and file cabinets, but if you are reading this please contact us for a consultation. In this type of situation I would suggest something very clear, traditional, and in line with the types of interfaces that they are used to seeing in their daily lives.

User Experience

After considering the interface the users will be interacting with we need to consider the experience that the user will have while working through the UI with the system. This is called UX or user experience. Wikipedia defines user experience as, “the way a person feels about using a product, system, or service. Branding a SharePoint environment can drastically change the UX.

Just consider how one normally surfs the web. There are many sites out there that I stumble across while shopping or researching that I leave just because it’s obnoxious or difficult to navigate and I have a terrible experience on the site. There is very little chance that I will ever visit that site again. And if I have to for some reason, I’ll only go back as is absolutely necessary. I have actually not purchased products online as a result of my experience on the website. Either it makes me feel uncomfortable and I don’t trust the vendor any longer, or it’s so confusing I can’t figure out how to buy the product.

The same is true within SharePoint, but the difference is that SharePoint end users usually have no choice but to use the system. However, the goal of any SharePoint implementation is not to force employees to use it, but to show them how it can make their lives better and their days more productive. If a SharePoint site is effectively branded users will feel more comfortable working with the system and won’t mind spending more time on it. This leads us into User Acceptance.

User Acceptance

User Acceptance is simply the process of system adoption by the end user. Ultimately the culmination of incorporating a company’s brand identity and developing an appropriate user interface through cohesive and skilled design will lead to a better user experience and promote overall user acceptance. User acceptance is especially important to traditionally non-MS organizations.

In these cases I refer to Mary Beth in HR. I apologize to all of the Mary Beth’s who work in HR. Mary Beth has been in HR for many years and is very use to doing things her own way. In fact she has a system incorporating multiple emails and file shares. Now her company is migrating over to SharePoint and asking her to change her system to incorporate the new platform. In her mind she’s thinking,

“Why should I?”

 “The old way works just fine, we never had any problems before.”

 “I don’t know how to use this system, it’s going to take longer to use this SharePoint then it does to upload my docs to the F: drive and email a copy to accounting”

Each of these thoughts come from one emotion…fear. I’m not speaking of fear of the product, but the fear of change and having to adopt a new way of doing things. Change is difficult for most people, and if you have been doing things one way for a long time it’s even more difficult. Appropriate branding with emphasis on user acceptance can alleviate some of those fears. It can offer the Mary Beth’s from HR the opportunity to try the platform and see the possibilities that come with it.

The Conclusion

While branding may not solve all problems that arise during SharePoint adoption and implementation, proper use of it can ease the process along. It does this by incorporating a company’s brand identity and developing an appropriate user interface through cohesive and skilled design. This will lead to a better user experience and promote overall user acceptance.

In my next post I will discuss the Principals of Web Design for SharePoint Branding, including such topics as:

• Appropriate Color Use
• Composition for the Web
• The Use of Texture to Create Visual Interest
• And Using Depth as Part of Web Design and Composition

Why should you choose BrandIt?

As time goes by and I work with more and more clients, Branding is a topic that is always being talked about.  Even the smallest of clients have their questions on branding their SharePoint 2010 environment.   As you may or may not know by now, IncWorx Consultiong has created a Branding product called, BrandIt.  This helps make it simple and easy for a company to brand their SharePoint 2010 intranet or public facing site. 

Pros for BrandIt:

• Quick and Easy to Install
• Quick and Easy to Configure
• Ability to Change Colors on the fly
• 3 Web Parts currently come with BrandIt (Calendar, Banner, Tabs)
• Recently Viewed Documents (per user)
• More Web Parts in development to be rolled out
• More Designs in development to be rolled out
• Cost efficient
• Time efficient

Cons for BrandIt:

• May not be the look you want
• May not have the Web Parts you want

To be honest, the above cons are very flexible.  We are a SharePoint consulting firm that has been dealing with SharePoint from the beginning.  If something is not 100% the way you like, we could work something out to get you to that 100%.

Pros for Custom Branding:

• Ability to create the look you want
• Ability to create any custom Web Parts you think you will need
• Basically, the ability to do what you want as long as you have the capacity/knowledge to do so

Cons for Custom Branding:

• Need to have the knowledge of many programing languages
• Need to know how SharePoint 2010 works with said languages
• Time Comsuming
• Costly

If you are looking for something that won't break the bank and won't take up much of your time... Then BrandIt is for you!

 IncWorx Consulting is a leading Microsoft Gold Partner focusing on SharePoint Consulting, SharePoint Support, and SharePoint Application Development.

When the team of SharePoint experts at IncWorx was designing and developing BrandIt BoldColors we knew we had to go beyond an amazing new look and feel.  We wanted to include a set of web parts that would improve productivity and awareness for all the users of a site.

Introducing the BrandIt BoldColor web parts!  This set of web parts is included with every purchase of the BrandIt BoldColor package...

IncWorx Banner Web Part

Displays information stored in a list as a rotating banner control.  A list named IncWorxBannerList is provisioned automatically upon feature activation and is used to hold the content for the banner(s).  Users having edit rights to the list can add/edit/delete banners from the list.  A site collection may include multiple banners throughout the site, each with unique content.  The content may be full HTML.  This web part utilizes jQuery.

IncWorx Tab Control Web Part

Renders one or more lists within a tab control, each on its own tab.  When a specific list “view” is chosen, that view’s properties, including the view’s style, columns, etc., are reflected in the display.  If the current user does not have access to a list, the tab will not display.  This web part utilizes jQuery.

IncWorx Calendar Web Part

When added to a page, this calendar widget may be associated with a Calendar and Task List (optional). Day, Week, and Month views are available showing calendar events and tasks due, along with a Task view showing all active tasks for the current user. This web part utilizes jQuery.

IncWorx Autocomplete Web Part

This provides an input field that is wired to a list of your choice. As the user types, matching results are displayed dynamically below the input box. This web part supports extensive configuration, including searching multiple columns at once, formatting the results, and hyperlinking to custom URL’s. This web part utilizes jQuery.

If you are looking for a SharePoint partner that can provide a brand new look and feel for your site as well as provide great SharePoint support to go with it, contact me today at matt.breski (at) incworx.com.  We can help with any and all phases of your SharePoint implementation!

How to uninstall a SharePoint 2010 solution (.wsp)

As SharePoint 2010 has been out for some time now, more and more companies are developing custom web parts and other solutions to help meet certain needs SharePoint 2010 users want. So let's say you just got some custom solution (.wsp) and you have it installed, but now either the lisencing is up or you choose to not use it anymore, how do you uninstall it?  There are a couple ways of doing this, one involves using nothing but PowerShell and the other involves SharePoint 2010 Central Administration. Personally I like the only PowerShell route as it seems to go faster (don't have to wait for pages to load). So lets get started to Customize SharePoint and get this solution uninstalled.

First, you need to log on to the SharePoint 2010 Central Administration server.  Now that we are logged in, we need to open PowerShell. Since this is SharePoint 2010, we should use the SharePoint 2010 Management Shell. This is located under the Start Menu -> All Programs -> Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products folder (same place Central Admin is). Right click on this and point to 'Run as Administrator' so we can run these commands.

The first thing you need to type is: This is to uninstall the solution.

• Uninstall-SPSolution -Identity <Solution name.wsp>
• ex: Uninstall-SPSolution -Identity Solution.wsp

Now type this: This is to actually remove the solution from the solutioin store.

• Remove-SPSolution -Identity <Solution name.wsp>
• ex: Remove-SPSolution -Identity Solution.wsp

Now to check it has uinstalled:

• Get-SPSolution

The nice thing is you can always hit TAB while typing and PowerShell can match it, it will automatically fill in the rest. So, for the above, you could type uninstall-sps and hit tab and it will automatically change this to Uninstall-SPSolution. 

The other way to do this would be to open up SharePoint 2010 Central Administration. From here click System Settings -> Manage farm solutions. Once here you should see any and all solutions that have been added or installed. For this example you would see Solution.wsp in this list. Click the name to be taken into the properties for said solution. At the top you should see 'Retract Solution', click it. Once you have done this you will be at the Retract Solution page where you will see Solution Information, Retract When? and Retract From? sections. Here you can set a time when you want the solution to be uninstalled and from where you want it uninstalled (web application). Once it has retracted, click on the solution again (if not still in the retract solution page) and now you should see 'Remove Solution'.  This will bring up a message asking if you are sure you want to remove the solution, click OK to remove the solution!

IncWorx Consulting is a leading Microsoft Gold Partner focusing on SharePoint Consulting, SharePoint Support, and SharePoint Application Development.

How to update a SharePoint 2010 solution (.wsp)

As SharePoint 2010 has been out for some time now, more and more companies are developing custom web parts and other solutions to help meet certain needs SharePoint 2010 users want. So let's say you just got some custom solution (.wsp) and you have it installed, but now either the licensing is up or you need to get a newer version, how do you update? There is one way to do so, and that is through PowerShell. So lets get started to Customize SharePoint and get this solution uninstalled.

First, you need to log on to the SharePoint 2010 Central Administration server. Now that we are logged in, we need to open PowerShell. Since this is SharePoint 2010, we should use the SharePoint 2010 Management Shell. This is located under the Start Menu -> All Programs -> Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products folder (same place Central Admin is). Right click on this and point to 'Run as Administrator' so we can run these commands.  Make sure you know the file path (location) to the wsp you are updating; I usually place it on the Desktop or in a folder on the C drive for less typing.

What you need to type is: This is to update the solution.

• Update-SPSolution -Identity <Solution name.wsp> -LiteralPath <file location> -GACDeployment
• ex: Update-SPSolution -Identity Solution.wsp -LiteralPath C:SolutionsSolution.wsp -GACDeployment

The nice thing is you can always hit TAB while typing and PowerShell can match it, it will automatically fill in the rest. So, for the above, you could type uninstall-sps and hit tab and it will automatically change this to Uninstall-SPSolution.

Please note:  This will work find if nothing has been added.  For example if you had a web part that aggregated lists and now it supports doing something similar with SQL, updating won't work.  In this case you would have to go down the Uninstall/Remove Solution and then Add/Install the updated version.  Updating works if things change, just it will not pick up anything newly added.

IncWorx Consulting is a leading Microsoft Gold Partner focusing on SharePoint Consulting, SharePoint Support, and SharePoint Application Development.

How to install a SharePoint 2010 solution (.wsp)

As SharePoint 2010 has been out for some time now, more and more companies are developing custom web parts and other solutions to help meet certain needs SharePoint 2010 users want.  So let's say you just got some custom solution (.wsp) and now you have to get this file installed, but how?  There are a couple ways of doing this, one involves using nothing but PowerShell and the other involves PowerShell and Central Administration.  Personally I like the only PowerShell route as why venture to another location if you can do everything from right here!?  So lets get started to Customize SharePoint and get this solution installed.

First, you need to log on to the SharePoint 2010 Central Administration server.  Place your solution file (.wsp) anywhere you would like on this server.  I always like to place it on the desktop or right in the C drive, just to make it easier and faster to type out.  Now that you have the file somewhere, we need to open PowerShell.  Since this is SharePoint 2010, we should use the SharePoint 2010 Management Shell.  This is located under the Start menu -> All Programs -> Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Products folder (same place Central Admin is).  Right click on this and point to 'Run as Administrator' so we can run these commands.

The first thing you need to type is:  This is to add the solution to the solution store.

• Add-SPSolution <path to file>
• ex: Add-SPSolution C:SPsolutionsSolution.wsp

 Now type this: This is to actually install (deploy) the solution.

• Install-SPSolution <file name> -GACDeployment
• ex: Install-SPSolution Solution.wsp -GACDeployment

Now to check it has installed:

• Get-SPSolution

The nice thing is you can always hit TAB while typing and PowerShell can match it, it will automatically fill in the rest.  So, for the above, you could type add-sps and hit tab and it will automatically change this to Add-SPSolution.

Also, if you ever get a message saying the solution needs to be deployed to a specific Web Application you have to add a couple extra commands in the install-spsolution command, as follows:

• Install-SPSolution -Identity <file name> -WebApplication <URL to web app> -GACDeployment
• ex: Install-SPSolution -Identity Solution.wsp -WebApllication http://webapplication -GACDeployment

The other way to do this would be the same starting point, being open SharePoint 2010 Management Shell as the Administrator and type the Add-SPSolution command.  After this has been done, you can open up Central Administration.  From here click System Settings -> Manage farm solutions.  Once here you should see any and all solutions that have been added or installed.  For this example you would see Solution.wsp in this list.  Click the name to be taken into the properties for said solution.  At the top you should see 'Deploy Solution', click it.  Once you have done this you will be at the Deploy Solution page where you will see Solution Information, Deploy When? and Deploy To? sections.  Here you can set a time when you want the solution to be installed and to where you want it installed (web application).  The reason for setting a specific time is because when you install a solution, SharePoint can be unavailable for a minute.

IncWorx Consulting is a leading Microsoft Gold Partner focusing on SharePoint Consulting, SharePoint Support, and SharePoint Application Development.

If you have been looking for an auto complete web part for SharePoint 2010 that requires zero coding, the auto complete web part that is part of IncWorx's BrandIt solution might be just the thing!  BrandIt has been in production for 2 months, after 6 months of beta, and the development team is heads down rolling out new web parts to accompany the solution.  This web part  is one that I have been excited about for a while.  As you can see below, the screen shot shows that I have started typing a name and have the letters "M" and "A" in the box and it has begun to show me all queries that match the search and narrow as I type more letters.

This web part was built using jQuery, so the content will populate automatically without the whole screen having to refresh which is very common in SharePoint.  In this particular example we've shown a very basic functional.  I can instantly find the contact, click their name, and an oulook email message pops up. 

The beauty of this web part is that it is highly configurable and can deliver some very advanced functionality.  It literally allows you to point to any list/library within SharePoint and create an auto complete search box for it.  In regard to some of the additional functionality beyond that, the possibilities are endless.  I could do a search for Matt Breski, and take a look at where his clients are across the United States.  All the user would need to do would be to click his name, and then on the back end, our web part would look for all of the clients in our system that are assigned to Matt, look at what their city and state are, plug the data in to Google Maps or Bing Maps, and it would open a new window with a map of the U.S. showing a pin for all of his client location across the country. 

If you are interested in leveraging this functionality and would like to learn more about our BrandIt offering, of which the web part belongs, feel free to click the header of this blog and schedule a demo! 

One of the most important parts of any SharePoint implementation is giving the users of the site the Look and Feel they are accustomed to.  SharePoint 2010 offers a much improved experience in terms of using PowerPoint themes; however it is still limited in terms of giving users the branding experience they look for.

For those looking for more control over the Look and Feel of their SharePoint sites, BrandIt offers anyone, with or without a technical skill set, the ability to transform the generic out of the box look into a completely unique site all without a SharePoint developer.  Our color picking tool gives you the ability to dynamically change not only the background color but the text color of different regions of the page as well as the web parts placed on the page.

This screenshot gives you an idea of what is possible with BrandIt.  The possibilities are endless!!  Something additional in mind?  Contact me at matt.breski (at) incworx.com, where our SharePoint experts can give you the experience you are looking for!

IncWorx Consulting is thrilled to announce that we have released a new comprehensive branding product called BrandIt. This tool was built to address the most common complaints that we hear about user’s experiences with the SharePoint design out-of-the-box. In order to make users more enthusiastic about using SharePoint, we have completely redesigned the custom master page and added functionality.

The existing template for SharePoint is so bland and boring that it makes users not want to work with SharePoint. The functionality is there, but the front end usability and functionality fall well short of the UI's that business users interact with when they leave work (iPhone, iPad, droid, etc.). In an effort to increase user acceptance, we aimed to put more information at the fingertips of users and make navigating around task management easier and more convenient given the new standard users have when it comes to UI and UX .

When you purchase BrandIt, you get about 2 months’ worth of development and it only takes about 30 minutes to install. BrandIt includes a custom master page, custom CSS for elegant styling, jQuery functionality to avoid unnecessary refreshing, and even a color picker for changes to color schemes that requires no coding at all!

But we didn’t stop there, this amazing branding package also includes three unique web parts. The first is an interactive tabbed banner that supports full HTML and allows companies to send messages organization-wide instead of sending emails that some people may not see. The second is interactive tab control, which allows users to have access to multiple lists without cluttering the page and does not require you to refresh the page. The third is a custom calendar complete with day, week, month, and task views to help you prioritize what you need to get done.

In addition to all this, we re-styled and re-organized everything utilizing a base template. We did not modify anything that would cause issues for updates and patches, all our features are client side and can be put in the code, and it is very fast and easy to install.

BrandIt is truly a revolutionary package and something IncWorx Consulting is extremely proud of. So why wait? Couldn’t your intranet use a makeover? Get the SharePoint help you need and see a free demo of what BrandIt can do today! To schedule, please call Patrick Kelleher at 847-839-9679 or email me at patrick.kelleher (at) incworx.com.

Scenarios

Benefits

Components

You must create several components to integrate mobile client applications together with SharePoint workflows. These components include the computer that is running SharePoint Server, sites, lists and workflows to store data, define business processes, and define security permissions, the mobile client applications that access the data in the SharePoint lists and workflows, and the services which support communication between the mobile client application and the computer that is running SharePoint Server. The following figure shows these components and how they are related. Rely on our SharePoint Experts to configure these types of scenarios.

1. Change what is stored in user profiles.
2. Enable the Content Organizer to automatically “file” documents in different locations based on metadata.
3. Create a corporate metadata scheme using Managed Metadata Services.
4. Associate a specific document template with a library.
5. Create customized workflow for content within SharePoint.

Follow these steps:

1.       Navigate to the page you wish to hide Recently Modified

2.       Edit the page by either click the little edit button next to Browse, Selecting the Page tab and clicking Edit, or Site Actions -> Edit Page

3.       Either place the Cursor above or below all the text  in the Page(if you have text on the page already)

4.       Now, under Editing Tools, click Insert -> Select Web Part

a.       Under Categories select Media and Content

b.      Under Web Parts select Content Editor

c.       Click Add on the right

5.       This should place the Content Editor on the Page where your Cursor was located

a.       If you hover over this Web Part, off to the right hand side of it, you should see a downward arrow and a check box

b.      Click the downward arrow to open the menu

c.       Select Edit Web Part

6.       This will open the Content Editor edit pane to the right hand side of the page (ignore it for the moment)

7.       Inside the Content Editor web part, you should see “Click here to add new content” do so

a.       By doing so, those words should be gone and you should see a cursor on the left side of this web part

b.      Under Editing Tools click Format Text, if not already selected

c.       On the right hand side you should see <>HTML

d.      Click to open the menu and select Edit HTML Source     

e.      This should open a new window that is blank (if it is not blank, you did not quite click inside the Content Editor Web Part)

8.       Inside of this window copy and paste the following

<style type="text/css">
.s4-recentchanges
{
display:none;
}
</style>

 Click OK

9.       Now inside the Content Editor edit pane (on the right)

a.       Expand Appearance

b.      Under this, near the bottom, you should see “Chrome Type”

c.       Click the drop down menu and select “None”

d.      Click Apply

10.   Save & Close to stop editing this page and Recently Modified should be gone!

IncWorx Consulting is a leading Microsoft Gold Partner focusing on SharePoint Consulting, SharePoint Support, and SharePoint Application Development.

• stsadm -o setproperty -pn developer-dashboard -pv OnDemand
• stsadm -o setproperty -pn developer-dashboard -pv On

• User Profiles
• Personal Sites
• Social Data

Do you have a Chart that just doesn't look right to you?  Maybe you are in need of some stunning visuals.  One way you can improve the visuals of your Chart Web Part is through choosing the right labels.  Setting up Labels can sometimes be a pain, however in SharePoint 2010 there are many different things you can do.   

Is your company new to SharePoint 2010?

Getting used to a new thing can be difficult and time consuming for many people.  It becomes important for the company to make sure everyone is adapting well, but this can be challenging.  There are ways to Customize SharePoint to help with this adoption process. I would like to breifly touch on one of these processes; the Excel Services Web Part.

This web part will be helpful to your business if everyone is familiar with Excel. If they are, Implementing SharePoint 2010 will be a breeze.  The Excel Services Web Part lets you create a view into an Excel workbook.  You can create and show different tabs, pivot tables, charts, etc.  Anything you could do in Excel can be displayed in this web part.  This helps keep things familar to everyone in the business, which in turn helps get everyone on board and using SharePoint 2010.  The more familar you make SharePoint, the easier it will become for everyone to start using it and enjoy using it. 

Another good SharePoint Implementation factor, for your business, would be that employees will get to learn most of the basics of SharePoint just by using this Excel Services Web Part.   If you are using limited permissions, employees will most likely have to check out/download the excel file to make changes.  Once they have made any and all changes, they will have to check in/upload the new document.  To keep the web part up to date, it is important to keep the same file name, so you do not have to keep changing the web part property to point to the new file.  If your team is used to Excel, this is a great way to get them to be comfortable with the adoption and SharePoint Implementation.  In the end you want everyone to be ok with using something new. 

You can use the Excel Services Web Part to do anything and show anything you want and could display with Excel.  You can even use it to make a contacts lists that can be filtered on to show exactly the contacts you or anyone on your team may need at any given moment.  You can also display sales figures and graphs related to those figures.  The options are close to endless (as long as Excel can handle the task).

Getting your team on board and ease them into something new is key.  Try this web part if you all know and love Excel, it will make things go that much smoother!

IncWorx Consulting is a leading Microsoft Gold Partner focusing on SharePoint Consulting, SharePoint Support, and SharePoint Application Development.