Sharep10nt

What is Localization/Multilingual and Globalization?
The term "Localization" defined as "Process of translating resources for a specific culture/languages", where "Globalization" defined "Process of designing applications that can adapt to different cultures/languages". When we publish a site for different regions then it'll be great if the site content is displayed in that regional language. SharePoint provides Language Packs which can be downloaded and installed from Microsoft Site. but the limitation in this is only the SharePoint site labels/text will be displayed in selected language and the user defined contents won't be translated by SharePoint.

How to enable Localization in SharePoint 2010?
Assume we develop a webpart that has a registration form. A user from German wish to register and he needs the form in German/Dutch language. Even though Dutch language pack installed and enabled in SharePoint, the webpart text won't be translated/displayed in German. So how to make webpart that can adapt different languages. For those working in .Net platform knows it can be done with Resource files (.resx). Resource files are nothing but Key/Value Pair defined XML format files.

Here the steps to create a Webpart that detects the selected language in SharePoint and display contents that fetched from Resource Files.
 

1. Open Visual Studio 2010 -> File -> New -> Project
    
2. Select [Template] Visual C# -> SharePoint -> 2010 [Framework] .Net Framework 3.5 [Project] -> Empty SharePoint 2010 Project. Name of the Project : vsProject
   
    
3. In the SharePoint Customization Wizard, enter the URL of the local site (http://vsnet/) and select Deploy as a farm solution.
   
    
4. Create Resource Files
   
   1. Resource files should be present in SharePoint Root "Resources" folder. In Solution Explorer select project "vsProject", right click and select Add -> SharePoint Mapped Folder.
      
       
   2. In the Window select "Resources" Folder.
      
       
   3. Now an empty "Resources" folder is created inside SharePoint project. Any files placed inside this folder will be copied to SharePoint Root (14)\Resources Folder while deploying.
       
   4. Right click on Resources folder and select Add -> New Folder -> vsProject [Folder Name]. Always create folder and place files. This will avoid the files getting deleted when any SharePoint service pack installed.
   5. Right click on Newly created folder [vsProject] and select New -> New Item.
       
   6. In the New Item window select [Template] Visual C# -> General -> Resources File -> Name the files as "vsProject.resx". This is for default language which in English (LCID : 1033).
      
       
   7. Select vsProject.resx file, right click and Open.
       
   8. Add Name and Value pairs as required.
      
       
   9. Repeat Step "f." and provide name "vsProject.de-DE.resx". This file is for Dutch language. Refer the end of the article to get full list.
      
       
   10. Open "vsProject.de-DE.resx" and enter the same Name as in vsProject.resx and provide value in German Language. Here "Comment" Field is optional.
       
        
5. Create Webpart
   The Resource file is ready to use and now need to create Web part that get value from those resource files.
   1. Right Click on the Project "vsProject" and "Add -> New Item"
   2. Select "Visual C# -> SharePoint -> 2010 -> Web Part". Name : "LocalizationDemo".
      
       
   3. Copy paste the below code inside LocalizationDemo class or just refer it.
      protected override void CreateChildControls()
      {
        int intLCID = System.Threading.Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture.LCID;
        Label lblWelcomeText = new Label();
        lblWelcomeText.Text = "Value : " + getLocalizedValue("WelcomeText", intLCID);
        this.Controls.Add(lblWelcomeText);
      }
      
      public string getLocalizedValue(string strInput, int intLCID)
      {
        // Function to retreive specified Language Variation Value
        string strLocalizedValue = "";
      
        strLocalizedValue = Microsoft.SharePoint.Utilities.SPUtility.GetLocalizedString("$Resources: " + strInput, "vsProject\\vsProject", (uint)intLCID);
      
        return strLocalizedValue;
      }
       
   4. Save all files, Build and Deploy. The solution will be deployed in SharePoint and ready to use.
       
   5. Open the SharePoint site any page and click "Edit" Icon on top (or Site Actions -> Edit page).
       
   6. Select "Editing Tools [Tab] -> Insert [Tab] -> Web Part -> Custom [Categories] -> LocalizationDemo -> Add [Button]".
      
       
   7. Once the webpart added to the page select "Save and close" Icon.
6. Now it'll show the content in default language (English - 1033). Select "User Menu" at top right and select "Select Display Language -> Deutsch".
7. The page will be refreshed the Web Part will show the German Content which specified in the resource file.

Reference List - Locale ID (LCID) and Language

 

HTTP	LCID	Language
	1033	Default
af	1078	Afrikaans
sq	1052	Albanian
ar-sa	1025	Arabic(Saudi Arabia)
ar-iq	2049	Arabic(Iraq)
ar-eg	3073	Arabic(Egypt)
ar-ly	4097	Arabic(Libya)
ar-dz	5121	Arabic(Algeria)
ar-ma	6145	Arabic(Morocco)
ar-tn	7169	Arabic(Tunisia)
ar-om	8193	Arabic(Oman)
ar-ye	9217	Arabic(Yemen)
ar-sy	10241	Arabic(Syria)
ar-jo	11265	Arabic(Jordan)
ar-lb	12289	Arabic(Lebanon)
ar-kw	13313	Arabic(Kuwait)
ar-ae	14337	Arabic(U.A.E.)
ar-bh	15361	Arabic(Bahrain)
ar-qa	16385	Arabic(Qatar)
eu	1069	Basque
bg	1026	Bulgarian
be	1059	Belarusian
ca	1027	Catalan
zh-tw	1028	Chinese(Taiwan)
zh-cn	2052	Chinese(PRC)
zh-hk	3076	Chinese(Hong Kong)
zh-sg	4100	Chinese(Singapore)
hr	1050	Croatian
cs	1029	Czech
da	1030	Danish
n	1043	Dutch(Standard)
nl-be	2067	Dutch(Belgian)
en	9	English
en-us	1033	English(United States)
en-gb	2057	English(British)
en-au	3081	English(Australian)
en-ca	4105	English(Canadian)
en-nz	5129	English(New Zealand)
en-ie	6153	English(Ireland)
en-za	7177	English(South Africa)
en-jm	8201	English(Jamaica)
en	9225	English(Caribbean)
en-bz	10249	English(Belize)
en-tt	11273	English(Trinidad)
et	1061	Estonian
fo	1080	Faeroese
fa	1065	Farsi
fi	1035	Finnish
fr	1036	French(Standard)
fr-be	2060	French(Belgian)
fr-ca	3084	French(Canadian)
fr-ch	4108	French(Swiss)
fr-lu	5132	French(Luxembourg)
mk	1071	FYRO Macedonian
gd	1084	Gaelic(Scots)
gd-ie	2108	Gaelic(Irish)
de	1031	German(Standard)
de-ch	2055	German(Swiss)
de-at	3079	German(Austrian)
de-lu	4103	German(Luxembourg)
de-li	5127	German(Liechtenstein)
e	1032	Greek
he	1037	Hebrew
hi	1081	Hindi
hu	1038	Hungarian
is	1039	Icelandic
in	1057	Indonesian
it	1040	Italian(Standard)
it-ch	2064	Italian(Swiss)
ja	1041	Japanese
ko	1042	Korean
ko	2066	Korean(Johab)
lv	1062	Latvian
lt	1063	Lithuanian
ms	1086	Malaysian
mt	1082	Maltese
no	1044	Norwegian(Bokmal)
no	2068	Norwegian(Nynorsk)
p	1045	Polish
pt-br	1046	Portuguese(Brazil)
pt	2070	Portuguese(Portugal)
rm	1047	Rhaeto-Romanic
ro	1048	Romanian
ro-mo	2072	Romanian(Moldavia)
ru	1049	Russian
ru-mo	2073	Russian(Moldavia)
sz	1083	Sami(Lappish)
sr	3098	Serbian(Cyrillic)
sr	2074	Serbian(Latin)
sk	1051	Slovak
s	1060	Slovenian
sb	1070	Sorbian
es	1034	Spanish(Spain - Traditional Sort)
es-mx	2058	Spanish(Mexican)
es	3082	Spanish(Spain - Modern Sort)
es-gt	4106	Spanish(Guatemala)
es-cr	5130	Spanish(Costa Rica)
es-pa	6154	Spanish(Panama)
es-do	7178	Spanish(Dominican Republic)
es-ve	8202	Spanish(Venezuela)
es-co	9226	Spanish(Colombia)
es-pe	10250	Spanish(Peru)
es-ar	11274	Spanish(Argentina)
es-ec	12298	Spanish(Ecuador)
es-c	13322	Spanish(Chile)
es-uy	14346	Spanish(Uruguay)
es-py	15370	Spanish(Paraguay)
es-bo	16394	Spanish(Bolivia)
es-sv	17418	Spanish(El Salvador)
es-hn	18442	Spanish(Honduras)
es-ni	19466	Spanish(Nicaragua)
es-pr	20490	Spanish(Puerto Rico)
sx	1072	Sutu
sv	1053	Swedish
sv-fi	2077	Swedish(Finland)
th	1054	Thai
ts	1073	Tsonga
tn	1074	Tswana
tr	1055	Turkish
uk	1058	Ukrainian
ur	1056	Urdu
ve	1075	Venda
vi	1066	Vietnamese
xh	1076	Xhosa
ji	1085	Yiddish
zu	1077	Zulu

What is ULS in SharePoint 2010?
ULS stands for Unified Logging Service which captures and writes Exceptions/Logs in Log File(A Plain Text File with .log extension). SharePoint logs Each and every exceptions with ULS. SharePoint Administrators should know ULS and it's very useful when anything goes wrong. but when you ask any SharePoint 2007 Administrator to check log file then most of them will Kill you. Because read and understand the log file is not so easy. Imagine open a plain text file of 20 MB in NotePad and go thru line by line.

Now Microsoft developed a tool "ULS Viewer" to view those Log files in easily readable format. This tools also helps to filter events based on exception priority. You can read on this blog to know in details about ULS Viewer .

Where to get ULS Viewer?
ULS Viewer is developed by Microsoft and available to download for free. URL : http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/ULSViewer/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=3308
Note: Eventhought this tool developed by Microsoft, it's not supported by Microsoft. Means you can't support for this tool from Microsoft and use it on your own Risk. By the way what's the risk in viewing Log Files?!

How to use ULS in SharePoint 2010 Custom Code?
ULS can be extended to use in user solutions to log exceptions. In Detail, Developer can use ULS to log his own application errors and exceptions on SharePoint Log files. So now all in Single Place (That's why it's called "Unified Logging"). Well in this article I am going to use Waldek's Code (Reference Link). However the article is core and am writing container for that (Basically how to implement the code in Detail). Let's see the steps.

1. Open Visual Studio 2010 -> File -> New Project -> Visual C# -> Windows -> Class Library -> Name : ULSLogger (Make sure you've selected .net Framework 3.5)
   
   
    
2. In Solution Explorer Panel, Rename the Class1.cs to LoggingService.cs
   
    
3. Right Click on References -> Add Reference -> Under .Net tab select "Microsoft.SharePoint"
   
   
    
4. Right Click on the Project -> Properties. Select "Signing" Tab -> Check "Sign the Assembly".
   
    
5. In the below drop down select <New> and enter "ULSLogger", uncheck the "Protect my key with a Password" option.
    
6. Now copy the below code and paste. (Or Just refer.. :-) )
   
   using System;
   using System.Collections.Generic;
   using System.Linq;
   using System.Text;
   using Microsoft.SharePoint;
   using Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration;
   using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
   namespace ULSLogger
   {
   public class LoggingService : SPDiagnosticsServiceBase
   {
   public static string vsDiagnosticAreaName = "Venkats SharePoint Logging Service";
   public static string CategoryName = "vsProject";
   public static uint uintEventID = 700; // Event ID
   private static LoggingService _Current;
   public static LoggingService Current
   {
    get
     {
      if (_Current == null)
       {
         _Current = new LoggingService();
       }
      return _Current;
     }
   }private LoggingService()
   : base("Venkats SharePoint Logging Service", SPFarm.Local)
   {}protected override IEnumerable<SPDiagnosticsArea> ProvideAreas()
   {
   List<SPDiagnosticsArea> areas = new List<SPDiagnosticsArea>
    {
     new SPDiagnosticsArea(vsDiagnosticAreaName, new List<SPDiagnosticsCategory>
      {
       new SPDiagnosticsCategory(CategoryName, TraceSeverity.Medium, EventSeverity.Error)
      })
     };
   return areas;
   }public static string LogErrorInULS(string errorMessage)
   {
   string strExecutionResult = "Message Not Logged in ULS. ";
   try
    {
     SPDiagnosticsCategory category = LoggingService.Current.Areas[vsDiagnosticAreaName].Categories[CategoryName];
     LoggingService.Current.WriteTrace(uintEventID, category, TraceSeverity.Unexpected, errorMessage);
     strExecutionResult = "Message Logged";
   }
   catch (Exception ex)
   {
    strExecutionResult += ex.Message;
   }
   return strExecutionResult;
   }public static string LogErrorInULS(string errorMessage, TraceSeverity tsSeverity)
   {
   string strExecutionResult = "Message Not Logged in ULS. ";
   try
    {
    SPDiagnosticsCategory category = LoggingService.Current.Areas[vsDiagnosticAreaName].Categories[CategoryName];
    LoggingService.Current.WriteTrace(uintEventID, category, tsSeverity, errorMessage);
    strExecutionResult = "Message Logged";
    }
   catch (Exception ex)
    {
     strExecutionResult += ex.Message;
     }
   return strExecutionResult;
    }
   }
   }
    
7. Just build the solution and it's ready to use now.

This ULS solution can be used in SharePoint Webparts or Console Application. Lets see how to use it in a Console Application.
SharePoint Server 2010 must be installed in the same Server or the application must be hosted in SharPoint Server 2010 environment. The console application must be set to "x64" Platform target.
 

1. Create a New Console Application. (Visual Studio -> File -> New Project -> C# -> Windows -> Console Application)
2. Right Click on References -> Add Reference -> Under .Net tab select "Microsoft.SharePoint"
3. Open Program.cs add "using Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration;"
4. Right Click on References -> Add Reference -> Under "Browse" tab select the "ULSLogger.dll" which we created first. (Path : ULSLogger\ULSLogger\bin\Debug\)
5. Right Click on Project -> Properties -> Select "Build" Tab -> Under "Platform Target" option select "x64".
6. Open the Program.cs and paste the below code.
   
   using System;
   using System.Collections.Generic;
   using System.Linq;
   using System.Text;
   using Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration;
   using ULSLogger;
   
   namespace ULSLoggerClient
   {
     class Program
     {
      static void Main(string[] args)
       {
        Console.WriteLine("ULS Logging Started.");
   
        string strResult = LoggingService.LogErrorInULS("My Application is Working Fine.");
        Console.WriteLine("ULS Logging Info. Result : " + strResult);
   
        string strResult = LoggingService.LogErrorInULS("My Application got an Exception.", TraceSeverity.High);
        Console.WriteLine("ULS Logging Waring Result : " + strResult);
   
        Console.WriteLine("ULS Logging Completed.");
        Console.ReadLine();
       }
     }
   }
   
    
7. Just build the solution and execute. It'll log the message on the log file. Make sure you are using Farm Administrator User ID.
   
   
    

You can play with Message and TraceSeverity as required.
Now Open ULS Viewer(Read Second section of this article to get ULS Viewer) -> File -> Open From -> ULS -> Select First Option to open the default ULS Log.
 

It's Uls RealTime and will show all log entries in readable table format. Right Click on a row and select "Filter By This Item". Select "Event ID" and enter value "700" that we used in the application.
 

Click Ok and now you'll see the Exceptions/Logs which logged by our application. SharePoint by default log each and every exceptions on ULS so it'll take couple of minutes to list all Exceptions. See the Status bar on ULS Viewer. If it's "uls Running" then it's still reading the Logs to display. Provide your Filters and wait for few minutes.
 

If you want to see High Priority Messages only then Click Icons except Red Cross Icon on the Toolbar. The tooltip will tell what's the icons used for.

 

I got a question in MSDN forum that how to add a SharePoint document property in respective document's footer and it should be available to all new documents. It's really interesting and started R&D on this. Lets see how to insert document property in header/footer.

How to use SharePoint document property inside Document's Header/Footer?
Here the steps on creating document library and update the document template.

1. First I'll create a Document Library named "Docs". If you already have document library then skip this step.
   
   
2. Lets create 2 more new columns(Phase, Level) which are document properties (Open Document Library -> Library Tools (Tab) -> Library (Tab) -> Create Column. Phase is choice field with some choice items and Level is Single line of Text.
   
   
3. Open Document Library -> Library Tools (Tab) -> Library (Tab) -> Library Settings.
   
   
4. Under General Settings -> Advanced Settings. Under Document Template Section select "(Edit Template)" link. (If you want to use same template for different libraries then save the document in site assets or central library and provide the path here.) It'll open new empty document in Microsoft Word.
   
   
5. In Microsoft Word Click "Insert" tab -> Header. Select a header design as required. Remove elements in Header which are not required. Place the cursor on Header area and select "Insert" tab -> Quick Parts in Text Section -> Document Property -> Phase. Here it'll list all document properties including fields available in the same SharePoint library. Same way insert "Level" Property too.
   
   
   After inserting all the proerties, document is ready to go back to SharePoint.
   
   
   
6. Save the document and exit from MS Word. Return to the SharePoint library settings Window and click "Ok" to save the changes.
   
   
7. Now the library is ready with required template. Open the Document library -> Library Tools (Tab) -> Documents (Tab) -> New Document -> New Document. It'll show warning and just click Ok. Microsoft Word will be opened with the specified template.
   
   Add content and just save with proper name. That's it!

Rating is a new feature introduced in SharePoint 2010 that can be added to any SharePoint List/Library. It helps users to evaluate and authors to get feedback. In SharePoint 2007, we have write code and deploy it as feature for rating.

How to enable Rating in SharePoint 2010?
It's very straight forward to enable rating in SharePoint 2010 lists.

1. First let's create a Custom list named "Search Engines". If you already have list/library then you can skip this.
   
    
2. Once created, open the list select "List Tools" Tab -> List Tab -> List Settings.
3. Under General Settings select "Rating Settings".
   
    
4. Under Rating Settings section select "Yes" for "Allow items in this list to be rated?"
   
    
5. Now a new field "Rating (0-5)" is added to the list. But the actual field name is "AverageRating". 
6. Add some items in the list.
   
    
7. When move mouse over the Rating field it'll show message to add rating. You can select the rating as required.

The same way, rating can be enabled on document libraries. Once rating given to an item then it'll be stored in database. Every user can provide their own rating and average will be displayed when viewing the list. There is a specific service("User Profile Service Application – Social Rating Synchronization Job") running behind to calculate the average of ratings.
 

This job executes every 1 hour by default. If required can be executed manualy by "Central Administration -> Monitoring -> Timer Jobs -> Review Job Definitions -> User Profile Service Application – Social Rating Synchronization Job -> Run Now" or change the "Recurring Schedule" as required.
 

Once the Synchronization job executed then users can see the average ratings (Blue Stars).
Before Synchronization Job execution.
 

After Synchronization Job execution.
 

Move mouse over blue star ratings to know your Rating (only if you have already given rating).

Note: If a user giving rating which he already given, then his previous rating will be discarded and new selection only getting considered.

 

Language packs enable to view SharePoint site in other languages like Dutch, Spanish, etc. These language packs are available free to download from Microsoft site. Once it's installed and configured in SharePoint then users will get option to select those language and view the site in that language.

Where can I download SharePoint 2010 language packs?
Microsoft provides 40 different languages (including English) for SharePoint Foundation/Server 2010. Those language packs have the sharepoint site terms like Welcome, Site Actions, Recycle Bin in respective language.

Language Packs for SharePoint Foundation 2010 :
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=646E311A-AAF3-4D30-B03C-2F3C70D19A22
Language Packs for SharePoint Server 2010 :
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=046f16a9-4bce-4149-8679-223755560d54&displaylang=en
Note: These URLs were taken on 30th November 2010. if not available, then search "Language Packs for SharePoint 2010" in Google.

What I need to consider before installing language packs?
For SharePoint Foundation 2010 language pack can be downloaded and installed directly. But for SharePoint Server 2010, the SharePoint Foundation version language pack must be installed before SharePoint Server version. By default the download page will show English language pack and for each language the language packs should downloaded and installed seperately.

Installing languages won't translate the entire site content. It'll show only the site elements like label text, button text in selected language. Content entered in Content Editor Webpart or wiki pages content will be displayed in same language as feeded in even after changing site language. For Content translation, seperate third party application should be used.

How to install language packs and enable it on SharePoint 2010 sites?
Installing Language Pack and enabling on SharePoint site is very simple and straight-forward.

1. In the download page, select the required language, click change button. Then download the Language pack exe file. The download page and installation wizard will be in it's respective language.
   
   
2. Install the Foundation Version language pack and Server Version language pack.
   
   
3. Once installed, navigate Central Administration -> Upgrade and Migration -> Check product and patch installation status.
   In that page all installed language packs will be listed. If the Install Status is "Installed" then SharePoint is ready to use those languages.
   
   
4. Open the SharePoint site -> Site Settings -> Site Administration -> Language Settings.
   
   
5. In Language Settings page, under alternate language(s) section select the language(s). Click Ok to Save the setting.
   
   
6. Now in Top Right Menu, a menu option getting displayed "Select Display Language" which has the enabled languages as submenu option.
   
7. Select the language to view the site in that language.
   
   

Document Set is a new feature introduced in SharePoint 2010 as part of content/document management. Document set helps to manage group of documents as a single entity. Actualy Document set is a content type that can be attached to any document library and make use of it's features.

Advantages of Document Sets
Consider a type "Project", each project has requirements document, project effort estimation spreadsheet, project plan presentation. To standardize the project management process, it's enforced to have all these documents for every project. In SharePoint 2007 it's not so easy to group different documents in same document library as each document is individual item. But this can be done within few minutes with Document sets feature. Documents sets will have Templates for each document, ie a predefined format document for review document, effort estimation, project plan presentation can be attached while defining this document set content type. Each library which uses this content type will get those document templates when user creates new document set.

Apart from these document sets can be versioned. It can have it's own customized Welcome page which is like home page for the project. Document Set content type basically inhertited from "Document" content type. Other content types also can be added if required. Workflows can be attached and few more options provided in SharePoint designer for document sets.

 

How to enable Document Sets?
Document sets by default won't be enabled in SharePoint 2010. It's a feature and has to be enabled manualy. Then document sets Content type has to be customized (if required). After that it can be attached to Document libraries. First keep all project document templates (Requirements document, Effort Estimation, Project Plan Presentation) ready.
 

1. Login to SharePoint 2010 site -> Site settings -> Site Administration -> Site Collection Features -> Document Sets -> Activate.
   
    
2. Site Settings -> Galleries -> Site Content types -> Document Set Content Types -> Document Set.
   
    
3. Select Document Set Settings.
   
    
4. Under Default Content section select the templates. Click "Add new default content" to select and upload more template documents.
   
    
5. Now we'll create new document library. If you want to attach to existing document library then skip this step.
   
    
6. Open the document library -> Library (Tab) -> Library Settings.
   
    
7. Under General Settings select Advanced Settings. We need to enable allow management of content types setting.
   
    
8. Under Content types Select Yes for "Allow management of content types?" and save/Click Ok.
   
    
9. Now in the library settings page Content types section will be shown. Select "Add from existing site content types".
   
    
10. Under "Select Content types" section select "Document Set" and Add. Now click Ok.
    
     
11. In library settings -> Content types section -> Document sets -> Settings -> Name and description. Change name as "Project Plan".
    
     
12. Open the document library -> Documents (Tab) -> New Document -> Project Plan.
    
     
13. Provide a project name for eg. "Aqua" -> Ok.
    
     
14. Now a Project Plan Document set created with all default template documents. You'll be landed in Project Plan Welcome Page. :)
    
     

To change Welcome page and other settings, check Document Sets Content type settings.

Note: Document sets is feature of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 (MSS 2010) and won't be available on SharePoint Foundation 2010.

 

I've installed SharePoint 2010 and create first site collection. When I try to specify Target Audience for Announcements webpart in Home page via WebPart Properties, there is no "Target Audience" option. When I did google, articles which specifies how to set Target Audience for List. But that's not what I need. This article will explain how to get Target Audience for webpart in SharePoint 2010 sites.

How to specifiy Target Audience for Webpart in SharePoint 2010?
Well, It's obvious that free versions WSS 3.0/SharePoint Foundation 2010 won't provide Target Audience feature. SharePoint 2007/SharePoint Server 2010 is required for the same. I have MSS 2010 and still not getting Target Audience option for webparts, what to do? A service which determines Target Audience should be enabled and running. It's SharePoint User Profile Service that depends on "User Profile Synchronization Service". So first check the Services via Central Administration -> System Settings -> Manage Services on server.

Check the status of "User Profile Service" and "User Profile Synchronization Service" (This service required to compile audiences. If you have fixed no of users and don't want scheduled syncrhonization then later you can disable it). Check the SharePoint Server Search Service status. It must be started, if so then Start the above 2 specified services(UPS and UPSS).

Now we need to configure audiences in User Profile service application. Open Central Administration -> Application Management -> Manage Service Applications. Check status of "User Profile Service Application" and it should be "Started" (otherwise go to previous step and run User Profile Service). Now Click "User Profile Service Application" link. It'll open the user profile service application settings.

Select Configure Syncrhronization Connections and create new connection if required.

Provide LDAP Connection details and click "Populate Containers" button to list all domain containers. Select "Domain -> Users" (or whichever container that has user details) Note: It'll take few minutes based on network traffic. Then click "Ok" to create the connection.



User Profile Synchronization service must be started otherwise it'll show error.


If you've created new connection then open "Configure Synchronization Timer Job" and run it now.

How to create Target Audience in SharePoint 2010?
Central Adminstrion -> Application Management -> User Profile Service Application -> People -> Manage Audiences.
 

It'll show audiences if created already. Otherwise click New Audience -> specify name, description, owner.
 

Select a option based on requirement (I chose "Satisfy any of the Rules"). Click Ok to go next page. Select Properties and select the property. Specify the value to compare. Now it'll show the Audience properties. Click "Compile Audience" link to validate AD Users and add if the details satisfy specified condition.



Login to your SharePoint site and edit any webpart. It'll now show the option to specify Target Audience.

For Web Designers and Developers writing CSS code for elements is so time consuming. That too make changes in SharePoint Stylesheets(CSS) needs more patience. First have to make change in CSS, reset IIS(or Application Pool Recycle), clear browser cache/temp files and check. Even for one small change or entire CSS change the mentioned steps has to be done. Sometimes the changes won't reflect and makes little irritating. Many of us faced and facing this issue. Alternatively you can make changes with SharePoint Designer and preview changes. Again than requires make changes in CSS with SharePoint Designer and open with browser or Designer's Design view. Still it's not sufficient for me to complete CSS coding faster.

How to change SharePoint site controls design?
Assume we requested to change width of Quicklaunch bar in SharePoint 2010 Site. First we need to find the CSS class of Quicklaunch bar. Well for experts it's very easy because it's "ms-quickLaunch". But for newbie it's not so easy, He has to open the site in browser, click View -> Source, Search for text in Quicklaunch and determince the Div which has the exact text. Alternatively we can do the same with SharePoint Designer. After that we have to find which CSS has this class style definition. That's no so easy unless you have SharePoint Designer.

Quicklaunch is always visible and easy to edit/preview with SharePoint Designer. Take example of changing Title bar of Dialog window. Can you make changes with SharePoint Designer? As far as I know it's not possible.

How to change and preview CSS on the Fly?
When I got the requirement to change Dialog window style, I haven't suprised because I know the power of IE 8 Developer Tools. :-)
Lets see how to change CSS Styles without touching CSS files. Wondering how to make CSS change without editing CSS file? Let's see.. First open the site with IE8 and open the dialog(Click "Add New Announcement" link in Home Page or Site Actions -> More Options). Once the dialog came up Press F12 to get Developer Tools window. It'll take few seconds to load the HTML and CSS. In the Developer tools window click Arrow button (or Ctrl + B) and select the Title bar of dialog. It'll show Blue outline to show the element on focus.


Once the element selected the window will show exact HTML Code and CSS styles applied to it + CSS file which has the definition. In the CSS pane, double click on style (eg. Font-family:) and it'll become editable. Change it to "Arial" and enter. Now you can see the Title bar in "Arial" font. like this you can change any element style and see how it looks. Once you got the style what you want, click the CSS file name above top right in the CSS pane. It'll open the next tab which is "CSS" and shows the CSS file contents. In the drop down you can see the path of the CSS. Login to server and open the CSS with Notepad then make same changes. Once done save and reset IIS. That's It!

Like this you can change the look and feel of entire site easily.

Most of the time, I get question from new friends who work in other technologies that "SharePoint is for Content Management/WebSite Creation?". Well, it's common because SharePoint is sucessor of Microsoft Content Management Server (CMS) which dedicatedly used for Web Content Management. SharePoint Portal 2001 predominantly focus on Content Management feature, whereas the later releases came with more features. It's very easy to create Colloboration portal with SharePoint in Minutes where it requires couple of months to develop in .Net from scratch.

What extra I get in SharePoint?
Let me rephrase this question as "Apart from Content Management what else I can do with SharePoint?" It's not so simple to explain all features in few lines. SharePoint can be used as intranet portal where each teams can have their own sites that has their project related tasks, announcements, blogs, wikis and more.

I have thousands of documents/records. May I use SharePoint?
Yes. SharePoint can be used as document/records repository which typically called as Libraries. Many IT/Non-IT companies use SharePoint for KM(Knowledge Management). Even built-in/custom workflows can be attached to those libraries for review and approval process. Meta Data can be added to the libraries and can be enforced to maintain organization standards. The document libraries can be opened with Windows Explorer and copy/move/delete documents just like a windows folder. Even users can upload documents just by send mail to the configured site mail id with document as attachment.

SharePoint Workspace (formerly called as Microsoft Groove) allows to take copy of all documents to local PC(ie. Take content to offline). Users can update the documents and it can be synchronized when connect to the network. This avoids network connectivity all the time to access content.

I have huge content from different sources. May I use SharePoint to consolidate those data and available for search?
Yes. SharePoint can be used a search center and it has own search crawling process that reads data from SharePoint sites/external data sources and create indexes. The external sources can be shared folders(File Shares), Exchange public folders, Lotus Notes and even Internet websites. Most importantly security is ensured here. ie Users can see contents on which they have access.

I need to watch how my organization running. May I get help with SharePoint?
Yes. Business Intelligence is highly important for any business and SharePoint provides rich BI feature. CXOs can have their own Dashboards, Scorecards which has KPIs(Key Performance Indicators). KPIs are helpful to view the data with indicators rather as Numbers. SharePoint 2010 Business Intelligence features allows to get data from external sources like SAP, Siebel, DB2, SQL Server and display on SharePoint site. So all the required content is about just one click far. Even content can be written back to external sources (ie. Read and Write).

I need Wikipedia site for my organization. Can SharePoint help me?
Yes. SharePoint provides powerful Wiki feature that can be used from small organizations to large enterprises. Creating a New Wiki site and give access to all users won't take more than a hour.

I need to simulate Yahoo profiles for my organization. SharePoint has any feature for that?
Yes. SharePoint has User Profile site which can take details from LDAP and display in a single profile page. SharePoint site can be integrated with Communicator and users can search other users, know their presence, communicate with them. SharePoint 2010 provides social networking features like activity feeds, Tags and Notes.

I need a site for our Helpdesk team to manage Issues. How can SharePoint help?
SharePoint provides the feasibility to install custom Application Templates which are available on Microsoft site to download. With Help Desk site template, SharePoint provides rich Helpdesk site features for helpdesk representatives to manage user issues. Managers can view helpdesk representatives response time and other metrics as required.

Download SharePoint 2010 Application Templates : http://techsolutions.net/Blog/tabid/65/EntryId/17/Fab-40-Templates-for-MOSS-2010.aspx
Download SharePoint 2007/WSS 3.0 Application Templates : http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=aae4cb5a-91d2-4f1b-9a45-3bb894e218f8&displaylang=en

Sandbox solution is a new feature introduced in SharePoint 2010. It's a secured wrapper around webparts and other elements with limitations. There is no thumb rule that every webpart in SharePoint 2010 belongs to Sandbox Solution. But it's recommended to develop webparts with Sandbox solution. It allows administrators to monitor the solutions and control as required. SharePoint Site Collection administrators can view the resource utilization of each solution and can block if it consumes too much resources. Usually when sites working slow, developers complain the server is slow whereas site/server administrators blame on Develepor code/solutions. Now Microsoft put a Full Stop to that. :)

Technically speaking SharePoint solutions run in seperate worker processes and not in w3wp.exe. So It doesn't require IIS Reset or Application Pool Recycling. Without disturbing the SharePoint site, Sandbox solutions can be deployed. Only thing while deploying new version of Sandbox solution over existing solution, SharePoint will display No Solution found error in Sandbox Webparts on the page. However within seconds sandbox solutions getting deployed and it'll start working. In SharePoint 2007, only farm administrators can install/deploy developer solutions. But Now site collection administrators can deploy solutions with web based interface. This reduces the dependency of Farm Administrator and improves rapid deployment.

Sandbox Processes
Here the processes which required for Sandbox solutions.

1. SPUCWorkerprocess.exe - Sandbox Worker process service which is a Seperate Service Application which actually executes Sandbox code. It should be started in every farm to use Sandbox solutions.
   
   
2. SPUCWorkerProcessProxy.exe - Sandbox Worker process proxy which is working as a proxy for Worker process and takes care of Sandbox code execution. It can also serve to other farms if configured. Basically it helps site administrator for load balancing.
   
   
3. SPUCHostService.exe - Sandbox User Code Service takes care of user code in Sandbox amd it can be started in the farms where to use Sandbox solutions.

Sandbox Limitations
As I said before, Sandbox is a secured wrapper and it has restrictions on code to run in SharePoint environment. Few Key limitations which developers should know are listed below.

1. No Security Elevation - RunWithElevatedPrivileges which runs the specified block of code in application pool account(typically System Account) context is not allowed in Sandbox code. SPSecurity class also not allowed to use in Sandbox.
   
   
2. No Email Support - SPUtility.SendMail method has been blocked explicitly in Sandbox, However .Net mail classes can be used to send mails. Additionaly sandbox won't allow to read Farm SMTP address. So developers has to specify the SMTP address in code itself(may be some other workaround).
   
   
3. No Support to WebPartPages Namespace - Sandbox won't allow to use Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages namespace.
   
   
4. No Support to external Webservice - Internet web service calls are not allowed to ensure security in Sandbox solutions. Allow Partially Trusted code also can't be accessed within Sandbox.
   
   
5. No GAC Deployment - Sandbox solutions are not stored in File System(Physical path) and assemblies can't be deployed to Global Assembly Cache(GAC). But it's available on C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\SharePoint\UCCache at runtime. Note the ProgramData is a hidden folder.
   
   
6. No Visual Webparts - Visual Studio 2010 by default won't allow to create Visual Webparts to deploy as sandbox solution. But with Visual Studio PowerTools extensions(downloadable from Microsoft MSDN website) Visual Webparts can be developed and deployed as sandbox Solutions.

SharePoint Online which is SharePoint environment provided by Microsoft to manage SharePoint Sites in internet accepts only Sandbox solutions. Because SharePoint Online sites are Windows Servers at Microsoft Datacenters, Microsoft won't allow GAC deployment or file system access. In future Sandbox solution will give more features for developers.