John W Powell

I like writing code, but I love solving problems using the simplest possible approach even more.  In this article, I’m going to show you how to enable users to zip and download all documents in a document set with no code.  The document set...

Recently I’ve been working on a SharePoint 2010 document management solution, and this has provided the opportunity get deep in the weeds on features such as Document Sets, the Document ID Service, Content Organizer and In-Place Records Management. ...

In a previous post I made a case for following a database naming standard for SharePoint databases.  What started as an investigation into how to rename the auto-generated SharePoint 2010 databases led me down a path bordering obsession.  I...

In this post, I'll demonstrate sandbox solutions resource quotas and show you what happens when they are exceeded. When sandboxed code executes, certain metrics are collected such as % processor time and # of unhandled exceptions. Timer jobs compile the...

When developing JavaScript solutions, I like to provide a tracing mechanism that can be turned on and off to aid debugging.  The IE Developer Tools, debugger and Fiddler are very robust debugging tools, but they don’t enable client script code to...

Call me picky, but I think it’s important to consistently name your SharePoint databases—especially on a shared SQL Server hosting multiple farms and applications. Not only is it a good practice, but by showing that you care about the databases, you’ll...

In this walkthrough, I’ll show you how to create a SharePoint 2010 localized feature using Visual Studio 2010. The basic mechanics of localizing a SharePoint 2010 feature are the same as localizing a SharePoint 2007 feature, and is well documented. If...

Here is a high-level overview of the steps required to install SharePoint 2010 (Beta 2) on Windows 7 (x64): Extract / copy SharePoint setup files to your computer Edit files\setup\config.xml and add the AllowWindowsClientInstall = TRUE setting...

The SharePoint 2010 developer dashboard has three display levels (see SPDeveloperDashboardLevel Enumeration .): Off (default): The dashboard is not displayed, and there is no UI element to turn it on On : The dashboard is displayed, and there...

One error you may see when packaging solutions with VSEWSS is: Microsoft.SharePoint.Tools.Utilities.VSeWSSServiceException VSeWSS Service Error: Unable to load one or more of the requested types. Retrieve the LoaderExceptions property for more information...

In a previous post , I provided a walkthrough for automating builds for VSEWSS 1.3 projects. The script I used was based on the SharePoint Guidance Drop 11, and after using it, I felt it could be simplified. I’m a proponent of implementing the “simplest...

A common error you may encounter when using VSEWSS 1.3 is “System.ArgumentException, Value does not fall within the specified range.” This post outlines the common causes and resolutions for the issue. One suggestion I have seen on the web is to delete...

In this walkthrough, I’ll demonstrate how to achieve automated builds and continuous integration by creating a build script for VSEWSS 1.3 solutions. The patterns and practices SharePoint Guidance (11 drop) contains an example build script that this article...

Effective troubleshooting is an important skill not only in the information technology field, but in many other professions. Auto mechanics, electricians, counselors and doctors are essentially professional troubleshooters. They identify problems, theorize...

One of the shortcomings of the RSS Viewer web part is that it can only be bound one feed. In this walkthrough, I’ll show you how to make the RSS Viewer web part dynamic with filter web parts and web part connections to enable binding to multiple feeds...

One of the new features of Internet Explorer 8 is Web Slices. This feature enables you to subscribe to a section of a web page and notifies you when the content changes. By design, SharePoint Web Parts are a natural fit for this feature, and in this article...

Sometimes you need a local copy of an assembly from the GAC and here is a quick tip on how to do it. The GAC can be found in the c:\windows\assembly directory, but if you try to browse it, the following custom shell extension appears: This view...

The SharePoint developer community has produced a wealth of knowledge and code samples that demonstrate how to consume SharePoint web services and leverage them in domain-specific applications.  This information is often task-centric, such as ...

A common SharePoint customization request is to copy or move items and documents between lists. This can be accomplished without development by creating a workflow using SharePoint Designer (SPD). With this approach, you may encounter issues with list...

If you were to survey corporate America on how it defines an enterprise content management (ECM) system, the majority response would be a software tool primarily used by large organizations to create and publish Web content. This article challenges that...

In this post I'll show you how to build a PowerShell cmdlet that consumes SharePoint web services using WCF. What I like about this approach is that it provides the ability to use some of the SharePoint API without having to be logged in to the SharePoint...

In this walkthrough, I'll show you how to import data from a line of business (LOB) system into SharePoint user profiles and make that information searchable. Using this approach, you can leverage information that is stored in other LOB systems and create...

One thing to be aware of is that the BDC has a hard limit of 30 parameters. If you use the BDC as designed, you likely will never hit this limit, but if you are trying to implement insert/update functionality you may encounter this little gotcha. When...

In this article, I'll show you how to create a reusable service host that can be run from either from the console (self-hosted) or installed as a Windows service. I'll also demonstrate how to use a configuration file instead of code to control which WCF...

In this article, I'll show you how to handle a common scenario when a user leaves the company and returns later. Many organizations delete user accounts after a period of time and when a user returns they often get a new Windows account with the same...