This is one of the best innovations I’ve seen for a while!

Microsoft Maren is a Windows extension that allows users to type Arabic in Roman/Latin characters (Romanized Arabic, Arabizi, Arabish or Franco-Arabic) and have it converted on the fly to Arabic script.

ya3ni lamma ebtoktob arabizi, maren ba7awwlo lala 3arbi –> يعني لما بتكتب عربي بالانجليزي مرن بحوله لكتابه عربي.

it is so easy to use, it integrates with Windows in the form of an arabic keyboard, which means anywhere and on any application.

to get maren, go to http://www.getMaren.com

اصلي

I had a requirement to customise the CQWP in a way to display the number of replies on a discussion board item. and change the URL link of the item in CQWP to take the user to the threaded view of the discussion, rather than dispform.aspx  of the discussion item.

this post shows how to create an aggregate view of discussion boards in a site collection, and its sub sites, hence the usage of CQWP with the required customisations.

one objective here is to avoid .custom development, so this post will use the CQWP customisation features: customising item styles and viewing custom fields in a CQWP.

the final result will be similar to this:

few things that you should learn before attempting to follow the instructions:

1. how to customise item styles for a CQWP: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms551040.aspx, and http://www.heathersolomon.com/blog/articles/CustomItemStyle.aspx 

2. Where does the number of replies come from?

A: an internal field on the Discussion list named: ItemChildCount. the field has a display name of “Replies”. look into the discussion board list feature schema for a complete list of fields.

3. how to return custom fields in a CQWP, the key is to use the CommonViewFields property to add custom fields, the method is described in details here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms497457.aspx

To prepare the item style:

1.  customise ItemStyle.xsl to add a new style that will show the number of replies

Replies:(<xsl:value-of select="substring-after(@ItemChildCount,'#') "/>)

2.  in the same item style, fix the URL link to point to the threaded view of the discussion item:

<xsl:variable name="vv1">
     <xsl:value-of select="@LinkUrl"/>
</xsl:variable>

<div class="ms-vb">
     <a href="{$vv1}" target="{$LinkTarget}" title="{@LinkToolTip}">
     <xsl:value-of select="$DisplayTitle"/>
</a>
</div >

(or copy and paste the below in your itemstyle.xsl before </xsl:stylesheet>)   

Customising CQWP properties:

1. drop a CQWP on your page, build you’re query. In the additional filters part filter on Content Type is not equal to Message (or Content Type is equal to Discussion).

2. Change the item style to use the new custom style.

3. Export the web part and add a line to the webpart manifest file in the CommonViewsFields section to retrieve the ItemChildCount field and then re-import the customised CQWP file:

<property name="CommonViewFields" type="string">ItemChildCount, Text</property>

5.  now use your new content query webpart on the page.

cheers,
- mutaz

Search centre in SharePoint collaboration sites has built in federated search result page that pull from live search.

in cases when no federated search results are displayed, or a Location not found error message appears. this could be related to proxy setting on the server that is stopping the search from reaching the federated search location.

You can specify proxy server settings for crawling content and querying federated sources on computers in other networks, such as the Internet. In many cases it is necessary to use a proxy server to bypass intranet security restrictions.

Set configure proxy settings for federated search locations:

1. from central admin site, go to Application Management, and click on “Manage search service” (that will be http://centraladminserver:portnumber/_admin/managesearchservice.aspx)

2. click on “Farm-level search settings” (http://centraladminserver:portnumber/_admin/SearchFarmSettings.aspx)

3. fill in the proxy server settings and select the option to use these settings for access to federated sites.

for more information check this out: Configure proxy settings for federated sources (Office SharePoint Server) 

- mutaz

Creating a new site collection usually requires a farm admin permission level since the tools to do so are available through the central admin or by using an stsadm command line.

In some cases, you want to delegate the site creation to end users (without granting them farm admin privilege obviously!).

Self-Service Site Creation allows users with the use Self-Service site Creation’ permission to create sites in defined URL namespaces (the web application). This post will show how to enable Self-Service Site Creation, and control the access rights to this feature.

Enabling Self-Service site creation:

the feature is enabled from the Central Admin on the web application level.

1. browse to http://<your central admin>/_admin/ConfigSSC.aspx.

2. select the web application where you want to enable self-service site creation, and select “On” in the Enable Self Service Site creation section.

Granting permissions to use the self service site creation

permissions to use this feature can be control on the “top-level root web site” for the web application. the site “Members” group will have the required permission level to use the feature, which is granted through the “Contribute” permission level.

all you need to do now is to add users to the members group. and publish the URL for self service site creation. (http:/your/webappurl/_layouts/scsignup.aspx).

Note: you should control the group memberships on the root level web site in your web application as often you want to restrict access to self service site creation. remember self service site creation is creating new site collections (not sub webs), site collections are boundaries for management and security, and you should have rules for allowing people to create new site collections.

- mutaz

this is a common DCOM error that often seen in sharepoint deployments. the error details form the application event log:

Event Type:    Error
Event Source:    DCOM
Event Category:    None
Event ID:    10016
Date:        10/02/2009
Time:        10:51:42 AM
User:        KIOSKPOC\svc_SP
Computer:    HTS0367
Description:
The application-specific permission settings do not grant Local Activation permission for the COM Server application with CLSID
{61738644-F196-11D0-9953-00C04FD919C1}
to the user KIOSKPOC\svc_SP SID (S-1-5-21-4047873115-1278379611-1960023932-1132).  This security permission can be modified using the Component Services administrative tool.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

to fix the error, you need to grant the local activation permission to the component that is referred to in the error log. in the case of the error above, the component is IIS WAMREG admin service.

here are the instructions to grant the required permission to the component:

1. Open Component Services management consol.	to do so on a Windows 2008 server - run the commend: comexp.msc from the Run window (or a command prompt). or just go to Administrative tools, and select to run Component Services.
2. Select the IIS WAMREG admin Service component. (you will find it under: Component Services \ Computer \ My Computer\ DCOM Config)
3. Right click the component, select properties and switch to the Security tab.
4. Click Edit in the section named: Launch and Activation Permissions.
5. Add your service account and grant it local launch and local activation permissions.
6. OK your settings, and reset IIS

cheers,
- mutaz

A newly created SSP admin with full set of permissions on BDC gets access denied messages when trying to manage existing BDC applications if the new SSP admin was created after the BDC application was imported to the SSP.

To resolve this issue, go to manage permissions on BDC (/ssp/admin/_layouts/BDCAdminUI/ManagePermissions.aspx) select the new user and click on "copy all permissions to descendants".

- mutaz

was released  few weeks ago, includes a good little section on architecture decisions you often see in building a SharePoint based LOB.

patterns & practices: Application Architecture Guide 2.0 (The Book) - Home

- mutaz

cross posting from the Norwegian MCS IW team:

cheers,
- mutaz

The patterns and practices SharePoint Guidance is here, this guidance helps architects and developers design, build, test, deploy and upgrade SharePoint intranet applications. A reference implementation that is named the Contoso Training Management application demonstrates solutions to common architectural, development, and application lifecycle management challenges.

This guidance discusses the following:

• Architectural decisions about patterns, feature factoring, and packaging.
• Design tradeoffs for common decisions many developers encounter, such as when to use SharePoint lists or a database to store information.
• Implementation examples that are demonstrated in the Training Management application and in the QuickStarts.
• How to design for testability, create unit tests, and run continuous integration.
• How to set up different environments including the development, build, test, staging, and production environments.
• How to manage the application life cycle through development, test, deployment, and upgrading.
• Team-based intranet application development.

Links to the new sharePoint Guidance: http://microsoft.com/spg and http://www.codeplex.com/spg.

 - mutaz

Today i finally had a chance to look at SSRS 2008. some of the new features that i already like about it:

• the new tablix control: a mix of table + matrix, will let you combine both table capabilities and matrix capabilities in one grid. some examples of its new features are combining both static and dumanic columns, and having multiple parallel dynamic groups in a grid.
• gauges indicators, gives you new ways to visualize KPI data
• enhanced design experience for tablix and charts
• new chart types
• and export to Word, so now you can expert your report to Word, and then edit it to add commentary before publising

also, the new Report Builder 2.0 looks cool, unline the old builder, this one allows you to connect to any data source known to the designer. not only report models. I am still to experiment with custom built data extensions. I find more user friendly for report designers who are not developers or dont want to deal with Visual studio tools to create and design reports.

the new builder can be downloaded from here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9f783224-9871-4eea-b1d5-f3140a253db6&displaylang=en.

cheers,
- mutaz

here is a very handy registry edit that will add a "Command prompt" and "12 Folder" commands to your windows explorer contenxt menu: http://blogs.msdn.com/jb/archive/2007/09/19/12-folder-from-here.aspx. use when you want to open a command prompt on the 12 folder direct (useful when using stsadm command).

here is the trick (copied from the blog post above):

Save the following as a .REG file and import it:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
 
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Open12Folder]
@="12 Folder"
 
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Open12Folder\Command]
@="cmd.exe /k cd \"%%CommonProgramFiles%%\\microsoft shared\\web server extensions\\12\\BIN\""
 
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\OpenNew]
@="Command Prompt"
 
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\OpenNew\Command]
@="cmd.exe /k cd %1"

cheers,

- mutaz

• Seriously, stop looking for that old email you got from a customer or a friend by navigating through your outlook folders, use search!!!!

 I am a big fan of desktop search technologies, I use(d) vista for long time, now i am on Windows Server 2008 with desktop experience and search enabled. and this blog post is to introduce some outlook search tips that i use my self every day.

 first of all, i stoped trying to "organize" my mailbox by create so many folders and moving things by project and by sender. most people still do that in an attempt to make it easier to find that email later on. what i do is keep everything in one place (untill it's too old to be useful then i move it to an archive file), and i use outlook search to find my way through the thousands of emails in my inbox.

 i rely heavily on email items attributes to find what i am looking for, so if i am looking for an email that was sent by me, i will use the search term "from:mutaz", and so on.

 my top three search terms are:

• from:name or email of author
• to:name of email of recipient
• isread:false/true

<update date="4/12/2008">

a new favorite search term:

category:nameOfCategory

works nicely if you use outlook categories in your inbox or even calendar or contacts

</update>

so if it is an email from simon (my PM now) regarding the project work we are doing for Adventure Works, my search term would propably be (from:simon "adventure works"), if i am looking for the email that he sent specifically to me which i did not read yet then the search term will become (from:simon to:mutaz "adventure works" isread:false).

 needs a little getting-used to, will save you lots of time trying to find your way around your outlook email. 

cheers, 
-  mutaz

I kept getting this error while trying to install WSS v3/Project Server 2007 side by side on a machine running WSSv2/Project Server 2003. in this instance i was trying to install the products without upgrading WSS v2 content dbs, hence i did not run the pre-scan tool prior to installing wssv3. in this case when running the psconfig tool after finishing the isntalltion of wssv3 i kept getting an error that .PostSetupConfigurationTaskException has thrown an exception.

 to workaround it, i uninstalled wssv2, project server 2003, rebooted the machine and tried again, now it all works well.  

error details:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard
Event Category: None
Event ID: 100
Date:  2/10/2008
Time:  10:09:15 AM
User:  N/A
Computer: PESM101
Description:
Configuration of SharePoint Products and Technologies failed.  Configuration must be performed in order for this product to operate properly.  To diagnose the problem, review the extended error information located at C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\LOGS\PSCDiagnostics_10_2_2008_10_8_59_799_1112662755.log, fix the problem, and run this configuration wizard again.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: SharePoint Products and Technologies Configuration Wizard
Event Category: None
Event ID: 104
Date:  2/10/2008
Time:  10:09:15 AM
User:  N/A
Computer: PESM101
Description:
Failed to initialize SharePoint Products and Technologies upgrade.
An exception of type Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.PostSetupConfigurationTaskException was thrown.  Additional exception information: The initialize command is invalid or a failure has been encountered.
A previous attempt to upgrade SharePoint Products and Technologies has failed.  For more information about this failure, review the upgrade log on server pesm101 or review the SharePoint Timer service upgrade job status using the Central Administration Web Application.  To retry upgrade, run psconfig.exe and specify the force parameter along with the upgrade command on server pesm101.
Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.PostSetupConfigurationTaskException: Exception of type 'Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.PostSetupConfigurationTaskException' was thrown.
   at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.TaskCommon.CheckIfUpgrading(TaskBase task)
   at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.InitializeTask.Run()
   at Microsoft.SharePoint.PostSetupConfiguration.TaskThread.ExecuteTask()

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

cheers,

- mutaz

the new MOSS SDK 1.4 and WSS SDK 1.4 are now released and can be downloaded here:

• Download the MOSS SDK 1.4
• Download the WSS SDK 1.4

see the blog post of Randall Isenhour for more details on this SDK release.

- mutaz

they're here, under Site Collection Administration in site settings:

Can not see it there? well that is because you need to turn on the Office SharePoint Server Publishing site features.

cheers,

- mutaz