Moez T's Technical Blog!

Understanding Claims Based Authentication, Video from Channel 9

2011-06-27T14:17:00.001+01:00

Full article here : http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/SharePointSideshow/Understanding-SharePoint-2010-Claims-Based-Security

Useful links

http://blogs.technet.com/b/speschka/archive/2010/03/13/writing-a-custom-claims-provider-for-sharepoint-2010-part-1.aspx

http://blogs.technet.com/b/speschka/archive/2010/03/13/writing-a-custom-claims-provider-for-sharepoint-2010-part-2.aspx

http://blogs.technet.com/b/speschka/archive/2010/03/13/writing-a-custom-claims-provider-for-sharepoint-2010-part-3-searching-claims.aspx

http://blogs.technet.com/b/speschka/archive/2010/02/13/figuring-out-what-claims-you-have-in-sharepoint-2010.aspx

http://www.httpwatch.com/

http://powergui.org

http://ulsviewer.codeplex.com/

Visual Studio Light Switch Advanced Sample from Beth Massi

2011-06-27T10:44:00.001+01:00

Well thanks to Beth for the great post about VS Light Switch Sample, today was diggin’ in it and it was superb.

To download the Sample Click Here

“This sample demonstrates some of the more advanced code, screen, and data customizations you can do with Visual Studio LightSwitch Beta 2 as a professional developer (you get paid to write code). If you are not a professional developer or do not have any experience with LightSwitch, please see the Getting Started section of the LightSwitch Developer Center for step-by-step walkthroughs and How-to videos. Also please make sure you read the setup instructions below.” … read more

Building the Sample

You will need Visual Studio LightSwitch Beta 2 installed to run this sample. Before building the sample you will need to set up a few things so that all the pieces work. Once you complete the following steps, press F5 to run the application in debug mode.

Install Extensions

You will need the following extensions installed to load this application:
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/Filter-Control-for-Visual-90fb8e93
http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/Excel-Importer-for-Visual-61dd4a90
And the Bing Map control from the Training Kit:
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9741442

These are .VSIX packages and are also located in the root folder of this sample. Close Visual Studio and then double-click them to install.

Running Excel reports against TSF Queries

2011-06-20T06:45:00.000+01:00

From Microsoft Test Manager, you can create a Requirement based suite to see the associated test cases for a given user story or a requirement.

On the right side pane, under the Test Activity, you can see the test pass/ fail status for all test cases associated with this user story.

Problem Statement:

The right side pane of the Requirement based suite will only show the test case status based on whatever the tester status the tester has provided in this particular suite. If the test cases present in the Requirement based suites are also present elsewhere (in another test suite or another test plan) and you just want to see the status of these test cases (most recent pass/ fail information), Excel reports are the way to go.

Note: Using the report given below, you can see the status of test cases that are associated (linked) to a generic work item, not necessarily a user story. If some test cases are linked to each other (slightly modified versions of the same test case with different iteration paths/ area paths etc) and you want to see the status of these linked test cases, the same report can also be used.

The Excel Report:

You can create an Excel report as follows:

Report Filter:

1. Work Item Linked.[System_Title] – Select the the user story as the linked item. Use this filter to get all test cases linked to a user story

Row Labels:

1. Test Configuration.[Configuration Name] – Test Configurations selected under the report filters.

2. Test Case.[System_Title] – The names of all test cases, grouped by test configuration

Column Labels:

1. Test Result.[Outcome] – the state of the test case (failed, passed, never run, error, blocked or aborted)

Values:

1. Test. [Point Count Tread] – indicates the count of all test points (test cases x configurations) satisfying the row/ column labels

Checking use of Claims Based Authentication

2011-02-22T15:53:00.001Z

Integrating Reporting Services with SharePoint, the authentication scheme for the SharePoint site can affect how Reporting Services works. You may be asked many time about how to tell if the SharePoint site is using Claims or is in Classic mode.

We have two ways to check this information, either from the central administration website or with a PowerShell script.

Central Administration

To determine if you are using Claims or Classic Authentication for your SharePoint site. Go to Central Admin, Application Management and Manage Web Applications.

When you click on a given web application, the Authentication Providers button will enable.
For port 80 application, which is using Classic authentication, you will see the following

However, if we look at port 5555 application, we will see something different.

For Claims applications, it will actually show you "Claims Based Authentication". When we are in Classic Mode, we will just see "Windows".

PowerShell

We can also use PowerShell to determine the Authentication mode that the applications are using. SharePoint 2010 has moved towards PowerShell for scripting items as most Microsoft Servers are doing. I ran these scripts by opening the SharePoint 2010 Management Shell, but you could load the cmdlets manually through a normal PowerShell Command prompt.

The script is pretty simple. We can just make use of Get-SPWebApplication.

$web = Get-SPWebApplication "<URL for Application>"
$web.UseClaimsAuthentication

For default application at port 80 we will see this

And for application at port 5555 we will see this instead

Knowing which mode SharePoint is in can really help with your deployment of Reporting Services and help you avoid or account for certain behaviors and issues. Remember when we are using Claims Based Authentication with the SharePoint Web Application, we will always use Trusted Authentication with Reporting Services. Even if you select Windows Authentication.

Silverlight 5 Soon, Watch the Scott's keynote here

2010-12-08T09:53:00.000Z

At Silverlight FireStarter event Microsoft unveiled the next release of Silverlight.

keynote by Scott Guthrie

Premium Media Experiences

We are seeing great adoption of Silverlight for premium media solutions. In the last few months we’ve seen companies like Canal+, TV2, and Maximum TV launch both live and on-demand Silverlight solutions.

Silverlight 5 will enable media experiences to go even further by adding:

Hardware video decode: Silverlight 5 now supports GPU accelerated video decode, which significantly reduces CPU load for HD video. Using Silverlight 5, even low powered Netbooks will be able to play back 1080p HD content
Trickplay: Silverlight 5 now enables variable speed playback of media content on the client with automatic audio pitch correction. This is great for training videos where you want to speed up the trainer while still understanding what he’s saying
Improved power awareness will prevent screensavers from kicking in while you’re watching movies while allowing the computer to sleep when video is not playing.
Remote-control support is now built-into Silverlight 5 - allowing users to control media playback with remote control devices.

Application Development

Silverlight provides a rich application development environment that enables you to build great web delivered applications.

Silverlight 5 delivers significant improvements for application development including:

Databinding and MVVM: Silverlight 5 delivers significant data-binding improvements that improve developer productivity and provide better Silverlight/WPF feature convergence. Developers can now debug data-binding expressions, set breakpoints on bindings, and more easily determine errors. Implicit DataTemplates now allow templates to be created across an application to support a particular type by default. Ancestor RelativeSource bindings makes it easier for a DataTemplate to bind to a property on a container control. Binding in style setters allows bindings to be used within styles to reference other properties. And a new DataContextChanged event is being introduced to make handling changes easier. Markup extensions are also now support and allow code to be run at XAML parse time for both properties and event handlers, enabling cutting-edge MVVM support.
WCF and RIA Services: Silverlight 5 now includes WS-Trust support. WCF RIA Services improvements include complex type support, better MVVM support, and improved customization of code generation. Silverlight 5’s networking stack also now supports low-latency network scenarios that enable more responsive application scenarios.
Text and Printing: Silverlight 5 delivers improved text clarity that enables crisper and cleaner text rendering, multi-column text flow and linked text containers, character and leading support, and full OpenType font support. Silverlight 5 also includes a new Postscript Vector Printing API that provides programmatic control over what you print, and enables printing richer reports and documents. Pivot functionality – which enables developers to build amazing information visualization experiences – will also be provided built-into the Silverlight 5 SDK.
Graphics: Silverlight 5 includes immediate mode graphics support that enables developers to take full advantage of the GPU (graphics processing unit) and enables accelerated 3-D graphics support. This new support facilitates much richer data visualization scenarios (make sure to watch the keynote to see some really eye-popping ones).
Out of Browser: Silverlight 5 builds on the out-of-browser capabilities we introduced with Silverlight 5. Out of browser applications can now create and manage child windows. Trusted out of browser applications can now also use P/Invoke capabilities to call unmanaged libraries and Win32 APIs. Enhanced group policy support enables enterprises to both lock down and open up security sandbox capabilities of Silverlight 5 applications.
Testing Tools: We are adding automated UI testing support for Silverlight applications with Visual Studio 2010. This makes it easy to test Silverlight applications, and automate the functionality of them.
Performance: Silverlight 5 support faster application startup, and provides 64-bit browser support. Silverlight 5 also integrates with the new Hardware Acceleration capabilities of IE9, and enables hardware acceleration in windowsless mode.

Latest Videos from Tech·Ed Europe 2010

2010-11-26T09:46:00.000Z

Explore the latest technology videos from TechEd Online, for developers architects and infastructure engineers

And the latest videos for SharePoint from TechEd Online :

Integrating Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft SharePoint 2010
OSP207 As SharePoint adoption grows, many companies want to increase their integration of CRM data into their SharePoint assets. This session provides an overview of how you ...
Workflow Development in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 with Microsoft Visual Studio 2010
OSP320 SharePoint Server 2010 includes new workflow features and there are many improvements in the tools for workflow. SharePoint 2010 now supports workflows that can run ...
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 As a Social Computing Platform
OSP315 This lecture focuses on the developer interfaces for the Social Computing API and Web services for SharePoint 2010. Social Computing with SharePoint involves creating ...
Developing with REST and LINQ in Microsoft SharePoint 2010
OSP309 SharePoint 2010 has new and improved ways to work with data. LINQ to SharePoint lets a developer work with data from SharePoint lists in a strongly typed way that ...
SharePoint 2010 Lessons Learned from Real World Implementations: RDP Program
OFS205 The RDP is program sponsored by the SharePoint product group which endeavors to gather real-world implementation feedback for SharePoint products and Technologies. The ...
Developing Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Solutions with Claims Authentication
OSP306 SharePoint has built-in user authorization so that a site owner can specify what access particular users have to resources. Authentication is the identification of who ...
Overview and What's New in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 for IT Pros
OFS202 This is an overview session. The session walks through IT Pro related features in SharePoint Server 2010. It covers the new IT Pro experience including deployment and ...
Information Governance for Microsoft SharePoint 2010
OSP219 Learn how to avoid SharePoint Sprawl or Portal Propagation with SharePoint. With all the new features of SharePoint 2010, even more planning is required to maintain a ...
Windows PowerShell Made Less Scary for the Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Administrator
OSP402 PowerShell is the command line admin interface for SharePoint Server 2010. It can be pretty scary for SharePoint admins who haven't used it before. In this session we ...
Business Connectivity Services in Microsoft SharePoint 2010: Overview
OSP202 Business Connectivity Services (BCS) – the evolution of the Business Data Catalog – is a key feature of SharePoint 2010. In this session we discuss the new ...

User Profile Results Empty in SharePoint 2010: Configure Crawl and Search for User Profiles

2010-11-25T17:05:00.000Z

After configuring SharePoint 2010’s User Profile Services with successful synchronization of user profiles, setting up your "My Site" host you assume that all should be well to be able to perform People search and bring people’s profiles. Well, not all the time. In order to for SharePoint to successfully crawl the user profiles from the User Profile Service you need to give the search account the “Retrieve People Data for Search Crawler” permission.
For the permission following the following steps:

In Central Administration choose Application Management the Manage Service Applications
Select the User Profile Service by tapping towards the right of the text
Choose the Administrators button from the toolbar
If you search account is not included go ahead and add it to the list
Check the Retrieve People Data for Search Crawlers permission
Click Ok

That should generally do it. You would then need to force a full crawl in order to confirm that the crawler now indexes all user profiles. Of course I’m assuming that you have already setup a Search Center in order to be able to test the People search functionality.
In some cases this might not work if the default My Site is not part of the Local SharePoint Sites search source. In that case you need to add the “sps3://” corresponding to your My Site Host Name.

For SPS3 Protocol Questions please refer to this blog entry : Crawling SharePoint sites using the SPS3 protocol handler

PDC 10 Sessions Available for View or Download

2010-11-23T14:42:00.000Z

Most PDC 2010 (Microsoft Professional Developer Conference) sessions are available for view online or for download here.

Note: Peter Kellner has posted a batch file that will rename the downloaded videos to use the session titles. Grab it here: http://peterkellner.net/2010/11/04/pdc10-videos-renaming-script/

Agile versus Waterfall

2010-11-22T14:44:00.000Z

The Rise and Fall of Waterfall is a cute video (although with a somewhat annoying soundtrack.. watch with the sound off).

My favorite part of it is the screenshot (seen above) showing the waterfall stages and their respective impacts. The poor Operations folks at the bottom remind me of Ken Johnston’s quote:

Ops beware; unpleasant matter tends to roll downhill and you are near the bottom

For those wondering what the alternative to Waterfall is, here is Scrum in 10 minutes

And if 10 minutes is too long, then try 13 seconds:

And for those looking for the Next Big thing, Kanban is the new “Scrum”

Microsoft Web Camps

2010-11-22T14:41:00.000Z

A bunch of additional Web Camp events are coming up in the months ahead. You can find our more about the events and register to attend them for free here.
Below is a snapshot of the upcoming schedule as of today:

One Day Events

One day events focus on teaching you how to build websites using ASP.NET MVC, WebMatrix, OData and more, and include presentations & hands on development. They will be available in 30 countries worldwide. Below are the current known dates with links to register to attend them for free:

City	Country	Date	Technology	Registration Link
Bangalore	India	16-Nov-10	ASP.NET MVC	Already Happened
Paris	France	25-Nov-10	TBA	Register Here
Bad Homburg	Germany	30-Nov-10	ASP.NET MVC	Register Here
Bogota	Colombia	30-Nov-10	Multiple	Register Here
Chennai	India	1-Dec-10	ASP.NET MVC	Register Here
Seoul	Korea	2-Dec-10	Web Matrix	Coming Soon
Pune	India	3-Dec-10	ASP.NET MVC	Register Here
Moulineaux	France	8-Dec-10	TBA	Register Here
Sarajevo	Bosnia and Herzegovina	10-Dec-10	ASP.NET MVC	Register Here
Toronto	Canada	11-Dec-10	ASP.NET MVC	Register Here
Bad Homburg	Germany	16-Dec-10	ASP.NET MVC	Register Here
Moulineaux	France	11-Jan-11	TBA	Register Here
Cape Town	South Africa	22-Jan-11	Web Matrix	Coming Soon
Johannesburg	South Africa	29-Jan-11	Web Matrix	Coming Soon
Tunis	Tunisia	1-Feb-11	ASP.Net MVC	Register Here
Cape Town	South Africa	12-Feb-11	ASP.Net MVC	Coming Soon
San Francisco, CA	USA-West	18-Feb-11	ASP.NET MVC	Coming Soon
Johannesburg	South Africa	19-Feb-11	ASP.Net MVC	Coming Soon
Redmond, WA	USA-West	18-Mar-11	Odata	Coming Soon
Munich	Germany	31-Mar-11	Web Matrix	Register Here
Moulineaux	France	5-Apr-11	TBA	Register Here
Moulineaux	France	17-May-11	TBA	Register Here
Irvine, CA	USA-West	10-Jun-11	ASP.NET MVC	Coming Soon
Moulineaux	France	14-Jun-11	TBA	Register Here

Two Day Events

Two day Web Camps go into even more depth. These events will cover ASP.NET, ASP.NET MVC, WebMatrix and OData, and will have presentations on day 1 with hands on development on day 2. Below are the current dates for the events:

City	Country	Date	Presenters	Registration Link
Hyderabad	India	18-Nov-10	James Senior & Jon Galloway	Already Happened
Amsterdam	Netherlands	20-Jan-11	James Senior & Scott Hanselman	Coming Soon
Paris	France	25-Jan-11	James Senior & Scott Hanselman	Coming Soon
Austin, TX	USA	7-Mar-11	James Senior & Scott Hanselman	Coming Soon
Buenos Aires	Argentina	14-Mar-11	James Senior & Phil Haack	Coming Soon
São Paulo	Brazil	18-Mar-11	James Senior & Phil Haack	Coming Soon
Silicon Valley	USA	6-May-11	James Senior & Doris Chen	Coming Soon

More Details

You can find the latest details and registration information about upcoming Web Camp events here.

Creating an ASP.NET Web Application and Deploying it to the Windows Azure Platform

2010-11-02T14:24:00.000Z

I went through the process of creating an asp.net web application (without database) and deploying it to my Windows Azure account. I followed step by step instructions during the process but ran into a few minor issues. So I thought I’d share what I learned here.
1. Creating two services in Windows Azure account
After purchasing a Windows Azure account, I logged in to my account and created two services: one hosted service (“Service1”) to run the asp.net web application, and one storage service (“Storage1”) to store the application package including a configuration file. While the concept of having the two services is not so intuitive (at least to me), the process of creating them is very straightforward. Once done, my Windows Azure account looks like the screenshot below.

2. Testing an ASP.NET web application in Local Azure simulation environment
After installing Windows Azure Tools (version 1.2), I created an ASP.NET web role application and tested it in a local Azure simulation environment.

The local Azure simulation environment consists of Development Fabric and Development Storage. You can find it from your Windows tray.

You can right click the Fabric Development UI icon and bring up the screen, shown below.

You can also right click the Storage Development UI icon and bring up the screen, shown below.

3. Setting up your deployment credentials from Visual Studio 2010
You can either create a deployment package for Windows Azure or deploy the application directly to Windows Azure. Right click the service role project (not the web role project) and select Publish.

To deploy a hosted service to Windows Azure from Visual Studio or to monitor an existing deployment, you must provide credentials that Visual Studio can use to authenticate requests to Windows Azure. See more detail here.
I created a certificate using Visual Studio and named it “zxdemocertificate”.

And then copied the path to the certificate (a file with extension “.cer”) on my local machine and uploaded it to my Windows Azure account.

There are two places where you can manage certificates. Use “Manage My API Certificates” under the Account tab.

Browse to the path you just copied, e.g., C:\Users\zxue\AppData\Local\Temp\rukbxh4v.j5t\PublicKey zxdemocertificate.cer and upload the certificate file.
Finally, on the Cloud Authentication Management dialog box in Visual Studio, copy and paste your subscription ID under the Account tab.

Note: If you try to upload the certificate file using the user interface with a service under the Summary tab, you will get an error: Only PFX file may be uploaded." See more detail in this post.

4. Deploying the web application Visual Studio 2010
Once you press the OK button, the deployment process to the Staging environment starts. The entire deployment process takes quite some time (more than 15 minutes) to complete. In Visual Studio, the status of the debugging screen changes from a green bar and “Completed”. In Windows Azure, the status of Web Role changes from “Initializing” to “Busy” to “Ready”.

Before moving the web application from Staging to Production, you can preview the application using the URL listed under “Staging”. When ready, you can push the application to production, which is instant.

What does Office 365 mean to developers?

2010-10-21T13:30:00.000+01:00

Office 365, the next major update to Microsoft Online Services, was announced yesterday. Office 365 includes new cloud-based versions of SharePoint Online, Exchange Online and Lync Online (each based on the 2010 versions of those servers) as well as Office Professional Plus 2010 as a subscription.
You can watch a recording of the Office 365 announcement online now.
What does this mean to developers?
Skills Reuse: With Office 365, you are going to be able to reuse your skills writing SharePoint/Exchange/Lync solutions using Visual Studio 2010. While there isn’t 100% feature parity between on-premises and online versions of those servers, which will require some re-tooling of your skills, a majority of what you know will apply to Office 365 solution development. Skills reuse is always a good thing, especially when it prepares you for the next big thing in software development, the cloud.
A Larger Audience for Your Solutions: With Office 365, you’re going to be able to reach more customers with your solution or services. For example, let’s say you build packaged software or provide custom development services for SharePoint. Before Office 365, the companies you could sell that solution or services to were limited to those that had the resources for the staff, hardware and maintenance required to run SharePoint on-premises. For some small to medium size companies, that requirement priced them out of your solution or services. With Office 365 for Small Business priced at $6/user/month for up to 50 users and Office 365 for Enterprises at $10/user/month ($24/user/month if you include Office Professional Plus), you can see the potential for a lot more companies in the market for SharePoint solutions and or customization services.
Office 365 is a great opportunity for developers to reuse their skills building SharePoint/Exchange/Lync solutions using Visual Studio 2010 in the cloud while being able to reach a much larger audience with their solution or services.
Sounds like a great opportunity for us as developers.

Configuring extranet access for PerformancePoint Services 2010

2010-10-06T10:29:00.000+01:00

Do you have users that need access to your data, but aren't in your intranet?
A new white paper, Configuring extranet access for PerformancePoint Services 2010, describes architectural considerations for deploying PerformancePoint Services in an extranet environment. The paper provides a detailed walkthrough of the recommended architecture that uses Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) server as a reverse-proxy server, the Kerberos protocol for authentication of service and user accounts, and Microsoft SQL Server and SQL Server Analysis Services as back-end data systems.

Here is a glimpse of what you can find in the paper:

Provides scenarios that describe why employees would want access to their business intelligence data in extranet environments. The following are two:
- Access to corporate resources.
- Disseminate information to customers or individuals outside of the organization.
Shows the advantages and disadvantages for extranet deployments such as VPN, placement of network topologies, and Reverse Proxy / Edge Firewall.
Gives all the details for setting up a test environment including necessary service accounts, Hyper-V setup, and SPN syntax.
Shows configuration steps for IIS, TMG server, SQL Server, Windows 2008 Server, and SharePoint 2010.
Shows steps for identity delegation for PerformancePoint Services.
Shows configuration steps for Claims to Windows Token Service (C2WTS).
Gives scenario steps for testing internal and external access.

Lastly, this paper offers troubleshooting section and mention of the troubleshooting tools you want to incorporate.

Download the paper here or paste (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=202004) into the address of your browser.

White Paper : Information Governance with SharePoint 2010

2010-10-05T12:57:00.000+01:00

by Samantha Robertson on SharePoint Governance,

Hi! Governance is a critical topic for SharePoint Server 2010, some progress to share from work this summer.
What’s new in governance content:

Governance model – describes the three areas of governance for SharePoint Server 2010 and highlights some questions to ask while determining your governance approach.

Governance planning white paper – provides information about the process of creating a governance plan for the information in your environment, and provides an example plan.
Implementing governance white paper – provides information about using the features in SharePoint to govern content, services, and a SharePoint farm.
Governance Resource Center – provides links to important resources for governance and SharePoint Server 2010.

More white papers and articles are in progress. Check the Resource Center for the latest information.

SQL Server 2008 SP2 is out!

2010-09-30T12:20:00.001+01:00

The SQL Server 2008 SP2 has major improvements that include integration of reporting services with SharePoint products and several management improvements. This final version of the Service Pack 2 includes new compatibility features with SQL Server 2008 R2 and hotfix solutions provided in SQL Server 2008 SP1 Cumulative Updates 1 thru 8. For example, with SP2 applied, an instance of the SQL Server 2008 Database Engine can be enrolled with a SQL Server 2008 R2 Utility Control Point as a managed instance of SQL Server.
You can read all about new features and enhancements in the Release Notes.
Downloads available here:
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 2
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 2 Feature Pack
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 SP2 Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft SharePoint Technologies
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 SP2 Reporting Services Report Builder
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 SP2 Upgrade Advisor
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 SP2 Data Mining Add-ins for Microsoft Office 2007
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 SP2 Express

Understanding the DOCX File Format

2010-09-29T12:51:00.001+01:00

Chris Rae, one of the program managers in the Office Interoperability Group, has just published the first in a series of posts about how to get started if you're interested in reading or writing Word's DOCX file format – check it out here.
Working with our files is common source of questions, and Chris does a great job of pointing out the resources that we have to get started!

ASP.NET Security Update Now Available

2010-09-29T09:31:00.000+01:00

Microsoft has released a security update that addresses the ASP.NET Security Vulnerability discovered this past week. Read Scott Guthrie's blog post to get all of the details you need to install it on your web servers!

BizTalk Server 2010 Training

2010-09-28T15:20:00.003+01:00

The BizTalk Server 2010 training kit (that includes labs and training videos) to help you learn about the new features of BizTalk Server 2010 can now be downloaded here. These labs are designed to be executed in a BizTalk Server 2010 development environment (which is also free this time around J and can be accessed here). The kit has the following content:

Hands On Labs

Creating BizTalk Maps with the new Mapper
Consuming a WCF Service
Publishing Schemas and Orchestrations as WCF Services
Integrating with Microsoft SQL Server
Integrating using the FTP Adapter
Developers - Create a Role and Party-based Integration Solution
Exploring the New Settings Dashboard
Monitoring BizTalk Operations using System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2
Administrators - Create a Role and Party-based Integration Solution

Presentations and Videos

Introduction and New Features Overview
The New and Improved Mapper
Updated Adapter Features
Trading Partner Management
Configuring Performance and Application Settings
Monitoring BizTalk Using Operations Manager

Updating Custom Ribbon Actions

2010-09-28T12:56:00.001+01:00

Few things to be aware of when creatiing/deploying/customizing the UI Ribbon.
1) Make sure that you deleted your IE (or other browsers) cache after deploying, since
the ribbon caches quite a lot of stuff.

2) When creating a feature that contains the xml / js for your custom ribbon action
you need to make sure that you add a version to your feature tag. This version needs
to be updated every time you roll-out a new version of your ribbon action.

Adding a version to a feature is fairly simple: if you open the desired feature you
will see a 'button' on the bottom left called manifest, if you click that you have
an option edit options around the same place if you click that you can edit the feature
xml by default it will be:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<Feature xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">

</Feature>

So within that <feature> tag you can add a version="1.0.0.0", so it
would look like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>

<Feature xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/"
version="1.0.0.0">

</Feature>

Next time you changed something and want to rollout again you can use version="1.0.0.1"
or higher to make sure all files get updated.

Wanna Test IE 9 Beta, HTML5 Capabilities, one adress

2010-09-24T13:54:00.000+01:00

From Steaw Web Design Studio in Paris

BizTalk Server 2010 - Release To Manifacturing

2010-09-24T09:39:00.000+01:00

I feel myself superb today for this annoucement.

BizTalk Server 2010 is RTM-ed today, as well as Host Integration Server 2010.

Developer Editions could be found here.

It will be available for purchase starting October 1st, 2010. BizTalk Server 2010 is the seventh major release, which includes new support for Windows Server AppFabric to provide pre-integrated support for developing new composite applications. This allows customers to maximize the value of existing Line of Business (LOB) systems by integrating and automating their business processes, and putting real-time, end-to-end enterprise integration within reach of every customer. All this coupled with the confidence of a proven mission-critical integration infrastructure that is available to companies of all sizes at a fraction of the cost of other competing products

This release is another step in the on-going investments we have made in our application infrastructure technologies. Along with the releases earlier this calendar year of .NET Framework 4, Windows Server AppFabric and Windows Azure AppFabric, BizTalk Server 2010 makes it easier for customers to build composite applications that span both on-premises LOB systems and new applications deployed onto the public cloud.

Updated SharePoint 2010 SDK Now Available for Download

2010-09-22T14:37:00.000+01:00

by Randall Isenhour, Sr. Content Manager, SharePoint SDK

The SharePoint 2010 Software Development Kit (SDK) has been updated! Get it here: Download from the Microsoft Download Center

Tips: Installing and Using the SharePoint 2010 SDK Download

What’s New in this SDK Update

We are excited to announce the latest quarterly update of the SDK for SharePoint Foundation 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010. This free update replaces previous 2010 versions of the SDK and includes the following:

New code samples: Silverlight List Viewer, plus new samples in Business Connectivity Services (BCS), Enterprise Content Management (ECM), and User Profiles and Social Data
Updated documentation, including: new and updated How To, reference , and conceptual content
Updated IntelliSense XML files for tooltips and auto-complete in Visual Studio

Here are two MSDN topics listing new and updated content and code samples in the AUG2010 version of the SDK (14.0.4763.1031):

A complete listing and description of the 44 code samples currently available in the SDK can be found here on MSDN Code Gallery: http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/sp2010sdk.

Change History Tables

Wondering what has changed in the SDK? You can do a quick search in the compiled HTML Help (.chm) files for the phrase “content update” (include the quotes) to see all the changed topics. We also publish the “Updated” date at the top of each article. Check out an example here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff623048.aspx.

Working with Help in Visual Studio (MSDN and Local)

This update also coincides with republish of the SDK in the MSDN Library, in addition to offline Visual Studio Help for SharePoint. Yes, that’s right—now you can get context-sensitive Help directly from your code by pressing F1 in Visual Studio.

F1 Help and Working Offline

The MSDN Library is always the most up-to-date source of information, and Visual Studio uses online Help as its primary source by default when you press F1. If you need to work offline, however, you can first download Help content from MSDN using the Visual Studio 2010 Help Library Manager (Help > Manage Help Settings). Here’s how:

Click Check for updates online.
You may need to change your settings to I want to use local help. You can find this under Choose online or local help in Help Library Manager.
Scroll down to SharePoint 2010 SDK, click Add, and then click Update.

IntelliSense XML Files Update

The latest drop of the SDK also updates all the IntelliSense XML files for SharePoint Foundation 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010. Please refer to the Readme.txt file for installation instructions. The readme.txt files is in the C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\SharePoint 2010\Intellisense once the SDK is installed.

You will get tooltips, updated descriptions, and auto-complete as you type code in the Visual Studio 2010 IDE once the IntelliSense XML files are updated. Visual Studio 2010 and SharePoint 2010 must be installed on the computer you are installing the IntelliSense XML files on; the IntelliSense files only work in Visual Studio when the DLL and the XML file of the same name are in the same directory. Please refer to the Readme.txt file for more information.

Security Advisory 2416728 (Vulnerability in ASP.NET) and SharePoint.

2010-09-22T11:57:00.001+01:00

Updates on this issue might be found here

Originally stated that SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 did not require the workaround to be applied, however, we have recently discovered through testing that a variant of the issue does affect SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and also requires extra steps in the workaround for SharePoint Server 2010 (Steps 5-9). Customers with these versions should refer to the relevant workaround below. We will continue to keep this post updated with the latest guidance.
We recently released a Microsoft Security Advisory for a vulnerability affecting ASP.NET. This post documents recommended workarounds for the following SharePoint products:

SharePoint 2010
SharePoint Foundation 2010
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
Windows SharePoint Services 3.0
Windows SharePoint Services 2.0

A workaround is not necessary for SharePoint Portal Server 2003.
The workarounds for the affected versions of SharePoint and Windows SharePoint Services listed above are temporary measures that do not fix the underlying issue but help to block known attack vectors until an ASP.NET security update is released. We will provide instructions on how to revert the workarounds when the security update is released.
We recommend that all affected SharePoint customers apply the workaround as soon as possible. You should apply the workaround to every web front-end in your SharePoint farm.
Workaround for SharePoint 2010 & SharePoint Foundation 2010

Navigate to the SharePoint installation directory at %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\template\layouts.

Create a new file called error2.aspx in this directory with the following content:

<%@ Page Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true" %>
<%@ Import Namespace="System.Security.Cryptography" %>
<%@ Import Namespace="System.Threading" %>

<script runat="server">
   void Page_Load() {
      byte[] delay = new byte[1];
      RandomNumberGenerator prng = new RNGCryptoServiceProvider();

      prng.GetBytes(delay);
      Thread.Sleep((int)delay[0]);
        
      IDisposable disposable = prng as IDisposable;
      if (disposable != null) { disposable.Dispose(); }
    }
</script>

<html>
<head runat="server">
    <title>Error</title>
</head>
<body>
    <div>
        An error occurred while processing your request.
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Navigate to %SystemDrive%\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\virtualdirectories.
For each subfolder in this directory, do the following:
1. Edit web.config
2. Find the customErrors node and change it to;
```
<customErrors mode="On" redirectMode="ResponseRewrite" defaultRedirect="/_layouts/error2.aspx" />
```
3. Save your changes
Navigate to %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\isapi.
Make a copy of the web.config file at this location and rename it to web_backup.config
1. Important: if you skip this step, the workaround may affect your ability to apply patches to your SharePoint installation at a later date

Edit web.config and add the following lines immediately following the <configuration> node, before <system.web>:

<system.webServer>
    <handlers>
        <remove name="AssemblyResourceLoader-Integrated-4.0" />
        <remove name="AssemblyResourceLoader-Integrated" />
    </handlers>
</system.webServer>

Save your changes
Run iisreset /noforce

Verifying the workaround: After applying the workaround, you may not see a change in SharePoint’s error handling behavior. For example, you will still receive a 404 error if you try to access a page that does not exist – this is unique to the SharePoint workaround and is different from the expected behavior described here. This is by design — the workaround described here specifically protects against the ASP.NET vulnerability in error cases that are not handled by SharePoint.

Workaround for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0

Navigate to the SharePoint installation directory at %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\isapi.
Make a copy of the web.config file at this location and rename it to web_backup.config
1. Important: if you skip this step, the workaround may affect your ability to apply patches to your SharePoint installation at a later date.

Edit web.config and add an httpHandlers section as shown:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<configuration>
    <system.web>
        <webServices>
            <protocols>
                <remove name="HttpGet" />
                <remove name="HttpPost" />
                <remove name="HttpPostLocalhost" />
                <add name="Documentation" />
            </protocols>
        </webServices>
        <customErrors mode="On" />
      <httpHandlers>   
         <remove path="WebResource.axd" verb="GET"/>    
      </httpHandlers> 
    </system.web>
    <location path="authentication.asmx">
        <system.web>
            <authorization>
                <allow users="*"/>
            </authorization>
        </system.web>
    </location>
    <location path="wsdisco.aspx">
        <system.web>
            <authorization>
                <allow users="*"/>
            </authorization>
        </system.web>
    </location>
    <location path="wswsdl.aspx">
        <system.web>
            <authorization>
                <allow users="*"/>
            </authorization>
        </system.web>
    </location> 
</configuration>

Save your changes
Run iisreset /noforce

Verifying the workaround: You can verify the workaround by browsing to http://servername/_vti_bin/webresource.axd. You should receive an error message stating “An error has occurred on the server.”
Workaround for Windows SharePoint Services 2.0

Navigate to the SharePoint installation directory at %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\60\template\layouts.

Create a new file called error.aspx in this directory with the following content:

<%@ Page Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true" %>
<%@ Import Namespace="System.Security.Cryptography" %>
<%@ Import Namespace="System.Threading" %>

<script runat="server">
   void Page_Load() {
      byte[] delay = new byte[1];
      RandomNumberGenerator prng = new RNGCryptoServiceProvider();

      prng.GetBytes(delay);
      Thread.Sleep((int)delay[0]);
        
      IDisposable disposable = prng as IDisposable;
      if (disposable != null) { disposable.Dispose(); }
    }
</script>

<html>
<head runat="server">
    <title>Error</title>
</head>
<body>
    <div>
        An error occurred while processing your request.
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Navigate to %ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\60\isapi.
Make a copy of the web.config file at this location and rename it to web_backup.config
1. Important: if you skip this step, the workaround may affect your ability to apply patches to your SharePoint installation at a later date

Edit web.config and add an httpHandlers section as shown:

<configuration>
   <system.web>
      <webServices>
         <protocols>
            <remove name="HttpGet" />
            <remove name="HttpPost" />
            <remove name="HttpPostLocalhost" />
            <add name="Documentation" />
         </protocols>
      </webServices> 
      <httpHandlers>   
         <remove path="WebResource.axd" verb="GET"/>    
      </httpHandlers>  
      <customErrors mode="On"/>
      <trust level="Full" originUrl="" />
   </system.web>
</configuration>

Save your changes
Run iisreset /noforce

Verifying the workaround: For Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 installations, you can verify the workaround in two parts:

Browse to http://servername/_layouts/foo.aspx. You should receive an error message stating “An error occurred while processing your request.”
Browse to http://servername/_vti_bin/webresource.axd. You should receive an error message stating “Path ‘/_vti_bin/webresource.axd’ was not found.”

For more information:

Microsoft Security Advisory (2416728) - Vulnerability in ASP.NET Could Allow Information Disclosure

Security Advisory 2416728 Released – Microsoft Security Response Center Blog

Understanding the ASP.NET Vulnerability – Microsoft Security Research & Defense Blog

Important: ASP.NET Security Vulnerability – Scott Guthrie’s Blog

Frequently Asked Questions about the ASP.NET Security Vulnerability – Scott Guthrie’s Blog

SharePoint 2010 : Adding Nested web.config entries using the SPWebConfigModification

2010-09-15T09:13:00.001+01:00

In SharePoint 2010, you can’t change the correctly the web.config modification entries because we got a new security feature called “RemoteAdministraorAccessDenied” which is by default set to true.
While creating the nested the entries in the web.config I faced two issues :-
Firstly, I resolved it using the setting the RemoteAdministratorAccessDenied to false.

   1: SPWebService webservice = SPWebService.ContentService;

   2: webservice.RemoteAdministratorAccessDenied = false;

3:

   4: webservice.Update();

   5: Console.WriteLine("Navdeep Done");

Secondly, I have written the following code in which I selected “EnsureChildNode” rather using the “EnsureSection” in the modification type.
For e.g. if you would like to add a new section group in the ConfigSection, you have to add the Section group first then you have to provide the XPath to the ParentNode which “configuration/configSections/sectionGroup[@name='CustomURLRewrite']” in my case to add a nested node in the web.config.

   1: SPWebApplication webApp = new SPSite("http://blre3r08-12b:7000/Pages/default.aspx").WebApplication;

2:

   3: SPWebConfigModification modification = new SPWebConfigModification("CustomURLRewrite", "configuration/configSections");

   4:  modification.Owner = "SimpleSampleUniqueOwnerValue";

   5:  modification.Sequence = 0;

   6:  modification.Type = SPWebConfigModification.SPWebConfigModificationType.EnsureChildNode;

   7:  modification.Value = "<sectionGroup name='CustomURLRewrite'></sectionGroup>";

8:

   9:  // Add my new web.config modification.

  10:  webApp.WebConfigModifications.Add(modification);

11:

  12:  SPWebConfigModification modification1 = new SPWebConfigModification("CustomURLRewrite", "configuration/configSections/sectionGroup[@name='CustomURLRewrite']");

  13:  modification1.Owner = "SimpleSampleUniqueOwnerValue";

  14:  modification1.Sequence = 1;

  15:  modification1.Type = SPWebConfigModification.SPWebConfigModificationType.EnsureChildNode;

  16:  modification1.Value = "<section name='navdeep' type='Microsoft.SharePoint.ApplicationRuntime.SafeControlsConfigurationHandler, Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c' />";

Member name
Description
EnsureChildNodeSpecifies that the web.config modification must ensure a child node of the node to which the XPath expression points. Value = 0.
EnsureAttributeSpecifies that the web.config modification must ensure the value of a particular attribute. Value = 1.
EnsureSection
Ensures a singleton node. This node is only written once, even if multiple entities register multiple instances of EnsureSection to ensure a single section. Value = 2.

Updated SharePoint 2010 SDK

2010-09-10T10:17:00.001+01:00

The SharePoint 2010 Software Development Kit (SDK) has been updated! Get it here: Download from the Microsoft Download Center

Tips: Installing and Using the SharePoint 2010 SDK Download

What’s New in this SDK Update

This free update replaces previous 2010 versions of the SDK and includes the following:

New code samples: Silverlight List Viewer, plus new samples in Business Connectivity Services (BCS), Enterprise Content Management (ECM), and User Profiles and Social Data
Updated documentation, including: new and updated How To, reference , and conceptual content
Updated IntelliSense XML files for tooltips and auto-complete in Visual Studio

Here are two MSDN topics listing new and updated content and code samples in the AUG2010 version of the SDK (14.0.4763.1031):

A complete listing and description of the 44 code samples currently available in the SDK can be found here on MSDN Code Gallery: http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/sp2010sdk.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 – Global Beta Released

2010-09-09T16:34:00.002+01:00

By, Umran Hasan

Today, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM team has reached a key milestone as it releases the beta of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, for both cloud-based and on-premises deployments. Available for download and testing in eight languages (English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese) and 36 markets, this release marks the first global public beta for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online. Additionally, beta for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 on-premises is available in 40 markets in eight languages.
There is definitely high anticipation for this new release among partners and customers based on the very positive response received when the team first talked about the new product at WPC, and specifically highlighted how Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 will deliver the Power of Productivity through familiar, connected and intelligent experiences for users inside and outside an organization.
Here is what Garrett Klas, application development manager at CAPTRUST Financial Advisors, a Microsoft Dynamics CRM customer who had the opportunity to experience a pre-beta version of the new release had to say:

“We are enthusiastic about the guided process capabilities of CRM 2011 as a means of reducing the required user training and enhancing our data stewardship program given our highly regulated industry. We value the flexibility offered by the current version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM so can't wait to try out the next generation product and witness the new features first hand.”

Additionally, the all new Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace online catalog (also announced at WPC) will be released as a beta later this month and will offer customers and partners a searchable and filterable catalog of more than 700 applications and professional services. This service will offer partners an easy way to market and distribute solutions to Microsoft Dynamics customers and customers a convenient way to find solutions that meet their business needs.
To try out the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 beta or sign up for the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online beta visit http://www.crm2011beta.com/.
The full press release issued today is located here: Microsoft Releases Global Beta of Next-Generation CRM Product. And be sure to engage and follow the Microsoft Dynamics CRM community @MSDynamicsCRM.

Microsoft TechDays 2011 - Votre opinion sur notre futur site web !

2010-09-09T15:56:00.001+01:00

Microsoft TechDays 2011 - Votre opinion sur notre futur site web !:

Les Microsoft TechDays, vous le savez, sont le résultat d’un travail de longue haleine impliquant plusieurs dizaines de personnes de différents horizons, toutes réunies par la passion des technologies et l’envie de vous satisfaire. Les TechDays ce sont avant tout un contenu technique riche et adapté à vos besoins, mais également l’opportunité de rencontrer vos pairs et de nombreux spécialistes afin d’échanger sur vos problématiques, vos projets ou votre carrière.
Que serait un événement majeur comme les TechDays sans un site Internet digne de ce nom ? Là encore, notre volonté est de vous proposer la meilleure expérience possible, que ce soit en termes d’accès à l’information, d’ergonomie, de design, de fonctionnalités… et qui dit site Internet de qualité, dit un peu de préparation !
Comme les TechDays sont avant tout VOTRE événement, j’ai la joie de vous présenter en avant-première trois pistes créatives pour le futur site des TechDays 2011, afin de recueillir vos premières impressions. Attention, ces illustrations ne sont pas représentatives du site dans sa version finale ; les textes, logos, et autres visuels présents dans ces images ne correspondent pas à ce qui sera mis en ligne : pour cette raison, je ne sollicite que votre impression générale et vos idées.

Après avoir regardé les trois illustrations qui suivent, pourriez-vous nous faire part de votre avis concernant :
· La couleur : quel « ton » vous plait le plus (sombre, bleu ou violet) ?
· Le « design » : aimez-vous les nuages de mots qui font ressortir des thématiques clés ? préférez-vous l’agencement et l’aspect visuel des éléments de la page dans sa version « sombre » ou plutôt ceux des versions « bleu » / « violet » ?
· Et enfin : si vous avez une recommandation en termes de contenu que vous aimeriez trouver sur le site, c’est aussi le bon moment !

“Sombre”

“Bleu”

“Violet”

Microsoft Releases Global Beta of Next-Generation CRM Product

2010-09-09T14:32:00.002+01:00

Microsoft Releases Global Beta of Next-Generation CRM Product:
Discover the Power of Productivity with the new Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 beta release for cloud-based and on-premises deployments.
http://www.crm2011beta.com/

SharePoint Server 2010 - Web Content Management, Look 'n Feel, CSS Styles, Master Pages, Themes, Site template customization reference

2010-09-03T12:09:00.001+01:00

MSDN recently updated two content pages referencing SharePoint 2010 Themes and CSS Reference Elements, all building blocks to customize, create SharePoint 2010 Master Pages and Themes.

Themes Overview : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee617148.aspx
Building Block, Pages and UI : http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee617148.aspx
CSS Usage in SharePoint Foundation : http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms438349.aspx

Announcing the release of the SharePoint 2010 Administration Toolkit V1

2010-08-31T14:58:00.001+01:00

New SharePoint Server Administration Toolkit (annouced by SharePoint Team Blog) cloud be downloaded here.

SharePoint 2010 - 40 Application Templates

2010-08-31T11:14:00.000+01:00

Check this link to setup the templates, amazing ! :)

Creating Custom Business Connectivity Services Connectors Using SharePoint Server 2010

2010-08-27T15:12:00.001+01:00

In this MSDN publication Ricardo Loo Foronda (Microsoft Corporation) explains how to create custom connectors for a variety of data sources in SharePoint 2010, really great and simple, click here to read the post.

Download code: Custom BCS Connector Sample

Overview of Creating Business Connectivity Services Custom Connectors

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 offers integration with external systems (also known as line-of-business systems) through Microsoft Business Connectivity Services (BCS). However, some external systems require more flexibility and powerful mechanisms to correctly consume the data. Business Connectivity Services custom connectors offer you this flexibility and power.
This article addresses the main steps to help you create a Business Connectivity Services custom connector, as follows:

Coding the assembly
Creating the model
Using the custom connector

The example used in this article helps you construct a custom connector that interacts with the file system. Basically, it provides interaction with a specified folder through the following method types:

Finder Returns a list of files that match the wildcard criteria that is specified.
SpecificFinder Returns file information for the file name that is specified.
StreamAccesor Returns a read-only file stream for the file name that is specified.

Coding the Assembly

A custom connector offers deep integration with Business Connectivity Services, providing mechanisms that manage connections, use different type systems, configure connections, and validate metadata to ensure that a common framework is used. You can build a custom connector to provide this functionality by implementing the following interfaces:

ISystemUtility Required. This main interface of a connector provides mechanisms to execute operations against an external system.
IConnectionManager Optional. This interface enables opening and closing connections to the external system.
ITypeReflector Optional. This interface enables working with the data structures of the external system.
ISystemPropertyValidator Optional. This interface verifies the metadata properties on an LobSystem element (external system) and on LobsystemInstance (external system instance) elements.
IAdministrableSystem This interface can be implemented to provide the list of properties that can be configured through the Business Data Connectivity (BDC) service Administration user interface.
ISystemProxyGenerator This interface compiles proxies to connect to the external system that can be persisted for performance.

Figure 1 shows an overview of the FileSystemConnector class.

Figure 1. FileSystemConnector overview

Adding References and Implementing Interfaces

To begin to create a custom connector, you have to add references to the following assemblies:

Microsoft.BusinessData
Microsoft.SharePoint

You can locate the assembly files in the path c:\program files\common files\microsoft shared\web server extensions\14\isapi.
Next, you implement the following interfaces for the example to work:

ISystemUtility
IAdministrableSystem
ISystemPropertyValidator

The following sections describe these interfaces in more detail.

ISystemUtility Interface

As the main interface, ISystemUtility provides functionality to execute operations against the external system.
In our example, the ExecuteStatic method provides the functionality for the Finder method, SpecificFinder method, and StreamAccesor method. The following code shows the signature for the ExecuteStatic method.

public void ExecuteStatic(IMethodInstance methodInstance, ILobSystemInstance lobSystemInstance, object[] 
methodSignatureArgs, IExecutionContext context)

You should validate the in-parameters and the base folder, where Create, Read, Update, and Delete (CRUD) operations will occur. This is shown in the following code.

if (methodInstance == null)
{
    throw (new ArgumentNullException("methodInstance"));
}
if (lobSystemInstance == null)
{
    throw (new ArgumentNullException("lobSystemInstance"));
}
if (methodSignatureArgs == null)
{
    throw (new ArgumentNullException("args"));
}

object baseFolderValue;
if (!lobSystemInstance.GetProperties().TryGetValue(baseFolderPropertyName, out baseFolderValue))
{
    throw new InvalidOperationException("BaseFolder property is missing");
}

String baseFolderName = baseFolderValue as string;

if (String.IsNullOrEmpty(baseFolderName))
{
    throw new InvalidOperationException("BaseFolder property contains an invalid value.");
}

DirectoryInfo baseFolder = new DirectoryInfo(baseFolderName);

if (!baseFolder.Exists)
{
    throw new InvalidOperationException("Base folder doesn't exist.");
}

Now, notice the following:

The first parameter, IMethodInstance methodInstance, includes the MethodInstanceType property. This indicates the method type that is being called.
The third parameter, object[] methodSignatureArgs, can hold many subparameters that are useful for the MethodInstanceType property.

With this information, you can build a handler for every MethodInstanceType.
The Finder type has the following subparameters:

methodSignatureArgs[0]: A wildcarded search string for a file name.
methodSignatureArgs[1]: The return object (a list of FileInfo objects).

The Finder type subparameters are shown in the following code.

if (methodInstance.MethodInstanceType == MethodInstanceType.Finder)
{
    String wildcard = methodSignatureArgs[0] as string;
    IList<FileInfo> results = new List<FileInfo>();
    methodSignatureArgs[1] = baseFolder.GetFiles(wildcard);
}

The SpecificFinder type has the following subparameters:

methodSignatureArgs[0]: The file name.
methodSignatureArgs[1]: The return object (a FileInfo object).

The SpecificFinder type subparameters are shown in the following code.

if (methodInstance.MethodInstanceType == MethodInstanceType.SpecificFinder)
{
    string fileName = methodSignatureArgs[0] as string;
    FileInfo result = new FileInfo(Path.Combine(baseFolder.FullName, fileName));
    if (result.Exists && result.Directory.FullName.Equals(baseFolder.FullName))
    {
        methodSignatureArgs[1] = result;
    }
}

The StreamAccesor type has the following subparameters:

methodSignatureArgs[0]: The file name.
methodSignatureArgs[1]: The return object (a FileStream object).

The StreamAccesor type subparameters are shown in the following code.

if (methodInstance.MethodInstanceType == MethodInstanceType.StreamAccessor)
{
    string fileName = methodSignatureArgs[0] as string;
    FileInfo result = new FileInfo(Path.Combine(baseFolder.FullName, fileName));
    if (result.Exists && result.Directory.FullName.Equals(baseFolder.FullName))
    {
        methodSignatureArgs[1] = result.OpenRead();
    }
}

IAdministrableSystem Interface

As described earlier in this article, this IAdministrableSystem provides the list of properties that are administered through the Business Connectivity Services Administration UI. In this case, you have only one property, BaseFolder, which specifies your working directory.
You store the value in a class variable named baseFolderPropertyName through the AdministrableLobSystemInstanceProperties property, as shown in the following code.

public IList<AdministrableProperty> AdministrableLobSystemInstanceProperties
{
    get
    {
        return new List<AdministrableProperty>()
        {
            new AdministrableProperty("Base Folder","The path to the folder that stores the data.", 
              typeof(string), baseFolderPropertyName, typeof(string), true)  
        };
    }
}

ISystemPropertyValidator Interface

You use the ISystemPropertyValidator interface to verify the validity of the properties. In this case, you have only the BaseFolder property. You check whether the folder exists, and if it does not, you throw an exception. This is shown in the following code.

public void ValidateLobSystemInstanceProperty(string name, ref object value, string metadataObjectName, 
   Type metadataObjectType)
{
    // Validate whether the given directory exists.
    if (name == baseFolderPropertyName)
    {
        String folderName = value as string;
        if (!Directory.Exists(folderName))
        {
            throw new ArgumentException("The given directory does not exist.");
        }
    }
}

Creating the Model

You can create the model in three ways: by using Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2010, by using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, or by creating a model file that you can import by using SharePoint Central Administration.
For simplicity, this article explores the third option, creating a model file. To begin, you should have a general understanding of FileSystemLOB, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. FileSystemLOB overview

The following sections describe these properties, methods, and identifier.

FileSystemLOB Properties

The LobSystem element has the SystemUtilityTypeName property, which is defined by the following XML fragment. Notice that this matches the AdministrableLobSystemProperties list in the IAdministrableSystem interface.

XML

<Properties>

<Property Name="SystemUtilityTypeName" Type="System.String">
    BusinessDataConnectivitySamples.Connectors.FileSystemConnector,
    BusinessDataConnectivitySamples.Connectors,
    Version=14.0.0.0,
    Culture=Neutral,
    PublicKeyToken=2154d1c691e2e909
  <Property>
<Properties>

You put the fully qualified assembly name in the SystemUtilityTypeName property.

TestFileSystemCustomShimInstance Instance

The TestFileSystemCustomShimInstance instance is defined through the following XML fragment. Notice that the BaseFolder property matches the one in the IAdministrableSystem interface.

XML

<LobSystemInstance Name="TestFileSystemCustomShim">
  <Properties>
    <Property Name="BaseFolder" Type="System.String">c:\testfolder</Property>
  </Properties>
</LobSystemInstance>

File External Content Type

The Entity XML element is the largest section of the model and defines the properties, methods, and identifier of the files. This is shown in the following XML fragment.

XML

<Entity EstimatedInstanceCount="1000" Name="File" Namespace="BDCSamples.Connectors.FileSystem" Version="1.0.0.0">
<Identifiers>
  <Identifier TypeName="System.String" Name="FileName"/>
</Identifiers>
<Methods>
<Method Name="ReadFile">
<Method Name="ReadFiles">
<Method Name="GetFileContents">
</Methods>
</Entity>

Business Connectivity Services also needs a way to uniquely identify each element (in this case, the file). This is done by the identifier, which in this example is the FileName property.
Next are the methods, which in general adjust to the following structure:

In parameters
Return parameters
Method instances
Access control lists (ACLs)

The methods are mapped to the operations described in the ExecuteInternal method of the ISystemUtility interface. In the following markup, only the XML fragment for the ReadFile method is shown. But you can check the remaining operations in the files that accompany this article (see Custom BCS Connector Sample).

XML

<Method Name="ReadFile">
  <Parameters>
  <Parameter Direction="In" Name="FileName">
    <TypeDescriptor TypeName="System.String" IdentifierName="FileName" Name="FileName" />
  </Parameter>
  <Parameter Direction="Return" Name="FileDetails">
    <TypeDescriptor TypeName="System.IO.FileInfo, mscorlib, Version=2.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, 
       PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" Name="FileDetails">
    <TypeDescriptors>
      <TypeDescriptor Name="Name" TypeName="System.String" IdentifierName="FileName" ReadOnly="true" />
      <TypeDescriptor Name="Attributes" TypeName="System.IO.FileAttributes, mscorlib, Version=2.0.0.0, 
        Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" ReadOnly="true"/>
      <TypeDescriptor Name="LastWriteTimeUtc" TypeName="System.DateTime" ReadOnly="true">
      <Interpretation>
        <NormalizeDateTime LobDateTimeMode="UTC"/>
      </Interpretation>
      </TypeDescriptor>
    </TypeDescriptors>
    </TypeDescriptor>
  </Parameter>
  </Parameters>
  <MethodInstances>
  <MethodInstance Type="SpecificFinder" ReturnParameterName="FileDetails" Name="FileSystemFinder">
    <!--<AccessControlList>
    <AccessControlEntry Principal="Domain\username">
      <Right BdcRight="Execute"/>
    </AccessControlEntry>
    </AccessControlList>-->
  </MethodInstance>
  </MethodInstances>
</Method>

Using the Custom Connector

The next step is to see the custom connector at work. Before you can do this, you will perform the following series of steps:

Install the assembly in the global assembly cache.
Import the model.
Create the external list.
Add the files to and remove them from the specified folder.

Installing the Assembly in the Global Assembly Cache

You can install the assembly in the global assembly cache in a few ways, but for the example in this article, simply drag the assembly file to the c:\windows\assembly folder.

Importing the Model

Next, use the following steps to import the model from the Central Administration pages.

To import the model from the Central Administration pages

Open SharePoint 2010 Central Administration.
Under Application Management, select Manage service applications.
Click the Business Data Connectivity service application.
Click the Edit tab, and then click Import on the Server ribbon.
In the BDC Model File, select your model file (in this example, FileSystemConnector.bdcm).
In File Type, verify that the model option is selected.
In Advanced Settings, verify that Localized names, Properties, and Permissions are selected.
Click Import.

Now, the model is imported, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Imported model

Click on the model to discover the external content types, as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. External content types

Creating the External List

There are many ways to create the external list. However, this article describes only one way, as shown in the following steps.

To create the external list

Navigate to the site where you want to create the external list.
On Site Actions menu, click View All Site Content.
Click Create.
Select the External List type, and then click Create.
Name your list, and then click Select External Content Type.
Click Create.

Your external list is now ready to receive information (or files), as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Created external list

Adding or Removing Files

You add files to or remove files from the c:\testfolder folder, and the list synchronizes accordingly. Figure 6 shows this list and folder synchronization.

Figure 6. List and folder synchronization

Conclusion

By using Microsoft Business Connectivity Services (BCS), you can connect to many different kinds of external systems. Each kind of external system requires a specific connector. By default, Business Connectivity Services includes connectors to access business data that is exposed through databases and web services. However, some business data might be exposed through other mechanisms, or might require additional processing before Business Connectivity Services can use the data. To solve the simple problems for one external system, Business Connectivity Services also provides the Microsoft .NET Framework assembly connector, where the logic to connect to the external system and any processing is compiled in a simple assembly that exposes functions that Business Connectivity Services can understand. While this set of connectors addresses most of the external systems, they are not always enough. You might need more control on the connections and models, or might have to connect to many different external systems of the same type. These problems are not solved by the .NET Framework assembly connector. However, as described in this article, you can build your own custom connector to solve them.

Additional Resources

For more information, see the following resources:

Merging Word Documents on the Server Side with SharePoint 2010

2010-08-27T11:06:00.000+01:00

Office Services

Merging Word Documents on the Server Side with SharePoint 2010

Ankush Bhatia and
Manvir Singh

Download the Code Sample

Business application developers must often create solutions that automate day-to-day
activities for their organizations. These activities typically involve processing
and manipulating data in various documents—for example, extracting and consolidating
data from multiple source documents, merging data into e-mail messages, searching
and replacing content in documents, recalculating data in workbooks, extracting
images from presentations ... and the list goes on and on.
Microsoft Office makes these kinds of repetitive tasks simpler by providing a rich
API that developers can use to automate them. Because such solutions work seamlessly
for normal desktop users, developers have taken them to the next level: deploying
the solutions to servers that provide a central point where all of this repetitive
work can be addressed for multiple users without any human intervention.
Although moving solutions that complete repetitive Office tasks from the desktop
to a server seems straightforward, it’s not quite as simple as it sounds.
Microsoft designed the Office application suite for desktop computer scenarios where
a user is logged on to a machine and is sitting in front of it. For reasons of security,
performance and reliability, Office applications are not the right tools for server-side
scenarios. Office applications in a server environment may require manual intervention,
and that’s not optimal for a server-side solution. Microsoft recommends avoiding
this kind of solution, as explained in the Microsoft Support article, “Considerations for server-side Automation
of Office”.
Since the release of Office 2007, however, the Office automation story has changed
a great deal. With Office 2007 Microsoft introduced Office OpenXML and Excel Services
for developers who would like to develop Office-based solutions on the server.
With Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010, Microsoft has come up with a new set of components
called Application Services. These put a rich set of tools in a developer’s bag
for Office automation solutions. Application Services include Excel Services, Word
Automation Services, InfoPath Forms Services, PerformancePoint Services and Visio
Services. You can learn more about the details of these services at msdn.microsoft.com/library/ee559367(v=office.14).
In this article, we will show you how to use Office OpenXML, Word Automation Services
and SharePoint to build a simple application that merges separate status reports
into a single document.

Status Report Workflow

Let’s say you’re a developer working at a services-oriented company in which many
projects are managed by different teams. Every week, each project manager uses a
common template to create a weekly status report and upload it to an internal SharePoint
repository. Now your Group Manger wants to get a consolidated report that will contain
all of these of weekly status reports and, guess what, you are the chosen one who
has to implement this requirement.
You’re lucky, though. As we mentioned earlier, your life is easier today because
you can implement this requirement with much less effort using OpenXML and Word
Automation Services. You’ll be able to produce a more robust and stable solution
than you could have without these technologies.
Let’s start by visualizing the solution. Figure 1 shows a proposed
workflow. The process kicks off with individual project managers filling out status
reports and uploading them to SharePoint on the server. The Group Manager can then
initiate the process of merging any reports stored on the server and generating
a combined report.

Figure 1 Workflow for Generating a Status Report

Building a Template

To implement this solution, the first step is to provide a common template to all
the project managers for filling out the weekly status reports. When they finish
filling in the data, they’ll upload the reports to a SharePoint repository. On Monday
morning, the Group Manager can then log into the SharePoint site and fire up the
logic that performs the following tasks:

Reads all of the individual status report documents.
Merges them into a single report.
Saves the report in the repository for users to access.

Figure 2 shows what the status report template will look like (let’s
call it WeeklyStatusReport.dotx). As you can see, the template includes fields to
capture a title, dates, the project manager’s name, milestones and associated data,
and text fields for entering details about accomplishments, future plans and problems.
In this case we’ve used text fields and the date picker control for simplicity,
but you could easily use drop-down lists, check boxes or a variety of other controls
to streamline data entry.

Figure 2 Weekly Status Report Template

The Document Library

The next step is to create a custom document library that hosts the weekly status
reports based on this template.
In the SharePoint navigation pane, click Libraries and then Create to create a new
library. In the Create dialog, filter by Library, select Document Library and type
a name for the library (we used WSR Library). Now click Create.
Now you need to create a content type for the new library. Click Site Actions, then
Site Settings, and under the Galleries section, click Site content types. Click
Create and then type a name for the content type (we used Weekly Status Report).
In the Select Parent Content Type From list, select Document Content Types. In the
Parent Content type list, select Document and click OK.
Under Settings, select Advanced Settings, then choose the “Upload a new document
template” radio button and click Browse. Find the report template (WeeklyStatusReport.dotx)
and upload it to the library.
Next, go to WSR Library and select Library Settings. Under General Settings, select
Advanced Settings. Select Yes for “Allow management of content types,” then click
OK.
You’ll see a list of Content types shown on the library setting page. Select the
“Add from Existing Site Content Types” link. Select the content type you created
earlier in the available site content types list. In my example, this is Weekly
Status Report. Click Add, and click OK.
Again from the content types list, click on Document and select “Delete this content
type.” Select OK in the warning message box.
Now you should see your content type when you select New Document in your WSR Library,
as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3 Selecting the Custom Content Type
At this point you can go ahead and add a couple of status reports to the document
library.

Creating the Web Part

Next, you need to enable a Group Manager to kick off the consolidation logic. You
can do this via a button at the bottom of the default view of the document library.
There are two steps involved here. First, you’ll create a Visual Web Part using
Visual Studio 2010. Second, you’ll add the Web Part to the document library using
SharePoint Designer 2010.
To create a custom Web Part, start a new project in Visual Studio 2010 using the
Visual Web Part project template. Give the project a name such as DocumentMerge,
then click OK.
In the SharePoint Customization Wizard page, select your Web application (the URL
to the SharePoint site hosting your document library), then click Finish.
Once the project is created, open the VisualWebPart1.cs file and modify the CreateChildControls
method with the following code:

protected override void CreateChildControls() {
  Control control = Page.LoadControl(_ascxPath);
  Controls.Add(control);
  base.CreateChildControls();
  Button btnSubmit = new Button();
  btnSubmit.Text = "Merge Reports";
  btnSubmit.Click += new EventHandler(OnSubmitClick);
  Controls.Add(btnSubmit);
}

Also add an event handler for the button click:

void OnSubmitClick(object sender, EventArgs e) {
  // TODO : Put code to merge documents here
}

At this point you can build and deploy your project. We will add the implementation
to our OnSubmitClick handler a bit later in this article.
The next step is to add the Web Part to the document library. In SharePoint Designer
2010, open the SharePoint site. Click All Files | WSR Library | Forms, then click
on AllItems.aspx to edit it.
Click the bottom of the page. Click Insert | Web Part, and then select More Web
Parts. In the search box, type VisualWebPart (the name of the Web Part you just
created and deployed), and click OK (see Figure 4). Figure
5 shows the page with the Web Part in place. Save the page and close
SharePoint Designer.

Figure 4 Inserting the Web Part

Figure 5 The Web Part in Place on the Page

Merging the Reports

Now, let’s add the logic to merge the uploaded documents in the document library.
For simplicity, this code will merge all the documents uploaded to this folder into
a single file. A more realistic approach would be to merge only selected items or
only items uploaded in a specified time period. You could also save the merged document
to a different location or different library. This is when we’ll add the implementation
to our OnSubmitClick handler of our VisualWebPart project in Visual Studio 2010.
In the OnSubmitClick handler of the Web Part, you need to provide logic for reading
the reports that were uploaded to the document library, generating an empty OpenXML
document, and merging the reports into the new document.
First, you need to read any documents in the current library. You can loop through
the SPListItemCollection of the current SPContext, reading each file into a byte
array using the SPFile.OpenBinary API:

SPListItemCollection files = SPContext.Current.List.Items;
  foreach (SPListItem item in files) {
    SPFile inputFile = item.File;
    byte[] byteArray = 
      inputFile.OpenBinary();

    // process each byte array 
  }

Next, generate the empty OpenXML document. This requires generating the document
in memory using a MemoryStream because the OpenXML SDK does not let you save documents
to a URI. Instead, the MemoryStream object can dump the document into the library
as a new file. The code for creating the file is shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6 Creating a New File for the Merged Report

// String containing the blank document part for our new DOCX
string strEmptyMainPart = 
  "<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8' standalone='yes'?>" +
  "<w:document xmlns:w='http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main'>" +
  "<w:body><w:p><w:r><w:t></w:t></w:r></w:p></w:body></w:document>";

// In-memory stream for our consolidated DOCX.
MemoryStream memOut = new MemoryStream();

// Output document's OpenXML object
WordprocessingDocument outputDoc = 
  WordprocessingDocument.Create(memOut, 
  DocumentFormat.OpenXml.WordprocessingDocumentType.Document);

MainDocumentPart mainPart = outputDoc.AddMainDocumentPart();

Stream partStream = mainPart.GetStream();
UTF8Encoding encoder = new UTF8Encoding();

// Add blank main part string to the newly created document
Byte[] buffer = encoder.GetBytes(strEmptyMainPart);
partStream.Write(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);

// Save the document in memory
mainPart.Document.Save();

Note that you need to add DocumentFormat.OpenXml.dll and WindowsBase.dll in the
references and the corresponding using statements to the code:

using DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Packaging;
using DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Wordprocessing;

The next step is to implement the logic for saving the merged document to the library
as a new document. This requires a bit of effort, but you can make it easier by
using the SharePoint Managed Client Object Model. You’ll need to add two references
to the project, Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.dll and Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Runtime.dll,
which are found in the following folder:

%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\14\ISAPI

Create a new document in the SharePoint library with this code:

ClientContext clientContext = 
  new ClientContext(SPContext.Current.Site.Url);
ClientOM.File.SaveBinaryDirect(clientContext, 
  outputPath, memOut, true);

For these instructions to work, you’ll need the following using statements in the
source file:

using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;
using ClientOM = Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;

Making the Document Searchable

At this point you have the logic in place to generate fully functional consolidated
documents on the server when a user clicks the Merge Reports button.
However, there’s one small catch: the generated document is not compatible with
the SharePoint crawling mechanism because it contains OpenXML altChunk markup. This
is a by-product of merging the reports into the blank document using the code we
showed you earlier. The altChunks get replaced with original content when a document
is opened in Word.
With the new Word Automation Services in SharePoint 2010, this task can be performed
programmatically using ConversionJob class. This class is part of the Microsoft.Office.Word.Server.dll
assembly, so add the reference to this assembly to the project manually. Once you’ve
added this reference, you can use the code in Figure 7 to perform
conversion of the altChunks.
Figure 7 Converting altChunks in the Merged Document

string docPath = string.Format(@"{0}{1}", 
  SPContext.Current.Site.Url.Replace(@"\\", ""), 
  outputPath);
            
ConversionJobSettings JobSettings = 
  new ConversionJobSettings();
JobSettings.OutputFormat = SaveFormat.Document;
JobSettings.OutputSaveBehavior = 
  SaveBehavior.AlwaysOverwrite;

ConversionJob ConvJob = new ConversionJob(
  "Word Automation Services", JobSettings);
ConvJob.UserToken = SPContext.Current.Site.UserToken;
ConvJob.AddFile(docPath, docPath);
ConvJob.Start();

See the code download for this article for additional details of the solution, which
you can use as the basis of your own reporting system.

Final Steps

In order to test this code, we modified our SharePoint server’s configuration to
run the Automation Service after one minute of getting a run request. By default,
this interval is set to five minutes, and we didn’t want to wait that long for our
conversion to happen.
If you’d like to change this setting, you can set it in SharePoint Central Administration
under Application Management | Manage Service Applications | Word Automation Services,
and set the Frequency to start conversions under Conversion Throughput to one minute.
The final generated report contains all the weekly status reports you created, merged
into a single new document with each of the individual reports stacked one after
the other.
And that’s it. In a future article we’ll take the concept of server-side merging
of document contents to the next level. We’ll show you how to implement a mail-merge
type of scenario on the server side, again using Office 2010, SharePoint 2010 and
Visual Studio 2010. Until then, happy coding.
For more information on Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010, see the Office and SharePoint developer centers. Information about Office
OpenXML can be found at msdn.microsoft.com/library/bb448854, and you
can read about Word Automation Services at msdn.microsoft.com/library/ee558278(v=office.14).

C5: Sneak Peek Webinar of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011

2010-08-26T16:08:00.002+01:00

C5 Insight announces a sneak peek at Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 via a Webinar. You'll learn how the product is better integrated with Outlook, Office, SharePoint and - most importantly - how it will integrate with your staff to enable them to outcompete your rivals.

Who: C5 Insight
What: Microsoft is changing the game with the release of CRM 2011. Attend this session for a sneak peek at Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 to start getting your business ready.
When: Thursday, September 30, 2010 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM EST
Where: Online
How Much: Free
Event Type: Webcast

If you're using an earlier version of CRM, you'll want to attend this session to see how CRM 5.0 will accelerate the performance of your sales, marketing and call center staff.
If you're not using Microsoft Dynamics CRM yet, you'll want to attend this session to see how the next step in CRM is making this breakthrough technology available to organizations of all sizes.

Note that :

Microsoft announced the next release will be available in the second half of 2010. This version is still in the final Community Technology Preview phase, and features a few notable changes:
Native integration with WSS 3.0 (Cool)
Ability to create a query behind a lookup
Placing of a grid with child records on the parent record
Autofilter sorting capability like in Microsoft Office Excel
Microsoft Office Ribbon interface replaces menus
OData endpoint
LINQ programming API in the SDK
The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 online beta will be available in September 2010.

Wikipedia

Developping Application for SharePoint 2010

2010-08-26T15:03:00.000+01:00

Microsoft Pattern & Practices proudly annouces "Developping Application for SharePoint 2010"

SharePoint 2010 introduces new ways of developing applications for the SharePoint platform. With SharePoint 2010, you can build multi-tenant, hosted applications on an infrastructure that is scalable, secure, and stable. You can create powerful, data-driven solutions using SharePoint lists or external data. You can create client-side functionality that takes advantage of modern browser capabilities and Silverlight to provide a rich user experience. These new features, operational models, and development tools make SharePoint a more complete application platform, and it also introduces new design and development decisions for customers. This guidance helps customers understand the decision points, tradeoffs, and performance implications that the new functionality introduces; it also helps customers learn how to take best advantage of the new capabilities that SharePoint 2010 provides.

What’s in Developing Applications for SharePoint 2010?

Component	Description
The guide	"Application Foundations for SharePoint 2010" describes approaches you can use to address the challenges of testability, flexibility, configuration, logging and exception handling, and maintainability; it also explains how to use the SharePoint Guidance Library components in these areas. "Execution Models in SharePoint 2010" provides deep technical insights into the mechanics of the full-trust execution environment, the sandbox execution environment, and various hybrid approaches to executing code in SharePoint applications. "Data Models in SharePoint 2010" explains new list and external data functionality and data access techniques, key design decision points that can help you to choose between standard SharePoint lists and external lists, and techniques and patterns to address large lists and list aggregation. "Client Models in SharePoint 2010" provides guidance on how to best use the new client-side functionality to access data and build richer client experiences with Silverlight and Ajax. Each section also contains a set of how-to topics. These explain how to perform specific tasks that the team found challenging to discover.
Reference implementations	This release includes eight reference implementations that you can deploy to a SharePoint 2010 test environment. The reference implementations reinforce the key concepts in the guide and illustrate how to build applications that reflect real-world scenarios. Each reference implementation includes a detailed scenario and design overview, an explanation of the design decisions the team faced for the implementation, and an installation script to automate setup. This release includes reference implementations for the following scenarios: · Sandboxed solution · Sandboxed solution with a full-trust proxy · Sandboxed solution with External List · Sandboxed solution with custom workflow activities · Farm Solution (timer job) · SharePoint List Data Models · External Data Models · Client Application Models
The SharePoint Guidance Library	The library is a collection of reusable classes delivered as source code that address common challenges in application development for the SharePoint platform. This release improves on the previous release of the library by adding support for sandboxed solutions and taking advantage of new SharePoint features. The SharePoint Guidance Library consists of three key components: · SharePoint Service Locator. This provides a simple implementation of the Service Locator pattern for SharePoint applications. The service locator enables you to isolate your code from dependencies on external types, which makes your code more modular, easier to test, and easier to maintain. · Application Settings Manager. This provides a robust and consistent mechanism for storing and retrieving configuration settings at each level of the SharePoint hierarchy, from individual sites (SPWeb) to the entire server farm (SPFarm). · SharePoint Logger. This provides easy-to-use utility methods that you can employ to write information to the Windows Event log and the SharePoint Unified Logging Service (ULS) trace log. It also enables you to create custom diagnostic areas and categories for logging.

Click here to download this release.

Click here to read the full post.

Exchange 2010 SP1 released...

2010-08-26T11:10:00.001+01:00

Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 Service Pack 1 (SP1)
Brief Description
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 helps you achieve new levels of reliability and performance by delivering features that help to simplify your administration, protect your communications, and delight your customers by meeting their demands for greater business mobility.
Link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=50b32685-4356-49cc-8b37-d9c9d4ea3f5b
Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 SP1 RTM Protocol Documentation
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=a9aae935-ad23-4117-a3d9-9ed6093d6d7f
System Requirements
• Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit; Windows Server 2008; Windows Server 2008 Enterprise; Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise; Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard; Windows Vista 64-bit Editions Service Pack 1
Exchange Server 2010 SP1 System Requirements and Prerequisites
This SP1 software may be used to both update an existing Exchange 2010 installation to Service Pack 1 (SP1) and perform new installations.
For information about Exchange 2010 system requirements and prerequisites, see the following topics:
• Exchange 2010 System Requirements
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa996719.aspx
• Exchange 2010 Prerequisites
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb691354.aspx
Actual requirements will vary based on system configuration and specific features installed. For more detailed system requirements, please refer to the Exchange Server 2010 Technical Documentation Library.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb124558(EXCHG.140).aspx
For a list of Windows Server 2008 requirements, visit http://technet.microsoft.com/windowsserver/2008.

TechEd Berlin Coming in November

2010-08-26T09:40:00.000+01:00

Latest info about the upcoming technical event for developers and IT professionals at Berlin Messe in Berlin, Germany.

Brad Anderson to Keynote Tech∙Ed Europe 2010

Microsoft CVP, Brad Anderson, will be a keynoter at this year’s Tech∙Ed Europe event. More announcements on keynoters and sessions to come in September. Join the TechEd Europe email newsletter, or visit the website for the latest news.

Register by 31^st August and Save

Don’t miss this chance to save on Tech∙Ed Europe – register by 31 August and save €200 off the full conference price (a €400 savings over last year’s full price). If you book your hotel through the Tech∙Ed Europe accommodation booking service by 31 August, you’ll also receive a FREE, 6-day public transit (BVG) pass. The BVG pass entitles you to full use of public transportation (metro/city train/tram/bus) in Berlin. Visit the registration page for details on both offers.

Attendees Receive a Free TechNet Subscription

Tech·Ed Europe attendees will receive a free, one-year Microsoft TechNet Subscription, specifically selected for IT Professionals that support enterprise-wide environments. The subscription includes access to the complete stack of full-version Microsoft infrastructure and business solution software for evaluation and testing purposes, as well as access to upcoming beta releases, E-Learning courses and priority support on TechNet Forums. The subscription benefit for attendees excludes the two (2) free support calls included in the Professional subscription level; all other benefits are the same. > View benefits.

Go Behind-the-Scenes of the TechEd Europe event, Win a Free Pass!

Jennifer Ritzinger (event owner) and Mike Swanson (keynote owner) host a weekly video show to share the latest news and ‘behind-the-scenes’ details about the Tech∙Ed Europe event. On the most recent episode, they talk to content owner, Steven Salazar, about the results of the session preference voting and the upcoming release of sessions. Also, they announce how you can win a FREE pass to the event! In case you’ve missed any, you can still view all the episodes.

C# 4.0 PowerPoint Presentations

2010-08-25T14:29:00.002+01:00

"Alexandru Ghiondea has recently published C# 4.0 PowerPoint Presentation that could be downloaded here.

Read more ...

SQL Azure Now Supports Database Copy

2010-08-25T11:58:00.001+01:00

SQL Azure now supports Database copy. This update is part of SQL Azure Service Update 4. Also, this service update includes: Development: How-to Topics (SQL Azure Database) on MSDN Development Center.
Microsoft project Microsoft Project Code-Named “Houston” (Houston), a light weight web-based database management tool for SQL Azure. Database copy allows you to make a real-time ...

Blog Post: Improved Productivity with BizTalk Server 2010 Mapper

2010-08-24T12:43:00.000+01:00

Blog Post: Improved Productivity with BizTalk Server 2010 Mapper:

by Deepak Jain, Program Manager BizTalk Server Team

The current mapper was an award winning tool when it was released. But lately we have been hearing from our customers that although mapper is great for simple maps, they are finding it increasingly difficult to develop and maintain maps with the BizTalk Mapper. The problem is that when mapper was developed schemas used to be small and mappings used to be simple. With the increasing complexity of integration challenges being solved using BizTalk, the size of the messages/schemas and the complexity of maps has been increasing rapidly.

The above map is an example of a complex map where user faces many challenges. Both source and target schemas have hundreds of nodes making it difficult for users to identify nodes to map. Even after mapping user faces challenges in trying to follow the relationships end to end as the huge number of links in the map reduces it to a jumble of black lines. Understanding and updating this map becomes a time consuming process.

Improving usability of the mapper was a key focus area to enhance developer productivity for BizTalk Server 2010. For solving the challenge of making maps easier to understand while maintaining the immense flexibility provided by BizTalk Mapper, we collaborated with Microsoft Research and worked with highly respected researchers like George Robertson and Phil Bernstein. Our focus was to bring simplicity in both creation and maintenance of maps.

One of the problems in big maps was the amount of background noise that distracted user from task at hand. BizTalk Mapper solves the problem by first hiding and/or dimming out the links that are not relevant to the page area of the map you are currently viewing. The links where both ends are not currently in view are now hidden. Even the links where only one end is currently in view are dimmed out by using a thinner dashed line types. When you select any schema node, link or a functoid in the map, BizTalk Mapper now activates highlight propagation. In highlight propagation Mapper brings selected item in prominence along with all the relationships associated with it. This in turn allows you to focus on the selected object and its relationships while reducing all the background noise. If the relationships are not in the current view, Mapper automatically scrolls the mapping grid surface to bring the selected relationship in view. This drastically reduces the amount of scrolling you had to do previously, to view end-to-end relationships. Apart from this, during design time you can now document the mapping logic by providing comments for the functoids. This can be used later for understanding the usage of a functoid by hovering over the functoid shape on the grid surface. The picture below illustrates how you can quickly understand the end to end relationship by using commenting functionality along with highlight propagation described above.

For the initial map creation, we targeted on making it easier for you to identify elements to map. When you have big schemas and are looking to have direct links from the source schema to the destination schema, one of the biggest issues is to find the relevant nodes in the schemas. Now in BizTalk Mapper if you select any element in the source or destination schema and invoke 'Indicative Matching' mapper, it will suggest you the possible matches in the other schema. These matches are generated based on a complex algorithm, which was developed in collaboration with Microsoft Research. This algorithm looks at various parameters like how words are shortened by dropping alphabets, relative position in the schema tree, etc. to generate possible matches. We have also made it easier to discover AutoLink functionality. Now when you link two records, we display a context menu where you can choose the type of link you require. Mapper also provides messages on the status bar when an attempt is made to create invalid link.

For a multipage map, it is tough to figure out where a certain schema node is being used. Mapper already indicates that a particular schema node is linked in another page by showing a link icon in the schema tree. But if you have same schema node linked in multiple pages, it is difficult to find all the pages in which the node is being used. To solve this problem mapper will now also show indication on the page tabs below mapper grid surface to indicate that the selected schema node is linked.

The map development experience has also been greatly enhanced by consolidating all the functoid configuration activities into a single dialog. This dialog will provide tabs for various configuration tasks like input configuration, script configuration, table looping configuration etc. The input configuration also has been enhanced to make inputs easier to configure and understand. The mapper will give you error indication about the inputs in the configuration dialog and a visual cue (just like IntelliSense) with error information on the mapper grid. For scripting functoid, you can set your favorite scripting language as default and all the new scripting functoid will be automatically offer you that as the first choice. You can also import scripts from existing files on disk.

The new incremental search will help you find the relevant object quickly. You can not only search through the schema nodes, but also through functoids. You can also select schemas and which properties of functoids you would like to search using the search options dropdown. Mapper displays the number of search matches and their distribution in the status bar. All the matches in the schema trees are highlighted. The matching functoids in the current view are highlighted. If there are matching functoids that are hidden, mapper will indicate that by showing a glowing directional arrows at the edges towards which you need to scroll towards to uncover the results. If there are results on other pages, mapper will indicate that by highlighting those page tabs.

Another feature which makes it easy to understand a map quickly is 'Relevance View'. As a map developer you might be interested only in nodes that are actually part of the map, hiding the other nodes makes it easier for you to understand the full map better. You can turn on this feature on either the source or destination schema using toolbar buttons. This makes it easier for you to focus on only the relevant schema nodes when looking at the map without getting distracted with unused nodes. When the unused nodes are hidden, they are still easily accessible through tooltips. You can also expand a collapsed node to override the default collapsing of all non-relevant nodes.

Making design time experience much better is the support for cut/copy /paste within and across maps. This should help you reuse repeated logic or segments common across maps. Undo and redo adds to the goodness by making development by trial and error easier. Apart from these zooming and panning in the map is much easier, making moving around the map a breeze.

These are only some of the enhancements in the BizTalk Mapper. Our usability tests have shown that these enhancements in the BizTalk Mapper have increased developer productivity in creating and maintaining complex maps. We now want to hear from you! How much productivity improvements have you observed while using BizTalk Server 2010's Mapper.

Astounding Computer Technologies Dating Back Centuries

2010-08-24T11:50:00.000+01:00

Astounding Computer Technologies Dating Back Centuries:
The first computer programmer was actually a woman by the name of Ada Lovelace when she wrote of an algorithm that was cited as the first computer program around 1842. The US Department of Defence named the computer language Ada in her honor.

The first computer game called Spacewar! was developed in 1961 by Steve Russell, which took about 200 hours to build.

Fred Cohen created the first computer virus in 1983 just to prove that it was possible.

Computer UNIVAC 1232.

This computer was used from 1967 through 1990 at the U.S. Air Force’s Satellite Control Facility, in Sunnyvale, California. From this facility, over a dozen Sperry 1230-series computers operated in ‘real time’ 24/7 as part of a system that controlled and operated Air Force, NASA, other government, and commercial satellites. It also supported Space Shuttle missions.

The 1232 computer was manufactured by the St. Paul, MN division of Sperry Univac, and was a military version of the UNIVAC 490 general purpose commercial computer. The computer used discrete transistors, was optimized for real-time use, had a 30-bit word length, and initially was supplied with 32,000 words of memory — approximately 123 K Bytes.

The Antikythera mechanism (main fragment).

The Antikythera mechanism from ancient Greece was a calculator utilizing gears of various sizes and configuration to determine its operation. Al-Jazari built programmable Automata in 1206.

One system employed in these devices was the use of pegs and cams placed into a wooden drum at specific locations which would sequentially trigger levers that in turn operated percussion instruments. The output of this device was a small drummer playing various rhythms and drum patterns.

The Jacquard Loom, which Joseph Marie Jacquard developed in 1801, uses a series of pasteboard cards with holes punched in them. The hole pattern represented the pattern that the loom had to follow in weaving cloth. The loom could produce entirely different weaves using different sets of cards.

Charles Babbage adopted the use of punched cards around 1830 to control his Analytical Engine. The synthesis of numerical calculation, predetermined operation and output, along with a way to organize and input instructions in a manner relatively easy for humans to conceive and produce, led to the modern development of computer programming.

Data and instructions could be stored on external punched cards, which were
kept in order and arranged in program decks.

In the late 1880's, Herman Hollerith invented the recording of data on a medium that could then be read by a machine. Prior uses of machine readable media had been for control, not data. After some initial trials with paper tape, he settled on punched cards. To process these punched cards, first known as “Hollerith cards” he invented the tabulator, and the keypunch machines. These 3 inventions were the foundation of the modern information processing industry.

In 1896 he founded the Tabulating Machine Company — which later became the core of IBM. The addition of a control panel (plugboard) to his 1906 Type I Tabulator allowed it to do different jobs without having to be physically rebuilt.

By the late 1940's there were a variety of plug-board programmable machines, called unit record equipment, to perform data-processing tasks (card reading). Early computer programmers used plug-boards for the variety of complex calculations requested of the newly invented machines.

Wired plug board for an IBM 402 Accounting Machine.

The invention of the von Neumann architecture allowed computer programs to be stored in computer memory. Early programs had to be painstakingly crafted using the instructions (elementary operations) of the particular machine, often in binary notation. Every model of computer would likely use different instructions (machine language) to do the same task.

Later, assembly languages were developed that let the programmer specify each instruction in a text format, entering abbreviations for each operation code instead of a number and specifying addresses in symbolic form (e.g., ADD X, TOTAL). Entering a program in assembly language is usually more convenient, faster, and less prone to human error than using machine language, but because an assembly language is little more than a different notation for a machine language, any two machines with different instruction sets also have different assembly languages.

n 1954, FORTRAN (Formula Translation) was invented — the first high level programming language to have a functional implementation, as opposed to just a design on paper. It allowed programmers to specify calculations by entering a formula directly (e.g. Y = X*2 + 5*X + 9). The program text, or source, is converted into machine instructions using a special program called a compiler, which translates the FORTRAN program into machine language.

Many other languages were developed, including some for commercial programming, such as COBOL. Programs were mostly still entered using punched cards or paper tape. By the late 1960's, data storage devices and computer terminals became inexpensive enough that programs could be created by typing directly into the computers. Text editors were developed that allowed changes and corrections to be made much more easily than with punched cards. An error in punching a card usually meant that the card had to be discarded and an new one punched to replace it.

Computer console countdown and monitor.

This beast is part of a console, manufactured by the General Dynamics Corporation, used to sequence the launch and control the flight of Atlas intercontinental ballistic missiles, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on a trajectory over the Pacific Ocean

Blog Post: Visual Studio LightSwitch Beta Provides New Rapid Development Tool

2010-08-24T11:29:00.000+01:00

Blog Post: Visual Studio LightSwitch Beta Provides New Rapid Development Tool:

Author : Bruce Kyle
ISV Architect Evagelist @ Microsoft

The beta of Visual Studio LightSwitch was released today. Microsoft Visual Studio LightSwitch gives you a simpler and faster way to create professional-quality business applications for the desktop, the web, and the cloud. LightSwitch is a new addition to the Visual Studio family.

Visual Studio LightSwitch is a new development tool for building business applications. LightSwitch simplifies the development process, letting you concentrate on the business logic and doing much of the remaining work for you. By using LightSwitch, an application can be designed, built, tested, and in your user’s hands quickly.

With LightSwitch, you can build custom applications that rival off-the-shelf solutions. Get a head start by using pre-configured screen templates that give your application a familiar look and feel. LightSwitch also provides prewritten code and other reusable components to handle routine application tasks, along with helpful step-by-step guidance. However, if you need to write custom code, you can use Visual Basic .NET or C#. You can deploy to the desktop, browser, or cloud (post-Beta) to share your application with others more easily without the cumbersome installation processes.

LightSwitch provides authentication and authorization features that let you define users and roles. This prevents unauthorized access to sensitive data.

Extensibility features in LightSwitch let you change the appearance of your applications by applying themes, using custom controls, and changing the layout with shell extensions. Custom business types help reduce the code that you write.

For ISVs, LightSwitch provides way of prototyping and quickly developing custom applications that integrate with your database or Web services.

The process of creating an application resembles other development tools: connect to data, create a form and bind the data to the controls, add some validation based on business logic, and then test and deploy. The difference with LightSwitch is that each one of those steps is simplified.

Download Visual Studio LightSwitch Beta 1.

Find out more at the Visual Studio LightSwitch developer center on MSDN.

See videos on Channel 9:

5 Ways to Ruin Your SharePoint 2010 Upgrade

2010-08-24T10:51:00.000+01:00

5 Ways to Ruin Your SharePoint 2010 Upgrade:
Recent research has shown that a vast number of organizations are looking to upgrade to the latest version of SharePoint — SharePoint 2010 (news, site). Unfortunately there is often a lack of understanding in how to upgrade the platform to maximize business value whilst ensuring a smooth transition for users and administrators. Upgrading such a critical piece of software such as SharePoint requires much more than simply thinking about the technical issues.
Read full story...

Blog Post: Start me up - Happy 15th Birthday Windows 95

2010-08-24T10:48:00.000+01:00

Blog Post: Start me up - Happy 15th Birthday Windows 95:

Being here at Microsoft for the Windows 95 launch back in 1995 , and it is strange to look back on those heady days etc…

Do you remember this “Start Me Up”…

@winlivematt over on UK MSN has a great article looking back on Microsoft Windows through the ages

Technorati Tags: Windows 95

Blog Post: Integrating WCF RIA Services with WCF Routing

2010-08-24T10:13:00.000+01:00

Blog Post: Integrating WCF RIA Services with WCF Routing:
If any of you have used RIA Services and tried to get that to work with the WCF router, you probably encountered some problems. The router could be useful in a DMZ scenario, or if you are trying to do content-based routing. Yavor Georgiev just blogged a quick sample on how to get this to work, please take a look and let me know what you think!

Blog Post: New Microsoft Office Education Add-Ins - with the correct download link

2010-08-24T10:10:00.000+01:00

Blog Post: New Microsoft Office Education Add-Ins - with the correct download link: "

Sorry, when I originally posted this blog post, it had the wrong URL for the downloads. I've now corrected the original, and here it is again, with the correct URLs. This happened because I was on holiday during the release, so had to pre-write the blog post, and then the download URL changed before it was released. And it's the first day back for me, so the first chance to correct it. Sorry all!

The education products team in Seattle have been busy writing add-ins for Office 2007 and Office 2010. They’ve just released 2 free education add-ins, 20 new education templates, and how-to materials designed to help teachers both inside and outside the classroom. The new Interactive Classroom Add-in, Mathematics Add-in, and Learning Essential Templates could save your teachers time as well as help creating more engagement with students.

Interactive Classroom Add-in

The Interactive Classroom Add-in for PowerPoint 2007 and 2010 and OneNote 2007 and 2010 provides real-time polling and interactive note-taking to foster interaction and collaboration between educators and students.

I like it, but perhaps a better recommendation would be somebody within education. Professor Beth Simon of the University of California in San Diego has had a chance to use the beta version of the Interactive Classroom Add-in, and said:


	It’s very easy to insert polls automatically as I’m designing a lecture. When I’m lecturing, it’s so easy to recognise when a poll comes up and to start and stop the polling software. No longer do I have to try and interact with the clicker software, it’s all right there in PowerPoint.

Mathematics Add-in

The Mathematics Add-in for Word 2007 and 2010 and OneNote 2010 uses dynamic 3D graphs and charts to help teachers illustrate complex math problems and concepts. From algebra and pre-calculus to physics and statistics, teachers and students can unravel equations and visualise formulas through 2-D and 3-D graphs. The add-in helps students plot functions, calculate numerical results, and dynamically solve for 'x'.

The Microsoft Office Education Add-ins are easy to install and use. Just follow the instructions on the Download site.

Office Templates for teachers

The Learning Essential templates are a set of Office templates created specifically for the education setting. From grading rubrics to tests and quizzes, these templates can help educators get more done faster. You can download the templates for free.
These are written for US teachers, so some may need a bit of tweaking.

How-to Materials for OneNote 2010 and Office Web Apps

The new teacher how-to materials help teachers learn to use OneNote 2010 and the Office Web Apps in the classroom to engage students more deeply. By using the teaching guide, videos, lesson plans, and easy step-by-step instructions, teachers can get up and running quickly so they can focus on what matters most.

These new tools provide the perfect complement to Office 2010 for teachers.

SharePoint: If your users need to make light edits to Office docs, have you integrated Office Web Apps into your #SharePoint site?

2010-08-24T09:02:00.000+01:00

SharePoint: If your users need to make light edits to Office docs, have you integrated Office Web Apps into your #SharePoint site?

ASP.NET MVC HTML5 Toolkit

2010-08-23T13:29:00.000+01:00

ASP.NET MVC HTML5 Toolkit: "

Dean Hume introduces a new toolkit which extends ASP.NET MVC 2 View helpers to display backwards compatible HTML5 textboxes and controls.

Moez T's Technical Blog!

Understanding Claims Based Authentication, Video from Channel 9

Visual Studio Light Switch Advanced Sample from Beth Massi

Building the Sample

Install Extensions

Running Excel reports against TSF Queries

Checking use of Claims Based Authentication

Silverlight 5 Soon, Watch the Scott's keynote here

Latest Videos from Tech·Ed Europe 2010

And the latest videos for SharePoint from TechEd Online :

User Profile Results Empty in SharePoint 2010: Configure Crawl and Search for User Profiles

PDC 10 Sessions Available for View or Download

Agile versus Waterfall

Microsoft Web Camps

One Day Events

Two Day Events

More Details

Creating an ASP.NET Web Application and Deploying it to the Windows Azure Platform

What does Office 365 mean to developers?

Configuring extranet access for PerformancePoint Services 2010

White Paper : Information Governance with SharePoint 2010

SQL Server 2008 SP2 is out!

Understanding the DOCX File Format

ASP.NET Security Update Now Available

BizTalk Server 2010 Training

Updating Custom Ribbon Actions

Wanna Test IE 9 Beta, HTML5 Capabilities, one adress

BizTalk Server 2010 - Release To Manifacturing

Updated SharePoint 2010 SDK Now Available for Download

What’s New in this SDK Update

Change History Tables

Working with Help in Visual Studio (MSDN and Local)

F1 Help and Working Offline

IntelliSense XML Files Update

Security Advisory 2416728 (Vulnerability in ASP.NET) and SharePoint.

Microsoft Security Advisory (2416728) - Vulnerability in ASP.NET Could Allow Information Disclosure

Security Advisory 2416728 Released – Microsoft Security Response Center Blog

Understanding the ASP.NET Vulnerability – Microsoft Security Research & Defense Blog

Important: ASP.NET Security Vulnerability – Scott Guthrie’s Blog

Frequently Asked Questions about the ASP.NET Security Vulnerability – Scott Guthrie’s Blog

SharePoint 2010 : Adding Nested web.config entries using the SPWebConfigModification

Updated SharePoint 2010 SDK

What’s New in this SDK Update

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 – Global Beta Released

Microsoft TechDays 2011 - Votre opinion sur notre futur site web !

“Sombre”

“Bleu”

“Violet”

Microsoft Releases Global Beta of Next-Generation CRM Product

SharePoint Server 2010 - Web Content Management, Look 'n Feel, CSS Styles, Master Pages, Themes, Site template customization reference

Announcing the release of the SharePoint 2010 Administration Toolkit V1

SharePoint 2010 - 40 Application Templates

Creating Custom Business Connectivity Services Connectors Using SharePoint Server 2010

Overview of Creating Business Connectivity Services Custom Connectors

Coding the Assembly

Adding References and Implementing Interfaces

ISystemUtility Interface

IAdministrableSystem Interface

ISystemPropertyValidator Interface

Creating the Model

FileSystemLOB Properties

TestFileSystemCustomShimInstance Instance

File External Content Type

Using the Custom Connector

Installing the Assembly in the Global Assembly Cache

Importing the Model

To import the model from the Central Administration pages

Creating the External List

To create the external list

Adding or Removing Files

Conclusion

Additional Resources

Merging Word Documents on the Server Side with SharePoint 2010

Office Services

Merging Word Documents on the Server Side with SharePoint 2010

Ankush Bhatia andManvir Singh

Status Report Workflow

Building a Template

The Document Library

Creating the Web Part

Ankush Bhatia and
Manvir Singh