Monthly Archives: April 2009

End User

Last Call: Create a Master Calendar in SharePoint, Live Online Workshop

2 Comments

The headline pretty much says it. Tomorrow, Friday May 1, at 1:00pm EST I’ll be doing a live online session on how to Create a Master Calendar in SharePoint. This is a very popular session because it’s something you can implement immediately after the workshop.

Here are a couple of screencasts to give you an overview of the content. Hope to see you there.

Testimonials from previous participants of Create a Master Calendar in SharePoint

I have attended many other sharepoint workshops/webinars and by far this was the best. I think what sealed the deal for me was the hands on interaction and being able to walk step by step thru the process on my own site. � Dave

As a beginning user, this really helped me not only accomplish the task at hand - creating master calendars - but it also helped me to wrap my mind around the possibilities of content types throughout my new site. This calendar solution should implement seamlessly within the sites I�m creating for our sales teams. � Ben

Excellent workshop! My first workshop and it was well worth it. I was hesitant to participate due to my lack of Developer or coding skill but everything was clear, easy to understand and follow. � Linda

I have been to other SharePoint workshops and this one by the far the best. It�s really a step-by-step tutorial to one of SharePoint�s hot topics. � Yassar

Mark Miller has put together a fantastic workshop well worth my time. The online presentation of the material works fantastic and there were no issues. � Christopher

Great job. I hope to use the information learned in the training to create a master calendar for WSU Extension to show Master Gardener, 4-H, and other extension related events around the state of Washington. � Don

I�ve been using content types and recognize the benefits, but the main push back I get from my users is that using content types is �too complicated�. They are all into using Categories to organize and view lists. I needed this a additional confirmation that Content Types is the way to go. � Lynn

Being based in Melbourne Australia, I lost a couple of hours of sleep on this workshop, but it was worth the while! A good set up of the sandbox - good interaction with the host and all resources supplied combined with some humor made this the best workshop I attended. � Bart

Our Superintendent wanted a calendar that would enable employees to post certain events on their subsite calendars which would appear on the home page calendar. I didn�t have much luck finding a calendar webpart that could fill our need until a colleague sent me a link to Creating a Master Calendar at EndUserSharePoint.com. We implemented his solution, and are very happy with our new master calendar. � Ted

End User

Pimp Your SharePoint Blog - Use Windows Live Writer

5 Comments

In this fourth installment of the Pimp Your Blog Screencast Series, Lee talks about using Windows Live Writer to write and publish post.

Embed this screencast on your site.

Author: Lee Reed ThoughtBridge, Atlanta, GA

Lee Reed is an expert in collaboration and user adoption on the Microsoft SharePoint 2007 platform. His consulting with companies large and small throughout the East Coast has resulted in many successful collaboration environments and increased user adoption.

Lee is currently the Director of Business Process and SharePoint Education for Thoughtbridge, a Microsoft Gold Partner focused exclusively on the Microsoft SharePoint 2007 platform.

End User

InfoPath Part 2: Create a Project and Requirements Form

5 Comments

The Project and Requirements Form does not have to be complex, just gathering the basic information needed. In most cases, the business problem being addressed and the proposed solution are the initial pieces of information gathered. Follow along as we create this form and publish it to a site for use by anyone.

End User

To package or not to package: that is the question

Serve HermansGuest Author: Serve Hermans

One of my more popular posts is about how to design your corporate intranet using MOSS publishing sites and Common MOSS publishing pitfalls. I built a global corporate intranet with over 30.000 unique visitors each day that has been running for over a year now.

Of course, we have had many new releases since then. With this post I want to share some new insights. Thanks to my dear friend Baris Wanschers who keeps challenging me on things that I would no longer package as a solution and the reasons behind that.

Developer versus Author centric approach

Developer Centric

In a developer approach typically you package all assets that make your publishing site into a deployable WSP solution:

  • site template definition
  • master page(s), child master page(s)
  • page layouts
  • style sheets and images
  • XSL sheets
  • site columns and content types
  • web parts
  • navigation providers
  • theme(s)
  • other features, event receivers and staplers


To Package or Not

Meaning that if your design is going to change, you will update for instance the CSS file, repackage the solution and deploy it again. This scenario is often recommended for solutions where the whole design is very tightly bound to the code.

2007, 2010, Claudio Cabaleyro, End User, Javascript and jQuery, MOSS, Site Manager/Power User, WSS

Finally: Dynamic charting in WSS, no code required! - Part 3 - Multiple Pie Charts

30 Comments

Multiple Pie Charts

I finally got a script to get multiple Pie Charts on the same page!!!

In the screenshot, I show a hypothetical systems issues list, grouped by priority, status, system and site. You can represent different views of the same list or you can include multiple lists!!!

NOTE 1: avoid group by columns with "(" and ")" symbols as part of its name. Otherwise you should modify the code accordingly, because those are used to isolate the number of items within each group.

NOTE 2: do not use this technique to represent sensitive data, as it travels through the Internet to the Google Charts service.

Here is the process to implement:

1) Plan your page, that is, pre-define how many charts you will need (for some reason, if you add List View web parts AFTER you have inserted the script, new charts might not be rendered).

2) Create the Grouped views that you will need through the default List View, so when you add the list views to the page, you can simply select the desired view from the drop down list.

3) Create a new web part page, add the List View web parts you previously defined, and arrange them (up to down, left to right) in the order you want the charts to appear.

4) Copy the script to your preferred editor and:

  • a) Configure the colors for your charts in the following code line:
    chColor=new Array("FF6600","006600","000066","C0C0C0");
    If you plan to use more than 4 charts, add more color codes with the same pattern.
  • b) If you want, change the size (in pixels) and type of chart ("p" or "p3") in the following portion of the URL for the charts:
    …chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=p&;chco="+col+"&;chs=500×150&;chd=t:"+txt+"&;chl="+txt1
    For more information on how to customize the chart, see http://code.google.com/apis/chart/
  • c) Edit the path at the beginning of the script so it points to your jQuery library store.

5) Insert a CEWP (Content Editor Web Part) on the page, open the toolpane, then Source Editor and paste the script you have just configured. That’s it!

6) You can hide part or all the List Views so the page does not look "congested". To do so, open the tool pane of the List View web parts, go to the "Layout" section and check "Hidden".

I hope you enjoy this!

 

 

2007, 2010, End User, Mark Miller, Mind Manager, MOSS, Screencast, Site Manager/Power User, WSS

30 Minute Screencast: MindManager Templates for SharePoint Site Planning

4 Comments

I gave a talk on my MindManager Templates for SharePoint Site Planning at the Microsoft building in New York City yesterday. I recorded the entire session. This will give you a pretty good idea of how the templates are structured and how you might consider using them.

If you would like a copy of the Team Site template for MindManager, subscribe to the Weekly Newsletter and it’s part of the Subscriber Only Archive.

(Insert Screencast)

 

2007, 2010, Calendar, End User, Mark Miller, MOSS, Screencast, Site Manager/Power User, Workshop - Live, Workshop - Online, WSS

3 Minute Screencast: Reclaim space on a calendar page

5 Comments

One of the problems with a busy calendar in SharePoint is that the wrapper around the calendar takes up so much space. In this quick screencast, I’ll show you how to reclaim, not only the Quick Launch space, but the heading and title space, too.

If you like what you see here, please join us for the live online Create a Master Calendar in Sharepoint workshop this Friday where you’ll get the web parts and resources needed to implement a Master Calendar in SharePoint… no coding, no programmer experience necessary!


Sure, go ahead and embed this screencast on your site.

(Insert Screencast)

Testimonials from previous participants of Create a Master Calendar in SharePoint

I have attended many other sharepoint workshops/webinars and by far this was the best. I think what sealed the deal for me was the hands on interaction and being able to walk step by step thru the process on my own site. — Dave

As a beginning user, this really helped me not only accomplish the task at hand - creating master calendars - but it also helped me to wrap my mind around the possibilities of content types throughout my new site. This calendar solution should implement seamlessly within the sites I’m creating for our sales teams. — Ben

Excellent workshop! My first workshop and it was well worth it. I was hesitant to participate due to my lack of Developer or coding skill but everything was clear, easy to understand and follow. — Linda

I have been to other SharePoint workshops and this one by the far the best. It�s really a step-by-step tutorial to one of SharePoint�s hot topics. — Yassar

Mark Miller has put together a fantastic workshop well worth my time. The online presentation of the material works fantastic and there were no issues. — Christopher

Great job. I hope to use the information learned in the training to create a master calendar for WSU Extension to show Master Gardener, 4-H, and other extension related events around the state of Washington. — Don

I’ve been using content types and recognize the benefits, but the main push back I get from my users is that using content types is "too complicated". They are all into using Categories to organize and view lists. I needed this a additional confirmation that Content Types is the way to go. — Lynn

Being based in Melbourne Australia, I lost a couple of hours of sleep on this workshop, but it was worth the while! A good set up of the sandbox - good interaction with the host and all resources supplied combined with some humor made this the best workshop I attended. — Bart

Our Superintendent wanted a calendar that would enable employees to post certain events on their subsite calendars which would appear on the home page calendar. I didn’t have much luck finding a calendar webpart that could fill our need until a colleague sent me a link to Creating a Master Calendar at EndUserSharePoint.com. We implemented his solution, and are very happy with our new master calendar. — Ted

End User

EndUserSharePoint.com Training the Trainer Series

I had a few requests this morning to purchase the entire series of workshops for Train the Trainer, so I’ve extended the special series offer through May 1st. That will save you $498.00.

Also, people are asking for individual workshops, so the individual tickets for live online Train the Trainer sessions will go on sale tomorrow morning.

  • May 6: Lists and Libraries
  • May 13: Blogs and Wikis
  • May 20: Word and SharePoint
  • May 27: Excel and SharePoint
  • June 3: Outlook and SharePoint
  • June 10: Create On-Demand SharePoint Training w/ Camtasia Studio
  • June 17: Create a multi-media delivery system in SharePoint

What’s Train the Trainer, you ask? Here’s a quick blurb from the description:

EndUserSharePoint.com Train the Trainer Series is a set of workshops that gives you all the resources and training materials needed to deliver a full range of basic SharePoint Information Worker training to your team or company.

Read the full description, check with your company to see if they will sponsor you and then we’ll get you the training resources, materials, techniques and training needed to be certified as an EndUserSharePoint.com approved, in-house trainer.

Regards,
Mark Miller, Founder and Editor
EndUserSharePoint.com

 

 

End User

Live online study group with Michael Sampson: Wednesday at 4:00pm EST

Last week’s live online study group with Michael Sampson covered Chapter 7. You can view and listen to the on-demand recording of the session, no login needed.

Michael will continue the live online study group tomorrow at 4:00pm EST, covering Chapter 8 of Seamless Teamwork: Making a Decision. Attendance to the event is free, but please register in advance so that we can get a headcount.

Thanks,
Mark and Michael