SharePoint Custom Field Controls

Custom Field Controls and SharePoint Web Content Management
Chakkaradeep Chandran
Robert Stewart

Session Overview
SharePoint artefacts and Web Content Management
Intergen – “powered by Microsoft Office SharePoint” Demo
Role of Content Types, Site Columns in a Publishing Site
Custom Field Types
Web Parts Vs Field Controls as content regions
Custom field type development topics

SharePoint and WCM
SharePoint provides Web Content Management (WCM) functionality out of the box
WCM features are provided primarily by the Publishing Site feature
Several standard SharePoint components work together to provide WCM functionality
Key Components of a Publishing Site
Site Columns
Content Types
Field Controls
Page Layouts
Document Libraries
Lists

Demo
Intergen “powered by Microsoft Office SharePoint” demo

Page Layouts, Content Types, Site Columns
GeneralPage Content Type
Title
Title
Description
Page Content
Page Image
Vincent van Gogh
Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist artist who live in the 1800s.
Van Gogh spent his early adult life working for a firm of art dealers. After a brief spell as a teacher, he became a missionary worker in a very poor mining region. He did not embark upon a career as an artist until 1880.
Vincent van Gogh
Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist artist who live in the 1800s.
Van Gogh spent his early adult life working for a firm of art dealers. After a brief spell as a teacher, he became a missionary worker in a very poor mining region. He did not embark upon a career as an artist until 1880.
Description
Page Content
Page Image
GeneralPageLayout.aspx

Custom Field Types
SharePoint and WSS include many field types
Text
Choice Fields
Hyperlink or Picture
Publishing HTML
Create custom field types to satisfy requirements not met by out of the box field types
Field Type == Data Type
Field type provide field rendering facilities
Field controls are tightly coupled with the type of the field
Field controls deliver or capture the content in a Publishing Page

Web Parts Vs Field Controls
Both allow you to add content regions to a page layout
Rule of thumb:
Use field controls for content and Web Parts for functionality
Since a field control is bound to a specific field of an item, it offers complete versioning/history
Web Parts do not offer complete versioning/history

Demo
Custom Field Control - Components

Development Components
Demo
{.......}
{....}

Demo
Field Control – Rendering Template &
Rendering Control

Field Control – Rendering Template
Demo
Rendering Template
Edit Mode
Display Mode

Field Control – Rendering Control
Demo
Edit Mode
Display Mode
Every rendering control has at least one rendering template associated with it
A RenderingTemplate object is defined as a RenderingTemplate element in an .ascx file
The rendering template is referenced by its ID value in the rendering control object's TemplateName property

Rendering Control – BaseFieldControl
Demo
Edit Mode
Display Mode

Rendering Control – CreateChildControls
Demo
Edit Mode
Display Mode

Demo
InPagePod Field – Rendering Template & Rendering Control

Field Control – Summary
Demo
Rendering Template
Rendering Control
Naming Convention - field_type_nameFieldControl
Edit Mode
Display Mode
The Rendering Template is referenced by its ID value in the Rendering Control object's TemplateName property
BaseFieldControl-derived rendering control handles interaction with users
Its plain simple HTML/ASCX code

Demo
Field Class

Field Class
Demo
This is a class whose instances can represent particular fields that are based on your custom field type
This class must inherit from SPField or one of the classes in Windows SharePoint Services that derive from it

Demo
InPagePod Field – Field Class

Field Class – Summary
Demo
Naming Convention - field_type_nameField
Field class should inherit either SPField or one of the various other SPField classes
InPagePod inherits from SPFieldMultiColumn
Override the FieldRenderingControlproperty which returns the control that can be used to render the field in Edit and Display mode
Field Class object handles interactions with the content database

Demo
Field Value

Field Value
Demo
String Value
(Or)
titleImgUrl;podContent;contentImageUrl
Custom Value Class
SPFieldMultiColumnSPFieldMultiColumnValue
SPFieldUrl
SPFieldUrlValue
;#TitleImage;#PodContent;#ContentImage;#

Field Value – Saving Field Values
Demo

Demo
InPagePod Field – Field Value

Field Value– Summary
Demo
Naming Convention - field_type_nameFieldValue
String Value
Custom Value Class
A custom field value class must implement at least two constructors, and usually only two
SharePoint delimiter - ;#

Demo
Field Validation

Field Validation
Demo
(when the Publishing
Page is validated)
(before committing to
the content database)

Validate When Saving Field Values
Demo

Overriding Validate Method
Demo

Overriding GetValidatedString Method
Demo

Demo
InPagePod Field – Field Validation

Field Validation – Summary
Demo
Validate the control values before setting the field values in the Field Control class
Set the IsValidto false
Set the ErrorMessageto an appropriate error message
Override the Validate method in the Field Control class
Set the IsValidto false
Set the ErrorMessageto an appropriate error message
Override the GetValidatedString in the Field class
Throw SPFieldValidationException as an error

Demo
Field Type Definition

Demo
fldtypes_spconf.xml
fldtypes*.xml

Demo
InPagePod Field – Field Type Definition

Demo
Custom Field Type Deployment

Custom Field – Deployment
Demo
*.ascx
Rendering Template
12TEMPLATECONTROLTEMPLATES
Rendering Control Class
*.cs (.dll)
Field Control Class
fldtypes*.xml
GAC
Field Class
Field Value Class
12TEMPLATEXML
*.WSP

Custom Field – Usage
Demo

Session Summary
Demo
*.WSP

Resources
Demo
Web Content Management Resource Center for SharePoint Server
http://bit.ly/moss-wcm
SharePoint Server Developer Center
http://bit.ly/moss-dev
MSDN: How to Create a Custom Field Control
http://bit.ly/custom-field-control
Chaks’ Blog
http://bit.ly/chaks
Robert Stewart’s Blog
http://bit.ly/robert-stewart

Thank You
chaks@intergen.co.nz
robs@intergen.co.nz

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SharePoint Custom Field Controls

by Chakkaradeep Chandran on Jul 05, 2009

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SharePoint Custom Field Controls — Presentation Transcript