The document discusses the enhancement of user experience in SharePoint through client-side scripting, highlighting both its advantages and risks. It covers various techniques such as AJAX and progressive enhancement and provides examples of custom solutions that can be implemented in SharePoint 2007 and 2010. The importance of user education and maintenance in managing these scripts is emphasized, along with resources for further development and support.

1. Christophe Humbert
San Diego SharePoint User Group
March 1st, 2011

2.  Get a grasp of how client side scripting can
enhance the user experience
 Be aware of the risks that come with such
solutions

3.  Demos
 Rendering Web Pages:
 The traditional approach: server/browser
 Client side scripting:
▪ AJAX
▪ Progressive enhancement
 The demos explained
 Advantages/shortcomings
 Step by step: Easy Tabs installation

4. Name Christophe Humbert
Title SharePoint “functional” consultant
Mission Make the most of the OOTB features
Field Gear Calculated Columns
Content Editor Web Part
Data View Web Part (SharePoint Designer)
Workflows (SharePoint Designer)
Country eFrance, eU.S.A., eChina
Latest News Started “User Managed Solutions LLC” in 2011
(San Diego, 92127)

5.  The solutions presented here apply to all
flavors of SharePoint 2007 and 2010
 They can be installed via the standard
SharePoint UI
 They rely on custom code, and are not
available out of the box.
However, many of them:
 Are packaged, and can easily be installed by end
users or power users
 Are available for free

6.  Standard
 Styled tabs
 Accordion

7.  Snapshot
 Original list

8.  Tutorial
 Live demo

9.  Image Rotator
 Slideshow
 Slideshows or sliders are obviously a popular trend
right now in the web design world – and for good
reason. It’s an effective way to highlight something
important and create some visual interest. [Source]

10.  Various visual indicators
 Countdown

11.  Matrix view

12. Server Browser
User enters URL
Retrieve Page
information
Retrieve content
from database
Build HTML
Render HTML
page
User action

13. Server Browser
User enters URL
Retrieve Page
Asynchronous information
JavaScript Retrieve content
And from database
XML
Build and send
HTML
Render HTML Page
Web services
Request additional
RSS
content
owssvr
html
Retrieve and send
REST
content
Build HTML
User action
Format: html,
xml, JSON

14. Server Browser
User enters URL
Retrieve Page
information
Retrieve content
from database
Build and send
HTML
Render HTML
Page
Modify and render
HTML
User action

15.  SharePoint 2007:
 events are added on the server side
 Full page refresh for new date
 SharePoint 2010:
 events are added on the client side (progressive
enhancement)
 Partial page refresh for new date (AJAX)
 Works well for rich display, or for content
updates

16.  Image Rotator
 Slideshow
 Cross-site snapshot

17. Page template
Top navigation
Web Part Web Part
Quick
Launch
Web Part Web Part
 Scripts can be added to the page template, or via a
Web Part (usually a Content Editor Web Part)

18. Users’ needs
OOTB Web Parts

19. Custom Web Part
Users’ needs
OOTB Web Parts

20. Custom Web Part
Users’ needs
OOTB Web Parts
Progressive
enhancement

21.  Easy Tabs
 Color coded calendar
 PivotTable

22.  High flexibility
 Example: color coded calendar
 Lighter to test and install
 Easy to remove – back to the OOTB behavior
 Client side interaction works offline
 Leverages resources outside the SharePoint
world
 Benefits from the active JavaScript community (e.g.
jQuery plugins)
 Great way to empower the users and encourage
user adoption

23.  Risk: users gone wild
 Solution: educate the users
 Method or hack (example: HTML Calculated
Column)
 Doesn’t solve everything (permissions, access
other domains)
 Issues with older browsers, or if the user turns
off client side scripting
 Dependent on the original, OOTB Web Parts
 If the original HTML content is modified, the
script needs to be executed again

24.  Get the script
 Upload the script to the Site Assets library
 Tagging
 Add a Content Editor Web Part
 Link the CEWP to the script
 [optional] Export the CEWP, upload it to the
Web Part gallery

25.  Client side scripting is a powerful addition to
your SharePoint toolbox
 See it as a complement to server side
options, rather than a competitor
 It is code that requires attention and
maintenance, don’t be fooled by its apparent
ease of use

26.  SharePoint User Toolkit
 http://sp2010.pathtosharepoint.com/sharepoint-
user-toolkit/
 SharePoint User Managed Solutions (SUMS)
 LinkedIn open group (everybody has read access)

27.  Sites regularly updated with fresh, up-to-date
content:
 jQuery Library for SharePoint Web Services –
Marc Anderson, SharePoint MVP
 SharePoint JavaScripts – Alexander Bautz
 Path to SharePoint
 Search the Web for “SharePoint JavaScript”
or “SharePoint jQuery”

28.  Allows users to embed custom html in a
SharePoint page
HTML includes <script> and <link> tags
 Best practice: store the script in a central
library and link to it

29.  jQuery is a popular JavaScript library
 Built on JavaScript
 Strengths:
▪ Offers AJAX in a packaged, user friendly interface
▪ Addresses cross-browser inconsistencies
▪ Has prebuilt animation functions (fade, etc.)

30.  Recognition of AJAX as a standard way to
interact with the browser
 Development of JavaScript libraries that
address cross-browser issues
 New generation of browsers with JavaScript
engines that boost performance
 New standards that increase the features of
client side scripting (e.g. canvas element)