Updated Slide Deck for my jQuery and SharePoint presentation presented at SharePoint Saturday Twin Cities

1. SharePoint and jQuery Essentials
Mark Rackley
Email: mrackley@juniper-strategy.com
Blog: http://www.sharepointhillbilly.com
Twitter: @mrackley

2. About Mark Rackley
• SharePoint Practice Lead, Solutions Architect &
Developer
• 17+ years software architecture and development
experience
• Blogger, Writer, Speaker
• mrackley@juniper-strategy.com
• @mrackley
• http://sharepointhillbilly.com

3. Session Outline
• What is jQuery and Why should I care?
• jQuery Overview
• Deployment & Development
• Interacting with SharePoint & the DOM
• Reading / Writing SharePoint List Data
• Using Third Party Libraries
• Demos
3

4. What is jQuery?
• What / Why jQuery?
– JavaScript utility library supported by
Microsoft
– Don’t have to crack open Visual Studio or
deploy solutions (ideal for SharePoint online
and tightly controlled environments)
– It’s the future

5. jQuery Overview
• What skills do you need?
– JavaScript
– CSS, XML
– A development background
• It IS code
• Uses development constructs
• If you can’t write code, your ability to do magic will be
limited to what you can copy/paste
– CAML, CAML, CAML… Sorry…
– Ability to think outside the box
• Use all the pieces together

6. Crappy Abstruse Markup
Language
'<Query><Where>
<And>
<Geq><FieldRef Name="StartDate" /><Value
IncludeTimeValue="TRUE"
Type="DateTime">'+startDate+'</Value></Geq>
<Leq><FieldRef Name="EndDate" /><Value
IncludeTimeValue="TRUE"
Type="DateTime">'+endDate+'</Value></Leq>
</And>
</Where></Query>',

7. SharePoint & jQuery? Why?
Resolves many common SharePoint complaints
without having to crack open Visual Studio

8. SharePoint & jQuery? Why?
“It looks like SharePoint”

9. SharePoint & jQuery? Why?
“That’s SharePoint?”

10. SharePoint & jQuery? Why?
“I’m so sorry… SharePoint can’t do that out of the box”

11. SharePoint & jQuery? Why?
“Sure, no problem”

12. SharePoint & jQuery? Why?
“That will take 3 weeks???” becomes “2 days?
Awesome! I love you… here, please accept this
bonus for being such a wonderful developer”

13. jQuery makes your SharePoint
applications USABLE

14. jQuery Overview
• What you need to be aware of
– It is secure
• It uses SharePoint’s security. All scripts run with privileges of current
user
– It performs well… if done correctly
• Reduce postbacks
• Can delay queries more effectively
– Privileges
• They can not be elevated… thank goodness…

15. jQuery Overview
• Why I hate jQuery (some days)
– Too many options
– Debugging
– It can perform horribly
– Inconsistent results
– Changes in the jQuery library
– It CAN harm your farm!

16. jQuery Overview – JavaScript
Common Methods
JavaScript Description
Classes / Objects var myCar = {
id: 1,
make: “Jeep”,
model: “Wrangler”,
color: “Silver”
}
var vehicles = {};
vehicles[myCar.ID] = myCar;
For each loops For (car in vehicles)
{
var thisCar = vehicles[car];
}
.split() Var numbers = “1,2,3,4,5”;
Var myArray = numbers.split(“,”);
myArray[0] == “1”
.replace() var myString = “This string has spaces”;
var newString = myString.replace(/ /g,””);
newString == “Thisstringhasspaces”;

17. jQuery Overview – Common
Methods
Method Description
$(document).ready(function($){}) Where code execution begins after page is loaded
$(“#ElementID”) Returns element with given id
$(“Type[attrib=‘value’]”) Gets element of specific type and attribute value
$(“input[Title=‘First Name’]”)
.show(), .hide(), .toggle() Shows, hides, toggles
.html() Gets the raw html for an element with tags
.text() Contents of an element with HTML tags stripped out

18. jQuery Overview – Common
Methods
Method Description
.each(function() {}) Iterate through all elements that are found.
$(“tr”).each(function() { }) would iterate through every row on
the page.
.closest(selector) Get the first element that matches the selector, beginning at the
currently element and progressing UP the DOM
$("input[title=‘Field Name']").closest("tr").hide();
.contains() Check to see if a DOM element is within another DOM element
.find() Get the child elements of current element, filtered by a selector
Chaining:
$("#WebPartWPDnn").find("nobr b:contains('Sum = ')").html().split(" = ")[1].replace(",","");

19. Deployment
• Deployment Options
– Document Library
• Easily modify scripts
• Keep track of changes with Metadata
• Recover from screw ups with Versioning
• Less control, more flexibility versus other options
– File System
• Deployed with a WSP (don’t think of manually copying)
• Not an option for Office 365 or hosted SharePoint 2010
– CDN

20. Document Library

21. Reference Options
<script type="text/javascript" src="/SiteAssets/jquery.min.js"></script>
• ScriptLink
• MasterPages, Delegate Controls, Web Parts, Controls,
Custom Pages
• Ensures Script is not loaded multiple times
• Renders in the correct place in the markup
• Need Visual Studio or SPD
• More upfront work
• Content Editor Web Part (CEWP)
• Quick & Easy
• Don’t have to deploy anything
• Adds CEWP overhead

22. Reference Options
• Custom Action
• Loads Script for entire Site Collection
• Works in sandbox
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Elements xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">
<CustomAction
ScriptSrc="~sitecollection/SiteAssets/jquery.min.js"
Location="ScriptLink"
Sequence="100"
>
</CustomAction>
</Elements>

23. Development
• Development Tools
– IDE
• Visual Studio
• Notepad++
• SharePoint Designer
– Debugging
• IE Developer Tools
• Chrome debugger
• Fiddler
• Alerts… lots and lots of alerts
• Avoid Console.log (or use it wisely)

24. Interacting with SharePoint & the
DOM
• View the DOM to understand what
elements and classes exist on the page.
• “View page source” (Chrome) and “View
Source” (IE) displays the contests of the
DOM when the page is initially loaded.
• The DOM is always being modified, view
the active DOM in your chosen debugger
to view the DOM as it currently exists.

25. Interacting with SharePoint & the
DOM
Getting/Setting SharePoint Form Fields
• Text Boxes
– $(“input[title=’My Text Field’]”).val()
• Selects
– $(“select[title=’My Choice’]”).val(mySelectValue);
• Checkboxes
– $("input[title='My Check
box']").removeAttr('checked');
– $("input[title='My Check
box']").attr('checked','checked');
http://sharepointhillbilly.com/archive/2011/08/20/a-dummies-guide-to-sharepoint-and-
jqueryndashgetting-amp-setting-sharepoint.aspx

26. Reading/Writing SharePoint List
Data
• SPServices vs. Client Object Model
Feature SPServices COM
Allows CRUD against SharePoint List Data Yes Yes
Works in SharePoint 2007 Yes No
Works in SharePoint 2010 Yes Yes
Works with Anonymous Access Yes No
Comes with additional helper functions Yes Yes
Works cross-site Yes No

27. Using Third Party Libraries
• Tips for selection and integration
– Look for supported / document libraries
– Test in target browsers before implementing
– Duplicate file structure
– Test “vanilla” in SharePoint first

28. Using Third Party Libraries
• Some of my favorites
– Content Slider -
http://www.awkwardgroup.com/sandbox/awkward-
showcase-a-jquery-plugin/
– Formatted Tables - http://www.datatables.net/
– Modal Window -
http://www.ericmmartin.com/projects/simplemodal/
– SPServices - http://spservices.codeplex.com/
– Calendar - http://arshaw.com/fullcalendar/

29. DEMOS
And Nifty Stuff

30. So, what’s the deal?

31. ”Fast Food” Development
• You don’t have to be a SharePoint Guru
• It’s Cheap
• It’s Quick
• It’s Easy
• It gets the job done

32. ”Fast Food” Development
• Don’t abuse it, You’ll pay for it later
• Limited choices
• There are healthier options
• Adds page bloat
• Can slow your performance

33. Questions?
Mark Rackley
mrackley@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/mrackley
www.sharepointhillbilly.com
33
Don’t drink the
haterade…

34. SharePoint Saturday Ozarks
Sept. 8, 2012
http://www.sharepointsaturday.org/ozarks
Chateau On The Lake
Branson, MO
http://www.chateauonthelake.com/