The Ugly, the Bad and the Good (Part 3)

Part 3. The Good

Different ways to get the right icon for every filter value in the Refinement panel.

After exploring the possibilities in XSL I came up with this hybrid approach:
- Look for Result Type icons in the docicon.xml file on the server;
- Look for icons with the same name as the filter value in the images folder;
- Several when-statements for specific matches;
- Default icon if there's no match.

Add via the XSL Editor the following rows to the <xsl:template name="FilterLink">:

<xsl:if test="($Indentation = '1')">
  <span class="ms-searchref-indenticon">&#8627;&#160;</span>
</xsl:if>
<!-- Begin -->
  <xsl:choose>
 <!-- for the Any of every category -->
 <xsl:when test="starts-with($Value, 'Any ')">
   <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/asterisk.png" border="0" />
 </xsl:when>
 <!-- for Site -->
 <xsl:when test="starts-with($UrlTooltip, 'http://')">
   <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/SharePointFoundation16.png" border="0" />
 </xsl:when>
 <!-- for Result Type - will only work for original values, like Pdf, Zip -->
 <xsl:when test="ddwrt:MapToIcon('', $Value) != 'icgen.gif'">
   <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/{ddwrt:MapToIcon('', $Value)}" border="0" />
 </xsl:when>
 <!-- for Result Type with custom value -->
 <xsl:when test="$Value = 'Word'">
   <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/icdocx.png" border="0" />
 </xsl:when>
 <xsl:when test="$Value = 'Excel'">
   <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/icxlsx.png" border="0" />
 </xsl:when>
 <xsl:when test="$Value = 'PowerPoint'">
   <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/icpptx.gif" border="0" />
 </xsl:when>
 <xsl:when test="$Value = 'Webpage'">
   <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/icaspx.gif" border="0" />
 </xsl:when>
 <!-- find your own added icons with same name as the filter value, or else default icon  -->
 <xsl:otherwise>
   <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/{$Value}.gif" onError="this.src='/_layouts/images/bullet.gif';" border="0" />
 </xsl:otherwise>
  </xsl:choose>
  <!-- space -->
  <xsl:text> </xsl:text>
<!-- End -->
<a class="ms-searchref-filterlink" href="{$SecureUrl}" title="{$RefineByHeading}: {$UrlTooltip}">
  <xsl:value-of select="Value"/>
</a>

The result is this pimped up Refinement Panel:

Try it yourself.

Of course it's possible to add separate templates for every category, but that is too much work for now. Maybe later... See Part 4.

The Ugly, the Bad and the Good (Part 2)

Part 2. The Bad

Add your own icons with the same name as the refiner value to the images folder.

Only one extra row of XSL is needed to do the trick: find and show the icon with the filter value in the Refinement panel.

Add via the XSL Editor the following rows to the <xsl:template name="FilterLink">:

<xsl:if test="($Indentation = '1')">
  <span class="ms-searchref-indenticon">&#8627;&#160;</span>
</xsl:if>
<!-- Begin -->
  <!-- find your own added icons with same name as the filter value, or else default icon  -->
  <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/{$Value}.gif" onError="this.src='/_layouts/images/bullet.gif';" border="0" />
  <!-- space -->
  <xsl:text> </xsl:text>
<!-- End -->
<a class="ms-searchref-filterlink" href="{$SecureUrl}" title="{$RefineByHeading}: {$UrlTooltip}">
  <xsl:value-of select="Value"/>
</a>

But there must be a smarter way to get the standard icons that are already available. The sequel continues with Part 3.

What the hack?!? Not OOTB, but OTS

Adding metadata to uploaded documents automaticly, based on the context from where the Upload action was started.

From a dashboard (webpart page with related lists and library combined) I want to be able to start an upload action to add project documents to the library and want metadata (like project number, document type) added automaticly afterwards.
Well this is certainly not OOTB SharePoint. Normally you would set default values to columns before the upload, or use the Edit in Datasheet view to copy and paste properties to the documents after the upload.

We are going to combine several Off-The-Shelf scripts to get to the solution.

1. TextToHTML-script from PathToSharePoint to render HTML-code from a calculated column so I can show an icon as upload "button" in the list view with a hyperlink that will call a javascript function with project data as variables.
2. “sessvars.js” from Thomas Frank, also frequently used by Alexander from SharePoint JavaScripts, that let you use JavaScript session variables without using cookies. In this way I am able to store the context before the upload, and use it afterwards.
3. SPServices, a jQuery Library for SharePoint Web Services, to use the function $().SPServices.SPUpdateMultipleListItems to update the document properties after the upload.

Download the scripts and add them to a Javascripts library in the site collection.

So I have a list for my projects and I will add a calculated column with HTML-code:
="<a href='javascript:upload(&#39;"&Projectnumber&"&#39;,&#39;Reports&#39;);'><img src='/_layouts/images/upload.gif' border='0' alt='Reports'></a>"

Then add a CEWP at the bottom of the dashboard page and paste the following script in the Source editor:

<script src="/Javascripts/sessvars.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
sessvars.$.clearMem();
function upload(projectNumber,docType){
  sessvars.projectNumber = projectNumber;
  sessvars.docType = docType;
  sessvars.userId = _spUserId;
  var targetUrl = "/_layouts/Upload.aspx?List=%7BE69813A0%2D6E90%2D4D26%2D852A%2DBE0952C165CB%7D&RootFolder=%2FDocuments&Source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Esharepointserver%2Eeu%2FPages%2FJavascript%2Easpx&MultipleUpload=1";
  window.location.href = targetUrl;
}
</script>

<script type="text/javascript">
/*
Text to HTML Lite - version 2.1.1
Questions and comments: Christophe@PathToSharePoint.com
*/
function TextToHTML(NodeSet, HTMLregexp) {
var CellContent = "";
var i=0;
while (i < NodeSet.length){
try {
CellContent = NodeSet[i].innerText || NodeSet[i].textContent;
if (HTMLregexp.test(CellContent)) {NodeSet[i].innerHTML = CellContent;}
} 
catch(err){}
i=i+1;
}
}
// Calendar views
var regexpA = new RegExp("\\s*<([a-zA-Z]*)(.|\\s)*/\\1?>\\s*");
TextToHTML(document.getElementsByTagName("a"),regexpA);
// List views
var regexpTD = new RegExp("^\\s*<([a-zA-Z]*)(.|\\s)*/\\1?>\\s*$");
TextToHTML(document.getElementsByTagName("TD"),regexpTD);
</script>

The list view will show an upload button thanks to the TextToHTML script.
The javascript function will add the project number, document type and current user to the session variables, followed by a redirect to the standard upload page. You should replace the targetUrl with your own (click Upload Multiple Documents in the target library and copy the url). The source parameter refers to another page with javascript: /Pages/Javascript.aspx

Next step is to create this web part page, add a CEWP and paste the following script in the Source editor:

<script src="/Javascripts/sessvars.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="/Javascripts/jquery-1.6.2.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="/Javascripts/jquery.SPServices-0.6.2.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
var projectNumber = sessvars.projectNumber;
var docType = sessvars.docType;
var userId = sessvars.userId;
if((projectNumber!=undefined)&&(docType!=undefined)&&(userId!=undefined)){
  $().SPServices.SPUpdateMultipleListItems({ 
    listName: "Documents",
    CAMLRowLimit: 0,
    CAMLQuery: "<Query><Where><And><Eq><Fieldref Name='Author' LookupId='TRUE'/><Value Type='Integer'>" + userId + "</Value></Eq><IsNull><Fieldref Name='Projectnumber'/></IsNull></And></Where></Query>",
    valuepairs: [["Projectnumber", projectNumber], ["Documenttype", docType]]
  });
  sessvars.$.clearMem();
  window.location.href = "/Pages/Projects.aspx";
}
</script>

The session variables are read out and the values are used to update the documents that are selected by the CAML query: Created By the current user and no project number.
Finally the memory of the session variables is cleared and there's a redirect back to the dashboard page that will show the update document properties.

Add Hyperlink to the Image Rotator of PathToSharePoint to search for the picture and open it's dispform

Christophe from PathToSharePoint offers the possibility to generate your own script for an image rotator. You can copy the script and add it to a CEWP on your page.
This is a great service.
But there is only the possibility to add a hyperlink that will download the picture directly, or will open a link that is specified in an extra text column that you should fill out by hand. Instead I want the dispform to be opened with the properties of the picture.

The script uses "/_vti_bin/owssvr.dll?Cmd=Display&XMLDATA=TRUE&List={GUID}" to query the picture library and get a XML output in return. And here is where the restrictions come in: this data doesn't contain the ID of the picture, only the name. And it calls the default view of the picture library that probably will have an item limit, so not all images are rotated.
Therefore I rewrote the script a bit to get it work my way.
First add an All items view to the picture library, and name it xxx or something so users will not be motivated to select it. Get the GUID of this view and add it to the script: "/_vti_bin/owssvr.dll?Cmd=Display&XMLDATA=TRUE&List={GUID}&View={GUID}".
Second I will use the name of the picture to add it to a search query:
var LinkColumn="ows_NameOrTitle";var PictureLink="/SearchCenter/results.aspx?s=PicLib&k="+ListItems[SelectedItem].getAttribute(LinkColumn);
Add a scope to the search administration based on the web address of the picture library.
In this way I will find the picture, but still not have the possibility to open the dispform of the item.
So I will use the trick from SharePoint Search Results: Adding a link to the view properties page of a document to get the ID available in the search results and add a 'View properties' link with XSL.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

The Ugly, the Bad and the Good (Part 1)

Part 1. The Ugly

Let's bring back the icons in the Refinement Panel of the Search results, as with the Faceted Search in MOSS 2007.
Within the Refinement Panel we have the value of the filters available. By extending the XSLT with a lot of when-statements we are able to select the belonging icon from the images folder at the file system of the server.

Add via the XSL Editor the following rows to the <xsl:template name="FilterLink"> between Begin and End comment:

<xsl:if test="($Indentation = '1')">
  <span class="ms-searchref-indenticon">&#8627;&#160;</span>
</xsl:if>
<!-- Begin -->
<xsl:choose>
  <xsl:when test="contains($Value, 'Any')">
    <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/asterisk.png" border="0" />
  </xsl:when>
  <xsl:when test="$Value = 'Word'">
    <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/icdocx.png" border="0" />
  </xsl:when>
  <xsl:when test="$Value = 'Excel'">
    <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/icxlsx.png" border="0" />
  </xsl:when>
  <xsl:when test="$Value = 'Webpage'">
    <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/icaspx.gif" border="0" />
  </xsl:when>
  <xsl:when test="$Value = 'Adobe PDF'">
    <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/icpdf.gif" border="0" />
  </xsl:when>
  <xsl:otherwise>
    <img align="absmiddle" src="/_layouts/images/bullet.gif" border="0" />
  </xsl:otherwise>
</xsl:choose>
<xsl:text> </xsl:text>
<!-- End -->
<a class="ms-searchref-filterlink" href="{$SecureUrl}" title="{$RefineByHeading}: {$UrlTooltip}">
  <xsl:value-of select="Value"/>
</a>

Of course this is quite an ugly solution due to the fact that you need to add rows for 'every' result type that you might expect.
But it's a quick win and looks very nice. And because of the otherwise-statement, every filter gets at least an icon and no red cross or so.

Here is an example of the result:

In Part 2. we will look at the possibility to use the value of the filter to compose the filename of the icon. In this way we don't need all the when-statements. As you might think, this is the Bad one.

Get back to where you once belonged

My first post will be about getting back the icons where they once belonged:

Next to the Search Refiners in SharePoint 2010,
as with the Faceted Search in MOSS 2007.

Search Refiners (SharePoint 2010)

Faceted Search (MOSS 2007)

At Poleposition

Ready, steady, GO!

At last my contribution to a better SharePoint for the world.

Improve to Approve.