Mart Muller's Weblog

Via Presspass:

New product provides advanced protection for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.

Microsoft Corp. today is launching the public beta of Forefront Security for SharePoint^® (http://www.microsoft.com/forefront). This latest release of Microsoft^® Forefront security products for businesses is based on Antigen for SharePoint Server, the multi-engine security solution acquired by Microsoft as part of the acquisition of Sybari Software Inc. in 2005.

Forefront Security for SharePoint is optimized to provide advanced protection for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows^® SharePoint Services 3.0. Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies facilitate easy collaboration across an organization, connecting people, processes and systems within and beyond organizational boundaries. Forefront Security for SharePoint uses the combined power of multiple antivirus engines from leading security providers to protect against viruses, unwanted files and inappropriate content.

Learn more

With the option to create custom authentication providers in MOSS 2007, a lot of new ways for user management and registration can be designed. Via VB_tech you can download webparts for registration using forms authentication:

"Once you’ve got your WSSv3 site setup for anonymous access and you’ve configured it for forms authentication you are probably going to want your users to be able to register themselves and start using various features on the site.

You could add the CreateUserWizzard to a page with SharePoint Designer, but I couldn’t find an easy way for users who register with this to have certain roles assigned to them. For example you create a role called registeredUser, and then in WSSv3 give this role contribute access to the whole site. If you just dropped the CreateUserWizzard on the page you’d have to manually go and assign this role to every new user who registered.

To try and make this process easier I’ve created a webpart that adds a CreateUserWizzard control, and hooks up to the CreatedUser event, so it assigns the role to the user as soon as the user registers."

read the full article here

Via Steve Caravajal and Shane, I ran into a great Excel sheet with a very detailed comparison between SharePoint 2003 and 2007 features:

• Windows SharePoint Services v3
• SharePoint Portal Server 2003
• Office SharePoint 2007 for Search
• Office Forms Server 2007
• Office SharePoint Server 2007 Standard CAL – MOSS Standard
• Office SharePoint Server 2007 Enterprise CAL or for Internet Site

Check it out here

Stramit has finished his CAML Viewer 2007 on codeplex. A great tool to get the CAML from any list in MOSS 2007. Great work!

Features:

• Use only Web services from SharePoint 2007
• use current or custom credentials
• list of the different list and views (hidden or not) of the selected site
• auto capture of the CAML source of each component  : list / View / Fields / Query
• get a full CAML list of each column of a list
• the cAML is view by 3 ways : string, formated indexed XML string and treeview style
• each CAML code can generate a stringbuilder version in VB or C#
• the query can be directly execute and test in a result tab  : gridview / xml string or Treeview Style

Download here

Via Gally and CopperCoins and available for download soon:

"FeatureCreator: The easy way to create a feature for deployment

I don't know how you usually develop customizations for your customers, but I usually have some concepts and ideas from the theoretic folk. Now I setup a VirtualPC and start to play around with the stuff from the concepts, until I am satisfied. This usually includes a lot of creating/deleting/renaming fields/lists/templates etc etc.

Now the big question is, if I am satisfied, how to get this stuff out of the VirtualPC and ready for deployment ?!

Yeah sure, you could either extract all the templates and import in the target system, but how about the fields/columns on site-level?
Sure, go ahead and recreate them, or even better model them in XML *gnarr*

Since I didn't find a tool out there to speed up this process, I wrote a small utillity: FeatureCreator

As you might have guessed, you can select all the stuff you can package into a feature, and create a feature-xml from it. Almost ready for deployment (Just create the manifest, and package it. Maybe I will add even this later)

Expect the first version to be available for download on next Monday, unless someone points me to another way to create the features!
And also stay tuned for its big brother: SolutionCreator !"

To install the Beta2TR build, go to the Office Preview site at http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview. The Beta2TR build is available there at no cost. Please read carefully the information found on Office Preview and on the Office Online readme pages before taking action.

Please check out this before upgrading.

Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Tools for the 2007 Microsoft Office System Beta (also known as “Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office Second Edition Beta” or “VSTO 2005 SE Beta”) is an add-on to Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 that enables you to build application-level add-ins for the 2007 Microsoft Office system as well as the Microsoft Office 2003 Editions.

VSTO 2005 SE Beta features several new important investments in the area of Office programmability. Whether it’s in the revolutionized and highly extensible Office user interface, or in the support for managed add-ins in Office applications not previously covered by Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office, there exist a number of great new opportunities and challenges for Microsoft Office solution developers. VSTO 2005 SE Beta leverages the solution development environment of Visual Studio 2005 to help you use these opportunities and challenges to take your solutions to the next level.

VSTO 2005 SE Beta also includes support for Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007 forms, previously available as a separate download for Visual Studio 2005. You can design InfoPath 2007 form solutions right in the Visual Studio 2005 environment.

Feature highlights:

• Application-level add-in projects for six applications in the 2007 Microsoft Office system: Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007, Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft Office Visio 2007, and Microsoft Office Word 2007.
• Support for the new Ribbon user interface extensibility model.
• Support for the new application-level customizable task pane.
• Support for managed code behind InfoPath 2007 forms, which enables the InfoPath 2007 design environment to appear inside Visual Studio 2005 for an integrated experience across your Visual Studio projects. You can use it to design forms with or without managed code.
• Support for Outlook custom form regions.
• Application-level add-in projects for five Microsoft Office 2003 applications: Microsoft Office Excel 2003, Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003, Microsoft Office Visio 2003, and Microsoft Office Word 2003.

Download here

"There are several known issues that could affect many B2TR update attempts - these include.

· When updating a B2 installation to B2TR all language packs and SKUs (e.g. Project Server) should be installed on B2 BEFORE B2TR is installed – you will not be able to add or remove language packs or SKUs after the update is applied. This limitation will not apply at RTM for B2TR -> RTM installations.

· Before starting to update a B2 installation you must shut down the Search service – it is possible to corrupt your search index if an indexer is online and writing to the index during the update.

· If you originally installed SharePoint Server Standard Edition there is a mandatory extra step required before the update can be started which is detailed in the Readme.

· When installing a clean installation of B2TR you must create a web application and install any language packs or SKUs on B2 then apply the B2TR update.

· If you are planning to upgrade an existing SPS2003 installation please read and follow the upgrade instructions very carefully."

WINDOWS SHAREPOINT SERVICES 3.0 UPDATE DOCUMENTATION

If you are running Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and do not have SharePoint Server 2007 installed you should follow the instructions in the WSS 3.0 Update guide and accompanying Readme.

· Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 B2TR Update Guide http://technet2.microsoft.com/Office/en-us/library/b3e52231-16bf-4a46-a7e8-cb31b814627a1033.mspx?mfr=true

· Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 B2TR Readme http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=72605&clcid=0x409

MICROSOFT OFFICE FORMS SERVER 2007 UPDATE DOCUMENTATION

If you are running Office Forms Server 2007 you should follow the instructions in the Update guide below and accompanying Readme.

· Office Forms Server 2007 B2TR Update Guide http://technet2.microsoft.com/Office/en-us/library/2042cbb3-312a-461b-825a-9d72648bdeea1033.mspx?mfr=true

· Office Forms Server 2007 B2TR Readme http://download.microsoft.com/download/A/9/1/A91590BA-8E5E-4A3B-8C7B-C819393512D1/Server%20Readme.doc

MICROSOFT OFFICE PROJECT SERVER 2007 UPDATE DOCUMENTATION

If you are running Office Project Server 2007 you should follow the instructions in the Update guide below.

· Office Project Server 2007 B2TR Update Guide http://technet2.microsoft.com/Office/en-us/library/2ff528e5-bd0d-41f9-832c-5ee386aa73b71033.mspx?mfr=true

More info at the SharePoint team blog

We've been thinking a lot about how to deal with deploying SharePoint solutions in WSS2/SPS2003. There are several ways to deal with that, but the solutions has their pro and cons.

A little while ago we did a short brainstorm about how we should deal with this 'problem/challange' in WSS3/MOSS. We talked about Features, buildlab and custom solutions for deploying SharePoint applications and structures, but we ended up not having the perfect solution.

Today I read Chris's article about 'How solution deployment has changed development with SharePoint technologies' and this put another dimension to our deployment challange.

"In MOSS we have a good solution to all of this called the Solution Framework. Here is a little summary about what this is:

"The Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) solution framework provides a way to bundle together all of the components for extending SharePoint in a new file called a solution file (a CAB-based format with a WSP extension). A solution is a deployable, reusable package that can contain a set of features and site definitions, templates, Web Parts, and assemblies that you can apply to a site, and individually enable or disable." – WSS SDK

Not only this but the Solution Framework takes care of deploying the solution to ALL front end web servers in the farm without the admin having to go to each box to do this manually!"

This is one of the first things I read about SharePoint deployment in MOSS but which might be to solution for many SharePoint devs/admins.

Read a full example here

Thijs, just graduated, talented and 22, has a problem express himself at work. He cannot do the things he does at home: social networking, be online all the time, building his 'brand'.

September 14th, Tam Tam is present at Emerce eDay doing a workshop called 'Ik Ben Thijs' (I am Thijs). Thijs shows 'the new world of work' to show how things can change at work to make his dreams come true...

I am Thijs

So, visit Tam Tam at eDay and meet Thijs! Check the schedule here.

After the the bad news about removing the save as PDF feature in Office 2007, Microsoft has released a new 2007 add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS. Probably to avoid going to court again ;)

Anyways, you can download it here.

At the Colligo website you can register for beta testing Colligo for SharePoint 2007, a synchronizing client tool for offline working with SharePoint. Although the offline capabilities in Office 2007 are improved a lot, Colligo claims the two-way synchronization with SharePoint sites.

We've been testing offline/client tools for SharePoint over the last few years and those tools are great in some cases. In my opinion however, first see what Office 2007 has to offer before installing 3rd party products. Outlook 2007 for example, has a great offline synchronization mechanism for documents. Read about it here, here and here. Also Groove 2007 can offer a lot when it comes to offline synchronization.

Ferry updated his Visio template for SharePoint (2003) with the following updates:

• The drawing scale corresponds better with a 1024x768 resolution than the beta version. All webpart and font sizes have been updated as well.
• Each page has metadata directly below the wireframe: Page title (tab name), application name and version (both from document properties).

Great work, and good to see his next project will be for MOSS 2007. Some ideas to integrate in the Visio template?

• Workflow diagrams
• (custom) Content types schema's

Read his blogpost about it here

Download the Visio template and stencil for designing SharePoint sites (ZIP-file). (Store the files in My Documents\My Shapes)

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA101...

"Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 provides all of the functionality that is needed for performance management in a single, integrated application including scorecarding, analytics, planning, budgeting and forecasting that can reach across all employees in the business and across Finance, Operations, Marketing, Sales and Human Resources.

Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 enables businesses to broadly deliver performance management capabilities by providing an application that is easy to use and less costly to deploy than traditional solutions. Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 provides employees with critical visibility into the factors impacting the business, allowing them to make decisions and take actions that drive better business outcomes."

Download the datasheet

Understanding Workflow in Windows SharePoint Services V3 and the 2007 Microsoft Office system whitepaper, which provides details on how workflow works in Windows SharePoint Services V3 and Office SharePoint Server 2007 as well as a comparison guide for choosing between the two.

Download it here!

During the U2U bootcamp here at Tam Tam, we mentioned the various simple but useful tools that for MOSS 2007 like the eventhandler explorer tool or the feature management application. Patrick writes on his blog, their CAML girl has created an new version of one of those tools: CAML query builder for 2007. Thanks again!

Download here