Alumnae Fashion Show

Archive for the ‘Sharepoint Designer’ Category

A client of mine once requested that I change the look and feel of their search results page. The client was a large company that had decided to change the design of their SharePoint portal. The portal had a search center which was where I needed to make the change.

 

This is how I did it:

 

First of all I needed a Core Results Web Part. You can add a web part to your results page from the Web Parts Gallery or use the SharePoint web part that is automatically added to each search results page.

 

Next I had to setup the fields (columns) I wanted to see in the search result. To do so – open the properties of the Core results web part and under the Results Query Options change the Selected Columns xml text. To add a new column you need add this text to the xml before tag:

 

 

Save the changes and now you can start to redesign the look and feel of the search results. The fastest way to do this is to use the XML of the search results. To access the XML you need to add this code instead of the XSLT code of the web part in the XSL Editor:



  











 

 Save your changes and do a test search. You will get an XML code of the search results. Copy this code and paste it to notepad. Save the file on your desktop and open SharePoint Designer. Connect to one of your SharePoint sites and create a new blank ASPX page. After this go in to the design mode of your page and add a new DataView Web Part. In the Data Source details choose the XML files and add a new XML file. In the new opened window browse to the file you saved before and import it to SharePoint Designer.

 

Once you perform this operation you’ll see your file in the XML files section.  Click on this file and press “Show Data”.

 

Now you will be able to design your Data View Web Part however you want, using columns from the Search Results XML file. You will also be able to perform sorting/filtering/grouping on your search results but keep in mind that each function will create results only on the page you are currently using. In other words, if you sort your search results by site title the grouping will group the content of your current search results page.

 

After you finish designing your page you the only thing left you need to do is copy the entire  code from your page, between the tags and , and paste it to the XSL Editor of the Core Results Web Part. Save your changes and verify that everything works by doing a test search. If you like the look of your search results page you can delete the temp ASPX page from your SharePoint site and delete the search results XML file.

 

If you would like more information on customizing a search results page I suggest this insightful article by Tobias Zimmergren:

http://www.zimmergren.net/archive/2008/03/15/moss-2007-customize-the-search-result-using-xslt-part-3-customize-using-sharepoint-designer-2007.aspx

 

SharePoint gives you many options for customizing your search results.

 

You can define different search results pages for each search scope you run.

 

You can set a specific search results page on the server level and redirect all search results to that page.

 

You can even define a search results page for a Search Box Web Part – it will redirect all search results (not including the Contextual Search Scope Search results) to the page you defined.

 

If you create a new Search Center you may want to redirect all search queries to the Search Center search results page.

 

You can setup this function on the scopes level or in the Search Settings of the root site in your Site Collection.

 

I hope this article (and the first two parts of this series) on SharePoint search results has been helpful to you. Please continue to visit the KWizCom blog for more helpful information, SharePoint tips and “how to” guides. We are here to help!

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS), is part of Microsoft SharePoint, and runs on top of Windows SharePoint services. MOSS builds on WSS by adding both core features as well as end user web parts to it. Its main strength is enabling an organization’s information to be organized and aggregated in one central, web-based application and provides taxonomy for corporate data. MOSS integrates closely with application in the Microsoft Office suite and adds various aspects such as hierarchical organization of content areas, enhanced navigation, single sign on, indexed search, personalization features, the business data catalog, and in-browser rendering and, in certain cases, editing of Microsoft Office documents.

It can also be used to form specialized document-specific libraries, such as Microsoft PowerPoint slide libraries, which can be used to share not only particular slides from a presentation but their design as well. There are three main features in MOSS 2007 personalization:

1) User Profiles – User profiles allow you to search and associated with people within your organization based on information published about them. MOSS 2007 provides a new search scope for searching people. Index Server crawls the user profile store to get the user’s information.

2) Audiences – MOSS 2007 allows you to target content to people as per to their membership in a specific audience. It supports targeting to rules-based audiences, distribution lists, and Windows SharePoint Services groups. Except for Windows SharePoint Services groups, these audiences can go through one or more portal websites in a deployment.

Using targeting, you can target content in the portal website for viewing by one or more particular audiences. By default, you can display targeted content on the home page and on personalization sites.

3) My Site – My site is a collection of profile pages, personal sites, and personalization websites built in the Office SharePoint Server 2007 sites. The Profile page of the My Site displays your user profile information. Your personal site provides personalized and customized information. Office SharePoint Server 2007 also supports personalization sites. Personalization sites display targeted content to users based on their membership in a specific audience or by cutting data.

SBS-Techs believe in getting hands on experience with any technology and application before offering the service to their clients. With our certified engineers having strong expertise in the latest WSS 3.0, Microsoft windows small business server and MOSS 2007 technologies, you can trust that your collaborative business solution is in the right hands. Not only creating customized solutions as per you business need and deployment, SBS-Techs also offer troubleshooting and full support for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 tools.

So you’ve made the decision to leave Sharepoint.

You’re probably relieved, because the move means the end to many headaches and problems.

But now you’re faced with about a hundred solutions that all claim to be the “True Sharepoint Alternative.” How do you choose? How do you avoid leaving one disaster only to find yourself deeply invested in another?

Don’t worry – our simple guide  to choosing a Sharepoint Alternative will ensure that you make the right choice. Opt for a SaaS solution. SaaS means software as a service, as opposed to hardware/on premises solutions, and they don’t require expensive installation and maintenance. Make sure that implementation of the solution across your entire company will not be difficult, expensive nor time-consuming. Request an implementation plan or strategy and how long the implementation is expected to last before the solution is full integrated. Your Sharepoint Alternative should be user friendly, so that even the most non-tech saavy member of your team can easily adopt it. One of the most important features of any Sharepoint Alternative is security. Make sure that your solution meets Fortune 500 security requirements, under which your data will be protected and secure. e Make sure you are getting enough storage. Once your data storage is exhausted, extra storage space can be costly. Check to see that your Sharepoint Alternative company has a backup data storage facility. Even better, check to see which solutions have more than one data storage back up location. The more, the better. A Sharepoint Alternative must be flexible, since there are probably a diversity of computer and OS users in your company. Make sure your Sharepoint Alternative works for multiple browsers, Mac, PC and has mobile phone support. Scalability is another thing to keep in mind. If you’re company is growing (which we hope it is), you need to think ahead to when  your team multiplies by two, three or four times its size. Will your solution grow with you? If not, it’s better to dump it now. After you’ve purchased your solution, you’re going to need to implement it across your company and get everyone on board in the most efficient and timely way. Good Sharepoint Alternatives offer an Implementation Specialist who can guide you through your company’s transition over from Sharepoint.

To learn more about the pricing of Sharepoint Alternatives, check out Sharepoint-Alternative.com, or the Central Desktop blog.