Development

The Problem of Querying SharePoint A common challenge when working with SharePoint sites is the need to retrieve specific folders, files, and metadata from various document libraries and lists. While the SharePoint user interface allows simple browsing and searches, developers often require more precise and customizable queries. The SharePoint REST API provides the capability to…

The Problem with Calculated Columns Calculated columns in SharePoint allow users to create formulas that compute values from other columns. However, they come with limitations: calculated columns can suffer from performance problems, have restricted functions, cannot reference external data sources, and provide a rigid presentation layer. Custom field rendering provides an alternative method to deliver…

Unsupported Functions in SharePoint Calculated Columns SharePoint calculated columns provide a powerful way to derive values in list items and document libraries by creating formulas that operate on other columns. However, several useful functions are not supported due to restrictions in the formula engine and can lead to errors if attempted to be used. Common…

What Are Calculated Columns A calculated column in SharePoint is a column that displays a value based on a formula. The formula can reference other columns and manipulate their values to calculate a result. Some key capabilities of calculated columns include: Performing mathematical calculations like adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing values from other columns Concatenating…

Key Benefits of Integration Integrating SharePoint with other business systems and applications can provide many valuable benefits: Improved data flow between systems – Integration enables seamless transfer of data between SharePoint and other systems, ensuring information is up-to-date across the technology ecosystem. Enhanced productivity and efficiency – Smooth data flow reduces manual data handling tasks….

The Problem of Legacy Browser Support in SharePoint Many organizations still need to support older browsers like Internet Explorer 8 and 9 for SharePoint. Although Microsoft ended support for these legacy browsers, a considerable number of users still rely on them for various business reasons. However, these older browsers lack support for newer web standards…

The Problem with Hardcoded Dates Using explicit date values directly in code, known as hardcoded dates, leads to brittle systems that can easily break over time. As requirements change, values that seemed sensible during initial development may become invalid. Some examples of problematic hardcoded dates in SharePoint solutions: Restricting access to site collections based on…

The Need for Date Manipulation SharePoint stores dates and times in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) format rather than local time zones. This facilitates internal operations, calculations, and storage. However, it can cause confusion when dates and times are displayed to users in different time zones. The time zone offset is not inherently accounted for when…

The Need for Efficient Date Handling Date values and operations are used extensively in SharePoint solutions, including formatting dates for display, calculating and comparing dates, and enabling date picker controls for data entry. However, JavaScript date processing can consume excessive client-side resources if not optimized, resulting in poor performance and high latency. JavaScript dates are…

What Are Calculated Columns and Why Extend Them? SharePoint lists and libraries allow for calculated columns that compute values based on other columns and metadata. These can apply formulas, formats, and logic to generate useful information for items. However, the platform’s built-in calculated features are limiting – formulas use Excel-style expressions, data types are restrictive,…