Connector for Microsoft SharePoint in applications

Applications module Integrate external data

1. Create external data group

A connection to a Microsoft SharePoint data source can be used in any Intrexx application. To do so, select the application node and create a new external data group via the New menu / External data group.

Title

Define the title for the external data group here.

Database connection

The desired connection can be selected here.

Data handler

The appropriate data handler is entered automatically when you select a Microsoft SharePoint connection.

Table/ View

You can enter the name of the table or view directly or click on "Search" and search for name of the table or view in the dialog that opens. Click on "OK" once you have selected your table view.

Click here for more information about the settings for logging in. The data fields, which should be provided by the Microsoft SharePoint service and displays in applications, can now be selected on the Data fields tab and then linked to application elements.

2. Data fields

In SharePoint, there are two types that can be used for managing data: Every element has exactly one file attachment in a document library, whereas a list element can have any number of file attachments. In every SharePoint data group, there is a virtual data field "SharePointDocument", which does not exist on the SharePoint site, but is generated by the connector. It is recognized by Intrexx as a file field and provides the ability to access the files from a SharePoint dataset. In the properties of the File data field, you can determine which type (document library or list) you would like to use in your external data group.



Select the file data field here and click on Edit. The title of the data field and handler class for the SharePoint connection are shown on the General tab. The following entries are also required here:

Version

Select the version of your SharePoint server.

Type

Select whether you would like to use a "Document library" or a "List" here. When using a document library, additional details for ascertaining the metadata are required; these are described below. The "List" type simply requires you to select the version and optionally set up the "Check-Out" option.

File name

For a document library, select the field where the name of the file is saved or, where applicable, created.

File path

For a document library, select the field where the directory, where the files are stored, are saved or, where applicable, created.

Last edited

For a document library, select the field where the date of the last edit is saved.

Content Type ID

For a document library, select the field that contains the type of document in the form of an ID so that the documents, which you attach, can be assigned to the correct category later.

Check-Out required

This option allows you to specify that documents must be checked-out before being edited. In the box below, you can select the field where comments about the changes made can be entered. This function is only supported by SharePoint 2013.

3. Displaying and editing SharePoint files and fields




The data from a SharePoint external data group can, for example, be displayed in a view table. In the properties of the view table, select the SharePoint external data group in the drop-down list "Data group" and insert the fields that you would like to show in the table by clicking on Add column. You can see an example of the appearance of a document library below.



And here is an example of a SharePoint list.



If you would like to add data or edit existing data, you can create an edit page in the SharePoint external data group.



Connect the edit elements to the data fields from the external data group. The SharePoint data field is already selected for the File selection element. By adding a button to the corresponding view table, you can now modify existing data. If the file control is linked to a document library in SharePoint, then the option "Replace existing files" needs to be activated in the properties of the file selection under "Upload mode" because only one file can be saved per dataset in a document library. The option "Attach files at end" is recommended for SharePoint lists.

Please note: In order for files to be saved to document libraries successfully, at least one entry field for the path needs to be on the entry page. Path: The storage location must be determined in the format of a SharePoint path here. This is usually the relative path to a list or library in a SharePoint site (e.g. /published documents). If you would like to save to a subfolder, attach this at the end of the path (e.g. /published documents/subfolder). It is recommended to automatically allocate this value in the field. Alternatively, the field can be moved to the hidden area, provided the value can be identified automatically. Optionally, the field "Name" for the file name and "Title" for the title can be added. If the field for the file name is not provided, Intrexx will automatically ascertain the value from the name of the uploaded file. If you would like to edit the data of a SharePoint list, check the setting "Enable multi-file upload" in the properties of the File selection.

4. Creating and editing SharePoint folders

Folders are a special feature of document libraries. Even these can be created and edited using Intrexx but to do that, certain requirements need to be taken into account.
  1. There cannot be any file selection elements on the edit page.
  2. An edit page must at least have edit fields for Name, Path (parent directory) and ContenttypeID. The field ContenttypeID has to contain the value "0x120". The field can be predefined with this value and placed in the hidden area. The field Path must contain the path of the parent directory (e.g. /Published documents). Additionally, the title can be specified.
  3. In the external data group of the document library, the following expert settings need to be defined:

    • sharepoint.document.library = true
    • sharepoint.file.contenttype.field.guid = GUID of the ContenttypeID field
    • sharepoint.folder.name.field.guid = GUID of the Name field
    • sharepoint.folder.name.field.guid = GUID of the Path field
    • sharepoint.version = SharePoint Version (SP2013 or SP2010)

5. More information

General
System requirements
Consume SharePoint data
Authentication
SharePoint in processes
Export / Import
Appendix