A Matter Of Degree

The SharePoint / MOSS 2007 recycle bin – what goes in and what doesn’t

There is plenty of good information out there about how the MOSS 2007 Recycle bin works in terms of the two stages (end user and administrator), quotas, etc. It seems harder to find a summary of which items can be restored, and which cannot. I think an understanding of what can go into the bin is vital in terms of setting user expectations.

Goes into the recycle bin when deleted:	Does not go into the recycle bin when deleted:
Individual files and list items Entire lists and libraries Site Templates List Templates Web Parts (.dwp files deleted from the Web Part Gallery) Master Pages Page Layouts	List / Library columns Sites Workflows (removed from a list or library) Content Types Site Columns Web parts (deleted from a page, not deleted from the Web Part Gallery) People (when deleted from a SharePoint group)

 

Is there anything I missed? Let me know and I'll add it!

Five ways to make your SharePoint implementation more visually interesting without writing any code

Please note: This post has been supplanted by "Many ways to make your SharePoint implementation more graphical and visually interesting without voiding your warranty or writing any code", published 11/10/08.

My work with client SharePoint implementations has taught me that while all organizations want an intranet that looks like a million bucks, not all of them have a million dollars' worth of branding budget or internal resources who are skilled in web design and CSS. Customizing SharePoint away from the site definition can cause problems down the road when service packs or upgrades are applied, and some organizations don't want to take that risk. With this in mind I hereby present:

Five ways to make your SharePoint implementation more visually interesting without voiding your warranty or writing any code, and without just slapping a big static image of your building on the home page (Note: These five suggestions work for WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007. You will need web server administrator and/or "full control" permissions in your portal to perform these customizations).

1. Create a logo for each Department, and place it on that department's home page in the Site Image area. I have worked with several clients who have done this, and the logos range from formal to whimsical. I recommend that you use the same image for each department, and just change the text to reflect the department name. Store all the images together in a centrally-accessible location so that you can easily edit or create a new one if you add or change a department name (i.e., make available the layered image file or PowerPoint in which you're manipulating the images).

2. Make use of the little icon on web part title bar. If your logo incorporates an icon, you can display a tiny version of it in your web part's title bar:

    Some company logos will be excellent for this; others may be too detailed to look good in a tiny size. If your company's logo won't work, you could use any other icon to bring visual interest to your web parts (i.e. a different icon for Announcements vs. document libraries vs. links lists).

    How to:

1. Upload the icon to an image library and copy the URL of the image. (Note: you don't need to make a small version of the icon; Sharepoint will resize it appropriately.)
2. In a test area, choose a web part you'd like to add this image to, and select Modify Shared Web Part from the title bar drop-down menu.
3. Expand the Advanced section and scroll down to the "Title Icon Image URL" field. Paste the image URL here. (Note: the web part will make this link relative once you click OK or Apply.)
4. Click OK or Apply to see the change.

3. Install a third-party web part. I recommend Bamboo's weather web part:

http://store.bamboosolutions.com/pfi-55-world-clock-and-weather-web-part.aspx

It looks great and it's easy to install and configure. They also offer a free "Hello" web part for a personalized welcome message.

4. Apply a theme. In addition to the 18 themes that come with SharePoint, here are some additional sources:

18 themes for sale at Pixelmill:

http://www.pixelmill.com/products/searchresults.aspx?action=reset&ProductTypeID=35&Keyword=skin

10 free themes from Infotech:

http://www.infotechsolutions.com/Products/

5. Change your master page. This may be the fastest, easiest way to make your SharePoint portal look un-Sharepointy. Microsoft offers a free download of five master page layouts in four colors each, for a total of twenty options:

http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2007/04/17/20-sample-master-pages-for-the-fantastic-40-application-templates-for-wss-3-0.aspx

    Note: If you are using WSS only, you'll need the WSS Master Page Selector feature in order to switch your master page.

6. Bonus for those with the Enterprise version of MOSS: Put up a little KPI indicator web part. This may require some content-owner participation to supply the data and maintain it, but you could get some good results without much effort by displaying manually-entered metrics like "On-time timesheet submission," "System status," "Participation (in a particular survey, drive or event)", etc.