Category: SharePoint 2010

Problem

I have some rather complex SPD workflows built. Complex meaning multiple approval levels and multiple tasks. Recently we applied SP1 to our SharePoint Server 2010 environment as well as a recent Cumulative Update (CU). After the update 2 of the workflows began showing this error:

Continue reading “SP Causes Workflow “Failed to Start” Error”

When trying to add a web part to a page, sometimes the Web Part button is disabled. To enable the Web Part button:

1. Edit an existing web part
2. Click in the Rich Text Editor
3. Insert a new web part

Continue reading “Adding Web Part to Rich Text Editor”

While troubleshooting a failed User Profile Synchronization Service, I needed to clear the config cache. The config cache is where config settings are stored locally on the Microsoft SharePoint server, so a SQL call isn’t required. Sometimes these files get corrupted, which happened to me while setting up the User Profile Synchronization Service.

To clear them: Continue reading “Microsoft Sharepoint User Profile Synchronization I – Clearing the Config Cache”

As Jethro Tull used to sing, ‘Nothing is easy…’. Although installing SP1 for SharePoint 2010 isn’t hard, there are a few extra steps beyond running the .exe for SP1.

If installing SP1 for SharePoint Foundation 2010, then run:

1. SP1 for SharePoint Foundation 2010
2. SP1 for SharePoint Foundation 2010 Language Pack (if applicable)
3. Cumulative Update from June 2011

If installing SP1 for SharePoint Server 2010, then run:

1. Steps 1 and 2 from above
2. SP1 for SharePoint Server 2010
3. SP1 for SharePoint Server 2010 Language Pack (if applicable)
4. Cumulative Update from June 2011

Finally, after installing SP1 and the Cumulative Update, you must run the SharePoint 2010 Products Configuration Wizard to tell the system it is now SP1.

Recently faced with the challenge of writing a SharePoint Designer workflow that moved a change request thru 6 steps. One of those steps asked 12 team members to vote on the request. As soon as a majority vote was determined, the step could end, and the workflow could continue. This meant not all 12 people needed to vote, the workflow only needed to know that more than 50% of the voters had chosen to approve or reject the request.

By leveraging the Task Customization Tools in SharePoint Designer 2010 and the Task Process Result Data source, here’s how I did it.

1. Add Start Approval Process action to my workflow.
2. Click Approval link to view the Approval Task page
3. Change the name to ‘Majority Voting’
4. Click on the Change the behavior of a single task link
5. Scroll down to the When a Task Completes step
6. At the end of this step add logic to end the Majority Voting task and continue on with the workflow
7. In the screen shot below I’ve added the few lines required:
   1. Add comment to indicate changes
   2. Insert If any value equals value condition
      1. Click the first value link
         1.  Leverage the Task Process Results Data source for the first value of the condition. This Data source contains great fields for use in this situation.
            
         2. Select the Percentage of Approved Field from source.
         3. Click OK
         1. Change equals to is greater than
         2. Click the second value link and enter 50
      2. Add a Log to History List action
      3. Add a End Task Process action
      4. Add an Else-If Branch
      5. Add an If any value equals value condition
         1. Leverage the Task Process Result Data source again, this time using Percentage of Rejected field
         2. Change equals to is greater than
         3. Change second value to 50
      6. Add a Log to History List action
      7. Add a End Task Process action
         
8. You have finished using the Task Customization Tools, in the breadcrumbs click on Editor to go back to the Editor for the main workflow
9. Click on these users link
10. Add the participants
11. Swith from One at a time (serial) to All at once (parallel)
12. Add a Title and Instructions
13. Click OK
    
14. The Majority Voting step is done