SharePoint 2010 Interview Questions & Answers

 

BASIC INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

In this blog post we will be sharing Interview Questions related to Microsoft SharePoint 2010. Let’s start from the basic to the most advanced interview questions.

 

1. What is SharePoint 2010?

SharePoint was born out of a simple idea: “Sharing Documents”. Microsoft developed family of `software products called “SharePoint”, to perform features like File Sharing, Collaboration, and Web Publishing. In simple terms, SharePoint acts as the single platform to share, communicate, store, and collaborate the content, documents, and records.

 

2. What does SharePoint 2010 family of products consists of?

1. SharePoint Foundation 2010
2. Search Server 2010 Express
3. SharePoint Server 2010 
4. Search Server 2010
5. FAST™ Search Server 2010 for SharePoint
6. SharePoint Designer 2010

 

3. What are the new features in Sharepoint?

1- Access Services: Use Access Services in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 to edit, update, and create linked Microsoft Access 2010 databases that can be viewed and manipulated by using an Internet browser.
2- Business Connectivity Services: SharePoint Server 2010 include Microsoft Business Connectivity Services, which is a set of services and features that provide a way to connect SharePoint-based solutions to sources of external data and to define external content types based on that external data
3- Central Administration: Central Administration has been redesigned in SharePoint Server 2010 to provide a more familiar experience
4- Digital Asset Management: SharePoint Server 2010 includes a new asset library specially designed for managing and sharing digital assets such as audio, video, and other rich media files. 5- Enterprise Search (Fast Search): With the new capabilities in SharePoint Server 2010, search administrators can configure an optimal search infrastructure that helps end users find information in the enterprise quickly and efficiently.
6- Excel Services: Excel Services in SharePoint 2010 can be used to publish Excel client workbooks on SharePoint Server 2010
7- Health Monitoring: SharePoint Server 2010 includes an integrated health analysis tool called SharePoint Health Analyzer that enables SharePoint Server to automatically check for potential configuration, performance, and usage problems
8- Managed Metadata: The Managed Metadata Service supports the use of managed metadata, as well as the sharing of content types across the enterprise.
9- Performance Point Services: Performance Point Services in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 provides flexible, easy-to-use tools for building dashboards, scorecards, and key performance indicators (KPIs
10- Records Management: In SharePoint Server 2010, user can manage records in an archive, or can manage records in the same document repository as active document
11- Sandboxed Solutions: User can deploy sandboxed solutions to quickly and more securely solve business problems. Sandboxed solutions are like farm solutions except in the following ways: they are rights-restricted and have a more permissive deployment policy than farm solutions; they are limited to the site collection to which they are deployed;
12- Social Computing: SharePoint Server 2010 includes social networking tools such as My Site Web sites and social content technologies such as blogs, wikis, and really simple syndication (RSS). These features are built upon a database of properties that integrates information about people from many kinds of business applications and directory services
13- Upgrade:  
13.1: Visual Upgrade: A new feature that is available with upgrade allows the server administrator or site owner to determine when and if the new look for SharePoint Server 2010 is used for a particular site collection. Server administrators can choose to adopt the new look and feel for all sites during upgrade, let site owners make the choice after upgrade, or keep the old look and feel for all site
13.2: Feature Upgrade: SharePoint Foundation 2010 provides new members and types that make it possible for user to upgrade custom Features through versioning and declarative upgrade actions. User can update any Features created for Office SharePoint Server 2007 to work with SharePoint Server 2010 by using these members.
14- Visio Services: The Visio Graphics Service is a service on the SharePoint Server 2010 platform that enables users to share and view Visio diagrams and enables data-connected Microsoft Visio 2010 diagrams to be refreshed and updated from a variety of data source
15- Windows Power Shell: Windows Power Shell is the new command-line interface and scripting language specifically designed for Admin
16- Client Object Model: Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 introduces three new client APIs for interacting with SharePoint sites: from a .NET managed application, from a Microsoft Silverlight or from ECMAScript (JavaScript, JScript) that executes in the browser. The new client object models provide an object-oriented system for interoperating with SharePoint data from a remote computer easier to use existing SharePoint Foundation Web services

 

 

4. What are the various built in columns available in SharePoint 2010?

1. Single line of text
2. Multiple lines of text
3. Choice (menu to choose from)
4. Number (1, 1.0, 100)
5. Currency ($, ¥, €)
6. Date and Time
7. Lookup (information already on this site)
8. Yes/No (check box)
9. Person or Group
10. Hyperlink or Picture
11. Calculated (calculation based on other columns)
12. Full HTML content with formatting and constraints for publishing
13. Image with formatting and constraints for publishing
14. Hyperlink with formatting and constraints for publishing
15. Summary Links data
16. Rich media data for publishing
17. Managed Metadata

 

5. What is Content Type?

A content type is a reusable collection of metadata (columns), workflow, behavior, and other settings for a category of items or documents. Content types enable user to manage the settings for a category of information in a centralized and reusable manner. A content type defines the attributes of a list item, a document, or a folder. Each content type can specify properties to associate with items of its type.

 

6. What is Document Set?

Document Set enables users to group multiple documents that support a single project or task, together into a single entity. All documents in a Document Set share the metadata and the entire set can be versioned. Document sets are built on SharePoint 2010 content types, and user can create multiple unique document set content types as part of their implementation. 

 

7. What is Drop-Off Library?

The Drop Off Library will be the default destination when a user tries to upload a document to this site. This is used when user does not know that where should the document be uploaded in the site. In that case, user uploads the document in this library and the document is routed automatically to the specific library.

 

8. What is Routing Rules List?

The Routing Rules list, as its name implies, contains the rules for how a document is to be routed to its final destination. These rules are written to route the documents to their final and proper destination.

 

9. What is enterprise Metadata Management?

Enterprise metadata management (EMM) is a set of features introduced in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 that enable taxonomists, librarians, and administrators to create and manage terms and sets of terms across the enterprise. There are two key principles in the use of metadata:

1. Use of tags: It is easy for a site to use enterprise wide tags and taxonomies, and easy for users to apply them.
2. Application of tags in SharePoint 2010: The document libraries are configured to use metadata as a primary navigation pivot and improves search.

 

10. What is Web part? 

Web Parts are customizable plug and play components that empower information workers to create personalized user interfaces by simply dragging and dropping them on a Web page. Web parts allow customization at both design time and run time.

There are two types of web parts.
1. In-built web parts – Web parts that are included in SharePoint. Developers can drag them from web part galleries and drop them into web part zones.
2. Custom web parts – Web parts that are created by the user using visual studio is called custom web parts. 

A Web Part is composed of the following entities:
1. The Web Part description file (.dwp) is a portable container of default and personalized property values for the Web Part.
2. The Web Part assembly file (.dll) contains the logic and code for the Web Part, and is installed on the server running Windows SharePoint Services.
3. Resource files that support the Web Part; these are also stored on the server.
4. Tables in the Windows SharePoint Services database are used to store current values of the Web Part properties.

 

11. What are the various types of master pages?

There are three types of master pages in SharePoint 2010:

1-  V4.master Default team site master page. Provides ribbon bar and other editing features using UI.

2-  Default.master Sites upgraded from SharePoint 2007 use this unless they are changed to use a v4 version.

3- Minimal.master These trimmed-down custom master pages are commonly referred to as Starter Master Pages in SharePoint 2010.

 

12. What are Content pages?

Content pages implement a master page. Content pages contain an attribute, which informs the compiler that the page should be, merged with a master page. This attribute is part of the page directive tag called the MasterPageFile. 

13. What is Page Layout? 

Page layout dictates the overall look and feel of a web page. A page layout relies on a content type to determine the kind of content that can be stored on pages. Page layout contains field controls and web part. 

14. What is Site definition? 

Site definitions are the foundations on which all sites and user templates are built. These are the collection of XML or ASPX files. Site definition contains information of web parts, lists, libraries, features, and navigation bars to be included in the site

15. What is Site template?

A site template provides the basic component and layout of a new site created under SharePoint. A site template contains specific design information about a site, including the list that is part of the site, web part pages used in the site, the site’s themes and borders, changes to the quick launch bar, as well as some site content (such as document libraries). Site templates are used to allow the rapid creation of websites and basic content in a SharePoint system.

 

16. What is ONET.xml?

ONET.xml file is present in TEMPLATE\SiteTemplates\XML\Onet.xml location, which defines the setup of the site definition, such as which Features to load, where the web parts go and what they will perform and which document library templates to assign and many more.

 

17. What is Single sign-on?

Single Sign-on allows users to log on to a variety of applications with the single username and password and user has to enter the details only once for all the applications.

 

 

Source: Vishal Gupta SharePoint Interview Questions

SharePoint Foundation 2013 Preview and Windows 8

 

I recently installed Windows8.1 and was planning to install SharePoint 2013 just like I had installed SharePoint 2010 on Windows 7 but it was heart-threatening to know that SharePoint 2013 can only be installed on Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate.

Other hardware and Software requirements to install SharePoint 2013 can be obtained by clicking here.

Also you can Virtualizes Windows 8 environment and can install SharePoint 2013. Click here to see the steps to enable Hyper-V support in Windows8.

HTTP/1.1 200 OK Server: Microsoft-IIS/7.5 Error

 

This is an error that I was facing while I try open a SharePoint URL on a browser. I know its really stupid to post such a stuff but I believe that most of the users do face this error when they try to open the site just after creating a new Web Application. The reason behind getting this error is that the SharePoint Central Admin does have the Web Application but has no Site Collection to publish; which results in an error given below:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK Server: Microsoft-IIS/7.5 Date: <DATE> GMT Connection: close 

To get rid of this error you just have to create a Site Collection and you are done. ;)

The Module SharePoint Project Item type

 

The SharePoint Developer Tools provide a SharePoint Project Item Type named Module, which
provides a layer of productivity on top of the CAML-based Module element. You can add a
new Module SharePoint Project Item Type to a SharePoint project using the Add New Item
dialog of Visual Studio 2010.

In addition to provisioning objects within the top-level site, activation of the
MainSite feature creates a simple navigation scheme by adding four links to the top link bar.
This is accomplished in the FeatureActivated method by using the server-side object model
to add four new SPNavigationNode objects to the TopNavigationBar property of the current
SPWeb object’s Navigation property.

public override void FeatureActivated(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties)
        {
            SPSite oSPSite = new SPSite("http://amit-pc");
            //Open Sharepoint Site
            SPWeb oSPWeb = oSPSite.OpenWeb();
            oSPWeb.AllowUnsafeUpdates = true;

            // create menu for custom site pages
            SPNavigationNodeCollection topNav = oSPWeb.Navigation.TopNavigationBar;
            topNav.AddAsLast(new SPNavigationNode("Page 1", "Module1/Sample.txt"));
            topNav.AddAsLast(new SPNavigationNode("Page 2", "Module1/Sample.txt"));
            topNav.AddAsLast(new SPNavigationNode("Page 3", "Module1/Sample.txt"));
            topNav.AddAsLast(new SPNavigationNode("Page 4", "Module1/Sample.txt"));
        }

using the above given code we can get the navigation in the site as shown in the below given figure:

SharePoint Master Pages

I believe that you all might be aware of the concept of Master Pages in .NET and SharePoint 2007. The obvious benefit of Master pages is that all the pages in a SharePoint site can link to a single Master Page to achieve a consistent look and feel.

Enhancements were made in SharePoint 2010 so that single master page can be used with both Site Pages and Application Pages.

Whenever SharePoint foundation provisions a new site, it creates a special hidden document library known as Master Page Gallery; and creates three new Master Page instances:

• v4.Master
• minimal.master
• default.master

v4.Master: This is the primary master page used in SharePoint 2010 sites. Ex: Team Site Master page. It includes element such as Site Actions menu, the breadcrumb trail, the Ribbon, the welcome menu, the site icon, the topNav bar and the quick launch.

minimal.master: minimal.master is a page layout without any of the chrome that is included in v4.master.

default.master: default.master is a master page designed to support a feature known as visual upgrade, which assists in upgrading SharePoint 2007 sites to run within SharePoint 2010 farms.

Differentiating between Site Pages and Application Pages

 

Whenever you need to design SharePoint Solutions you will find the requirement for creating pages to a site. Therefore you must be knowing the fundamental difference between Site Pages and Application Pages so that you can decide which one to use and when. Therefore in this post I am trying to summarize the difference between the two.

Advantages Site Pages
Site Pages support customization through the browser and with SharePoint designer 2010. Example of Site Pages is NewForm.aspx, AllItems.aspx, EditForm.aspx.

Disadvantages Site Pages
Site Pages require elaborate processing infrastructure that has implications on security, performance and scalability. Also the Site Pages run in Safe Mode and hence its not possible to write inline code. Each customized page instance must be loaded separately into memory.

Advantages Application Pages
Application pages do not support customization, this gives them a few distinctive advantage over Site Pages:

• First, they can be used in scenarios where we don’t want to give the control to user to edit the page.
• Second, they do not run in safe mode and hence inline coding is possible
• Third, each Application page is compiled into a single assembly DLL, this makes it perform better and scalable then site pages that can be customized.

Disadvantages Application Pages
Application pages are deployed inside the SharePoint root directory, which means that they cannot be used in Sandbox Solution.

Convert Text to HTML in SharePoint

Recently I was working on task in which I need to display some HTML content by using a Calculated Column. Then I found a script/ JavaScript which actually converts the text written in calculated column into HTML. So in this blog I'll be stating that JavaScript using which you can use to achieve the desired results.

<script type="text/javascript">
function TextToHTML(NodeSet, HTMLregexp) {
var CellContent = "";
var i=0;
while (i < NodeSet.length){
try {
CellContent = NodeSet[i].innerText || NodeSet[i].textContent;
if (HTMLregexp.test(CellContent)) {NodeSet[i].innerHTML = CellContent;}
}
catch(err){}
i=i+1;
}
}

// Calendar views
var regexpA = new RegExp("\\s*<([a-zA-Z]*)(.|\\s)*/\\1?>\\s*");
TextToHTML(document.getElementsByTagName("a"),regexpA);

// List views
var regexpTD = new RegExp("^\\s*<([a-zA-Z]*)(.|\\s)*/\\1?>\\s*$");
TextToHTML(document.getElementsByTagName("TD"),regexpTD);

// This function is call continuesly every 100ms until the length of the main field changes
// after which the convert text to HTML is executed.
//
var postElemLength = 0;
function PostConvertToHtml()
{
     if (postElemLength == document.getElementsByTagName("TD").length)
     {
          setTimeout(PostConvertToHtml,100);
     }
     else
     {
          var regexpTD = new RegExp("^\\s*<([a-zA-Z]*)(.|\\s)*/\\1?>\\s*$");
          TextToHTML(document.getElementsByTagName("TD"),regexpTD);
     }
}

// Grouped list views
ExpGroupRenderData = (function (old) {
    return function (htmlToRender, groupName, isLoaded) {

    var result = old(htmlToRender, groupName, isLoaded);
    var regexpTD = new RegExp("^\\s*<([a-zA-Z]*)(.|\\s)*/\\1?>\\s*$");
    TextToHTML(document.getElementsByTagName("TD"),regexpTD);

    // start the periodic callback to check when the element has been changed
    if(isLoaded == 'false')
        {
        postElemLength = document.getElementsByTagName("TD").length;
        setTimeout(PostConvertToHtml,100);
        }
    };
})(ExpGroupRenderData);

// Preview pane views
if (typeof(showpreview1)=="function") {
showpreview1 = (function (old) {
    return function (o) {
    var result = old(o);
    var regexpTD = new RegExp("^\\s*<([a-zA-Z]*)(.|\\s)*/\\1?>\\s*$");
    TextToHTML(document.getElementsByTagName("TD"),regexpTD);
    };
})(showpreview1);
}
</script>

Add Custom menu Item in ECB Menu using Javascript

Why to go for Visual Studio and customizing solutions when most of the tasks can be performed using the content editor web part, jQuery and JavaScript. I have been looking for a solution to add a custom menu item in ECB, but all the solutions I got were directed towards designing the solution using Visual Studio. But here is a very simple solution in which you can add this below given code in a  CEWP (Content Editor Web Part).

<script language="javascript">
function Custom_AddListMenuItems(m, ctx)
{
var strDisplayText = "Add Update";
var strAction = "STSNavigate('"+ctx.listUrlDir+"/EditForm.aspx?ID=" + currentItemID  + "')";
var strImagePath = ctx.imagesPath+"edititem.gif";
// Add our new menu item
CAMOpt(m, strDisplayText, strAction, strImagePath);
// add a separator to the menu
CAMSep(m);
// false means that the standard menu items should also be rendered
return false;
}
</script>

Try it !!!! ;)

Hide Ribbon Controls

Hi Guys,

Yesterday I was working on an application in MS SharePoint 2010 and there I come up with a task where I had to hide "New Item" and "Edit Item" Controls from the SharePoint Ribbon Menu. To do so we need to embed the below given code in the 'Content Editor Web Part'.

Given are the following steps that may help us in hiding the Add Item and Edit Item controls.

Edit SharePoint Page on which you need to hide the controls for that goto Site Actions >> Edit Page. This will open the page in the Edit mode where you need to add a web part by Clicking 'Add a Web Part'. Then from the categories select 'Media and Content' and from the sub-categories of Web Parts select 'Content Editor'

Media and Content >> Content Editor Web Part

After adding the Content Editor Web Part you need to edit the HTML Source as being shown in the below given screen print.

Edit HTML Source of Content Editor Web Part

This will open a new window in which you need to paste the below given JavaScript.

<style type="text/css">
#Ribbon\.ListItem\.New\.NewListItem-Large
{
display:none;
}
</style>

<style type="text/css">
#Ribbon\.ListItem\.Manage\.EditProperties-Large
{
display:none;
}
</style>

I believe the above given post can help you too to Hide the Add Item and Edit Item Menu from the Ribbon Control. I am sure that this may work for you but if still you face any issue then you can drop me an email with the issue you are getting at mail@amitmathur[dot]in.

Understanding Sandbox Solutions

Whenever a solution is to be deployed in a partially trusted environment it’s being deployed as a sandbox solution. This helps in providing a stable SharePoint farm by restricting actions that can cause problems with performance, security and other areas. This stability is achieved by restricting the custom solutions on the basis of Custom Access Security (CAS) policy and by restricting the access some portions of the object model.

Therefore it’s always being recommended to the developers to deploy and test the solution in a Sandbox Environment before deploying the same in the farm solution.

Enabling the use of Sandbox solution requires enabling the User Code Service in windows environment. This service can be enabled by logging on to the Central Administration >> System Settings >> Manage Services on Server.

Whenever the Sandbox Solution property is set to true, selecting Build/ Deploy Solution deploys the solution to the Site Collection Solution Gallery.

There is a terminology difference between Sandbox and Farm Solution and i.e. Farm Solutions are installed and deployed while Sandbox Solution are uploaded and activated. Activation of any Sandbox Solution automatically activates any feature scoped to the level of Site Collection.

Sandbox Solution can be deployed by the Site Collection Administrator and hence doesn’t require Farm Administrator like in the case of Farm Deployment.

Another feature that Sandbox Solution provides is that the solution can be upgraded whenever we upload a new version the system detects on the basis of id that a previous solution is uploaded with some upgrades and hence uninstall the previous version and installs the updated version on the same solution.

 

Architecture

Although the User Code Service is responsible for managing the Solution Solutions; The Execution Manager, The Worker Service, and the Worker Service Proxy is also responsible for managing the solutions as being shown in the below given diagram:

Sandbox Solution Architecture

Execution Manager handles the load and execution of the Sandbox Solution Code. Execution Manager works in the IIS Application pool and is responsible for calling User Code Service (SPUCHostService.exe) requesting that a sandbox solution is loaded.

The user code service makes a request to the worker process (SPUCWorkerProcess.exe) to load the sandbox solution

Although the worker service utilizes the same framework as other services in the SharePoint farm it cannot make a direct connection to the Worker Service Proxy. Instead you simply configure the User Code Service for a Server.

Once the assembly of a Sandbox Solution is loaded into the Worker Service, its code can be executed. A pool of application domains is maintained within SPUCWorkerProcess.exe, and an available AppDomain is used to execute the request. Only one request at a time is executed in any AppDomain, so there won’t be conflicts between the solutions.

Sandbox System components are found in the 14 hive which is SharePoint System Directory:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\UserCode.

Here you can find SPUCHostService.exe, SPUCWorkerProcess.exe, and SPUCWorkerProcessProxy.exe. Along with the executables, you’ll also find a web.config file that references the CAS policy restrictions in the file C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\CONFIG\wss_usercode.config. Finally, this folderalso contains a subfolder named \Assemblies. The Assemblies folder contains the assemblies Microsoft.SharePoint.dll, Microsoft.SharePoint.SubsetProxy.dll, and Microsoft.SharePoint. UserCode.dll, which support the object model subset and creation of full-trust proxies.

Hello my Dear World!!!!

 

Hi Guys! This is my first Blog post and in this I wish to let you know that this post is being created for a basic introduction of mine and to let you know that I am here generally to help myself and to update my technical skills.  This is the best way to create a SharePoint Repository where I can assemble my tasks/ solutions in which I might had faced problem.  Another purpose of introducing this blog publically is to help the user across the globe to do their best in SharePoint. I am here with a purpose to resolve all the issues/ queries where you might had been stuck and is looking out for a solutions and I believe you can find in here. If unfortunately you are not able to get anything then you can drop me an email on ‘amitmathur.31@outlook.com’ so that I can help/ assist you in getting the solution of the same.

Anyway I believe this is what I want to achieve and hope you all will going to help me in making this blog a success.

Love you all!
Happy reading!

- Amit Mathur