This book gives you a comprehensive look at the various features you will use. It is structured in a logical approach to all aspects of using and managing SharePoint Foundation 2010, starting with an introduction of the features that are included. The early chapters concentrate on what you can achieve by using the browser; later chapters detail features from the perspective of the power-end user, administrator, and developer.
Chapter 1, introduce SharePoint Foundation 2010 as the entry-level component of the SharePoint family of technologies; this is the software that will get organizations started using SharePoint. The chapter examines the capabilities, features, and functions of SharePoint Foundation 2010.
Chapter 2, breaks down the administration of SharePoint into two categories: Business User Administration and Information Technology Professional Administration. The chapter provides you with the tools to set up your SharePoint sites that are serviced on the back-end, either by your organization’s IT group or an external hosting company, or both.
Chapter 3, explains how organizations can take advantage of the powerful, built-in features of Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010. The items discussed in this chapter are those that end-users will utilize on a daily basis. These items will increase collaboration with other SharePoint users and also increase productivity on day-to-day tasks and activities.
Chapter 4, helps you to set up a site or workspace. There are several methods with which a user can accomplish this, but the most straightforward and intuitive method is via the browser. The browser is a tool with which all computer users are acquainted. With the familiarity of the browser and intentional ease-of-use design, the user can begin creating sites in no time at all.
Chapter 5, shows you how to use a browser to create, modify, and display lists and libraries. Lists and libraries can be used as repositories for almost anything you want to store within the SharePoint environment. With the help of new form dialogs and the introduction of the ribbon, the experience of reading, editing, and creating content has been greatly enhanced in SharePoint Foundation 2010. Lists and libraries are a powerful solution for organizations that currently create content in many different types of applications, which is subsequently saved in many, varied locations.
Chapter 6, introduces you to the Team Site wiki page library, named Site Pages, where the web pages are stored and where new pages are stored when created. These pages have been enhanced and are easy to change. Web Part pages are still used in SharePoint Foundation and are the default page type on sites such as Group Work Sites, Meeting Workspaces, and Blog Sites. Web Part pages can also be used on Team Sites, but on such sites, they are usually used for list views, list item edit forms and list item display forms.
Chapter 7, shows you how to add a Web Part to a SharePoint site. A Web Part is a key component of any SharePoint installation and is present in all versions, from SharePoint Foundation to SharePoint Server (Standard or Enterprise). Its core function is to represent customizable content on a webpage. It is only intended to receive input and display content.
Chapter 8, provides tools and strategies for designing a great site. Using the strategies, you discover ways to present information that is up to date and relevant in your sites.
Chapter 9, shows you how to use the Data Source gallery and the Business Connectivity Services (BCS). It also presents the differences between the two methods. You examine the architecture of the BCS including the security options. You also look at managing the data connections and how to expose the data from the external systems on webpages and in lists and libraries. The chapter ends showing you how to use Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 with BCS.
Chapter 10, details how to use the out-of-the-box workflows in the browser. It explores how to extend them by using SharePoint Designer 2010, and how Visual Studio can help your organization to integrate SharePoint Foundation 2010 into its business processes.
Chapter 11, examines the differences in Office 2010 versions as they relate to SharePoint Foundation 2010. The SharePoint 2010 platform has many strengths; one of the greatest is its integration with the Microsoft Office desktop client. Office applications installed on the client desktop interface directly with not only SharePoint sites and workspaces, but also the entities within these sites, such as document libraries, content, and workflows. The chapter also makes reference to other, non-Windows Office versions that provide a measure of interaction with the SharePoint 2010 platform.
Chapter 12, shows you several ways to take content offline in SharePoint 2010. The need for this is simple: some people only have to take a document or two offline, whereas others must interact with an entire list, folder, or library.
Chapter 13, explains how you can be both site owner and Site Collection administrator. You learn about site settings within a Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 site/Site Collection.
Chapter 14, details a number of techniques that are useful when working with Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2010 and SharePoint Foundation 2010 sites. You can now develop solutions in non-production environments and transfer them to the production environment. The focus of SharePoint Designer is not on adding static images and text to webpages, but instead on using it as an alternative tool for site administration. Site owners who administer and manage sites are able to go beyond what the browser provides.
Chapter 15, shows you that building a SharePoint 2010 solution is more than a collection of lists, libraries, pages, and workflows. Each of these components should be combined to provide users with a holistic solution, where the components work together, not as discrete entities. SharePoint 2010 provides components that you can use to improve the users experience. In your solutions, you can extend many of these improvements, specifically by displaying links, relevant text, and commands.
Chapter 16, introduces you to the development of SharePoint artifacts and solution-development programming. The chapter assumes you already have some experience with .NET programming and with web-based programming, in general. Developing solutions for SharePoint helps you to become a valuable asset to your organization.