Why SPServices?

The Client Object Model only works in SharePoint 2010 and does not work for anonymous users. SPServices works the same in both SharePoint 2007 and 2010 and works just fine with anonymous users as long as anonymous users have access to the pages and the scripts. As far as just calling the Web Services directly? Well, that’s basically what SPServices does except it takes care of the heavy lifting for you and wraps the Web Service methods in easy to use functions. So, if you prefer to manually write SOAP envelopes and all that fun stuff, have at it.

USING MERGE-SPLOGFILE TO FIND CORRELATION ID

When you are hit with a problem in SharePoint 2013 you get notified to use a correlation id to check for further details in the trace logs (ULS logs).

So you hopefully start up ULS Viewer and open up the relevant logs and search like a mad man after this specified correlation id. Sometimes you don’t find the provided correlation id in the log file you opened. Is there a easier way?

Yes and that is to use the SharePoint PowerShell command Merge-SPLogFile. According to the description of Merge-SPLogFile on Microsoft TechNet:

“Combines trace log entries from all farm computers into a single log file on the local computer.”

Let me explain how you can use this powerful command.

Basic Usage

Lets visualise a simple farm.

As the example Farm image above we have two frontend servers, application server and database server. If I wanted to consolidated the last hour of SharePoint log entries from the front-end server and application server I would open up SharePoint Management Shell on one of the servers and type the following command:

Merge-SPLogFile –Path “E:\SPLogs\MergedLogs.log” –Overwrite

Now that was a very basic example to merge the various servers log files. More parameters are available on theMicrosoft TechNet article for Merge-SPLogFile. For example Area, Category, Level, Message, StartTime, EndTime and more.

Finding Correlation ID

What the following example show is how to find the log entries for a specific correlation id:

Merge-SPLogFile –Path “S:\SPLogs\MergedLogs.log” –Correlation 3ae2a6c0-da14-43a1-afda-5bb6bbff3d43 -Overwrite

Since the log files are merged with just the specified correlation id you can load the log file in ULS Viewer to easily view the entries. Please be aware that the log can be empty if the logging level is set to low for the SharePoint category. Just go to SharePoint Central Administration to increase the logging level.

As you can see in the image above the correlation id has 19 matching entries in the log file. Much less log entries to scroll through.

Summary

I hope this helps you on finding SharePoint errors quicker and easier. Let me know what your favourite commands and tools are for debugging SharePoint.

Accessing the SSL Certificate with thumbprint rather than SignInCertificate Name

Use the below code to access the ssl certificate from its certificate store in Custom STS

public static X509Certificate2 GetCertificateByThumbprint(string thumbprint)

        {

            var store = new X509Store(StoreName.My, StoreLocation.LocalMachine);

            X509Certificate2Collection certificates = null;

            store.Open(OpenFlags.ReadOnly);

            try

            {

                certificates = store.Certificates;

                var certs = certificates.Find(X509FindType.FindByThumbprint, thumbprint, false).OfType<X509Certificate2>().ToList();

                if (certs.Count == 0)

                    throw new ApplicationException(string.Format(Constants.ExceptionMessages.msgNocertificate, thumbprint));

                else if (certs.Count > 1)

                    throw new ApplicationException(string.Format(Constants.ExceptionMessages.msgMultipleCertificates, thumbprint));

                return new X509Certificate2(certs[0]);

            }

            finally

            {

                if (certificates != null)

                {

                    for (var i = 0; i < certificates.Count; i++)

                    {

                        var cert = certificates[i];

                        cert.Reset();

                    }

                }

                store.Close();

            }

        }

Note:- never copy and paste the thumbprint directly. Type the value in the web.config. While typing remove the white spaces.

Gigya Authentication process

Gigya is a third part service provider which can let you manage the authentication providers like google, facebook, yahoo, etc..

To have it in your sharepoint follow below approach to authenticate the user using gigya.

Configuration need to be done in below steps

1. Create apps in provider sites.(Refer Gigya site)
2.  Crete an app in Gigya site and use the app key, secret key of the provider site to configure Gigya App. (Refer Gigya site)
3. Configure Social Network Application Keys in Gigya app. (Refer Gigya site)
4. Create STS to authenticate to SharePoint site by getting the user information from Gigya app.
5. Export the SSL certificate with/without private key
6. Registering the SSL certificate using PowerShell commands.

At times you may get a requirement to create a page which can accessible by anonymous users also. for example to provision the user to change their password or to log-in to the site. In that case you may have to go for creating a page where user can perform this kind of actions. To create such page you cannot use the default LayoutsPageBase base class for your page because it would trigger SharePoint to prompt anonymous users to log on.

Instead, you need to use another base class for your anonymous application page calledUnsecuredLayoutsPageBase. You can find its MSDN reference at: 

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.sharepoint.webcontrols.unsecuredlayoutspagebase.aspx

Your page class would look like this:

public partial class ApplicationPage1 : UnsecuredLayoutsPageBase

{

    protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)

    {

    }

}

Remote Interfaces permissions - item not deleting

Sharepoint provides two ways a user can delete an item from any list:

1. From “Delete Item” menu option available in ribbon
2. From “Delete Item” menu option available in the item’s context menu

Now you may think that both these options are just alias of one another, i.e. do the same thing the same way which is to delete the item, and must be implemented the same way.

But that is not the case. Both are implemented differently, i.e. both these options use different route of accessing the delete functionality on server. The context menu option uses remoting where as the ribbon option doesnot. So due to this, though you may have given “Delete Items” permission on the list, you need to provide one more permission, “Use Remote Interfaces”, to allow successful deletion from delete item option available from an item’s context menu. Not providing this second permission would lead to a condition where in the user would be able to delete items from “Delete Items” link available in Ribbon, but trying to delete an item from that item’s context menu would lead to an “Access Denied” error message.

Thus, when ever you find yourself into the situation where in the delete from ribbon is working but the same from context menu is giving error, go to the permission level that apply to the list or that item, provide “Use Remote Interfaces” permissions, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

Enable Sharepoint js intellisense

I know most of you people find it difficult to add intellisense to visual studio 2012. 
Follow the below steps to get it working . 

It works like a charm in JavaScript file for SharePoint hosted app:

 

It works for all my apps. I don't have to reference SharePoint JavaScript API for each new app.

How it works

1. copy the path "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\15\TEMPLATE\LAYOUTS\SP.debug.js"

2. Open Visual Studio and clicked on TOOLS->Options

3. Click on Text Editor -> JavaScript ->IntelliSense -> References

4. Add the sp.debug and clicked on "OK".