Category Archives: Chatter for SharePoint

Chatter for SharePoint 3.0 – Development Update

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Hi Everyone! The wait is nearly over. The next major release of Chatter for SharePoint is only a few weeks away! This is by far the most significant update yet – adding many new features and performance improvements. As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest challenges was updating all of the feed logic to support the newer Chatter API format. All of those changes are now complete and this will lead to even more functionality in the future.

Here are just some of the improvements and changes:

  • Adds support for Chatter REST API versions 32 and higher
  • Adds new Rich Text Editor; disabled by default in version 3.0
  • Adds support for displaying and composing rich-text feed posts and comments
  • Adds support for displaying additional record types: Events, Tasks, Calls
  • Adds support for uploading and displaying multiple files in posts
  • Adds support for uploading an attachment when posting comments
  • Adds user influence details to user-action menus
  • Adds support for using Chrome/Firefox and the user-agent ClickOnce authorizer
  • Adds support for Muted feed and the ability to mute or unmute feed items
  • Adds sort order control to information panel
  • Adds indicators for edited posts and comments
  • Adds feed view counts
  • Up to a 50% performance improvement when loading the web part and performing feed actions
  • Improvements to branding and UI components
  • Following Feed renamed to ‘What I Follow’ to align with Chatter Web UI
  • Updates to feed layout to better align with Chatter Web UI
  • Support for latest versions of Internet Explorer, Edge, Chrome and Firefox browsers
  • Additional improvements to caching and asynchronous page loading
  • Significant application refactoring
  • Fixed missing UI translated resources
  • Improvements to EasySetup and related utilities

And some screenshots – because everyone loves screenshots:

The Feed Web Part

Support for rendering rich-text posts

Support for uploading and displaying multiple attachments

Share/Find options in context-menus in addition to the ribbon

I am targeting to release the on-prem version on or before March 15th. Solution is going through testing and documentation changes now. Subscribers of my SharePoint Online solution will start to see 3.0 in their TEST instance by the end of March.

The on-prem 3.0 release supports SharePoint 2013, 2016 and 2019*. Existing customers under maintenance can upgrade to 3.0 at no charge – but you will need a new license key. Pricing remains the same as the 2.x version for new customers or those not under maintenance. Contact me with any questions or concerns. As always – thank you to my customers who continue to invest in this solution; I truly appreciate it.

*Support for SharePoint 2019 limited to Classic Experience sites only.

Just Released: Chatter for SharePoint 2.5

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Hi Everyone! I am pleased to announce the release of Chatter for SharePoint 2.5! This release focused on improvements to the configuration storage. Gone are editing web.config files! The solution configuration information is now stored in a hidden list within your SharePoint farm. This change will greatly simplify the configuration process – especially with large farms.

For existing users – be sure to read the Upgrade Addendum included in the ZIP file. There are prerequisite steps to migrate your existing configuration into the new list storage system.

In addition – version 2.5 includes a new language pack – German! Thanks to one of my new clients for translating the resource file.

The User Guide has been updated with all of the new configuration information and changes – be sure to check it out.

Thank you for using Chatter for SharePoint!

On Deck: Chatter for SharePoint 2.1

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Hi Everyone. Just a quick update to share with you on the next release of Chatter for SharePoint. Version 2.1 is going through testing at the moment and will be released before the end of May. The full change list is below but I wanted to highlight a few significant changes:

Acceptable Use Policy

Several customers have inquired about requiring users to accept terms-of-use prior to participating on social platforms. Version 2.1 allows you to enable a feature to require users to read and accept terms of use (via a file you supply) prior to completing the authorization process. Proof of acceptance is logged on the server in the authorization log file. See the updated documentation for details on configuring and enabling this feature.

EasySetup Improvements

Another highly requested feature was the ability for the EasySetup and PrepareSharePoint utilities to update the web configuration on remote servers. This can now be accomplished – provided each server has the IIS Remote Administration feature enabled. Run ‘ASPNET_REGIIS -CONFIG+’ on each server in the farm prior to running EasySetup/PrepareSharePoint and it will be able to update all of the web.config files for you.

Other updates/improvements

  • Adds support for Acceptable Use Policy acknowledgement during authorization
  • Adds support for opening object types: Accounts, Contacts, Leads and Opportunities
  • Adds support for jpeg/png/bmp image previews
  • Improvements to API-enabled user account error handling
  • Updates to EasySetup and PrepareSharePoint now allow remote editing of web.config files on multi-server farms
  • Fixes an issue in Read Only Mode where the ‘Like’ names were clickable

Look for version 2.1 to be released shortly on the site. Thanks again to my customers who suggested some of these improvements and I hope you continue to find this solution useful.

Just Released: Chatter for SharePoint 2.0

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Chatter for SharePoint 2.0

The wait is over. It’s been a year since I announced the project to create the next major release of Chatter for SharePoint. In that year I released 7 new or updated solutions, saw a 295% increase in traffic to my blog and made many new connections. Chatter for SharePoint now has a per-user installation base approaching 500,000 seats. I am in awe and thankful to each of my customers for choosing to invest in my solution.

My goal has been and continues to be to build the best SharePoint stuff on Earth. I absolutely believe that Chatter for SharePoint is the best solution for integrating SharePoint and SalesForce Chatter. Here are a few key reasons:

  • The fastest installation – up and running in less than 5 minutes using my exclusive EasySetup Installer. Watch the video and see for yourself how easy this solution is to install.
  • A robust set of features1 including the Feed and Search Web Parts; integration with SharePoint pages, lists and libraries; File Uploads; Sync profile information; and more!
  • New support for @mentions, topics and trending; new Files feed; support for Cases; improved Read-Only views and support for RSS rendering of feed data.
  • A clean and customizable UI that you can tweak to fit your company branding
  • The only solution to support Chatter Free and Chatter Plus users; and for all current versions of SharePoint, including 20072, 2010 and 2013.

I encourage you to download the 15 day evaluation and experience it for yourself. Let me know what you like and what you think could be better. Many of the features in the 2.0 release are based on customer feedback and suggestions.

When you are ready to purchase I have two license options for you – Standard and Enterprise. The Standard License includes the Feed web part functionality on a single farm with unlimited users for $299. The Enterprise License includes all of the solution functionality starting at $599 + per-user licenses. Contact me to request more information and a quote.

Visit the Chatter for SharePoint page to get started. Thank you!

1 Some features require the Enterprise license.
2 Chatter for SharePoint 2007 supported up to version 1.8.1.7

Chatter for SharePoint 2.0 – Added Features

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Hi Everyone. We’re still on track for the big release next week – plus – a few new features have snuck into the 2.0 build: The Files Feed and support for Cases.

Files

The Files feed is a quick way to filter for only those feed items that contain documents. You can open the Files feed from the Feed Actions menu:


Above: The Files Feed and Action Menu

Cases

The feed web part now identifies case feed items and will render them with a Case icon for easy identification. Case feeds work like any other feed. You can use the Action menu to open the case feed and create new post and comments – or – you can open the case and jump over into SalesForce.


Above: A case feed item and the Action Menu options.

Look for Chatter for SharePoint 2.0 to be released next week!

Chatter for SharePoint 2.0 FAQs

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Hi Everyone. As we approach the launch of Chatter for SharePoint 2.0 I wanted to provide answers to common questions I am receiving:

Q: What’s new in version 2?
A: A Lot! See my earlier posts for details and screenshots. Some of the more noteworthy improvements include: a completely new (and customizable) UI, faster performance, improved caching, a new middle-tier library and support for: @mentions, following and trending – among many other improvements.

Q: Can I do an in-place upgrade from version 1.x to version 2.0?
A: YES! The upgrade process is very simple. You can use the InstallWebPart utility to automatically retract/remove the old version and add/deploy the new one. Alternatively, you can use STSADM or PowerShell commands to do the retract/remove and the add/deploy. All existing instances of the web part will automatically be upgraded to the new version.

Q: When upgrading do I need to rerun EasySetup or PrepareSharePoint.exe?
A: No. If you already have a working 1.x solution deployed the new version will inherit all of the existing configuration settings.

Q: I have the BETA version of 2.0 installed. Can I upgrade to the final version?
A: YES! Just retract/remove the beta and add/deploy the final version using STSADM or PowerShell. See the documentation for the command syntax if you are unsure.

Q: I have the 1.x solution installed and would like to try the 2.x version – but retain the option of downgrading to the 1.x solution. How can I do that?
A: By default, the 2.x solution changes how the user tokens are stored. This new format is incompatible with the 1.x solution. To retain backwards-compatibility, add the AppSetting ‘Chatter_Compatibility_Mode’ to all your web.config files and set the value to ‘true’. This will allow you to go back to the 1.x solution if you so desire. Note: running in this mode will reduce the security of the user-tokens.

Q: What version of SharePoint does this support?
A: Chatter for SharePoint 2.0 is compatible with on-prem installations of the Foundation, Standard or Enterprise editions of SharePoint 2010 or 2013. This software is NOT compatible with O365/SharePoint Online due to platform restrictions. There is also no 2.0 version for SharePoint 2007.

Q: What are the SalesForce requirements?
A: Your users must have Chatter Free or Chatter Plus licenses on your instance of SalesForce.

Q: Is there an Evaluation Version?
A: YES! The solution will run in Enterprise Evaluation mode for 15 days from the date you first installed the product. You can test all of the Enterprise features with the following restrictions: An evaluation banner message will appear in the web part and the feed results are restricted to only three items.

Q: How much does the solution cost?
A: Version 2.0 has two flavors – Standard and Enterprise. The Standard License is a one-time charge of $299 per farm (unlimited users) and allows you to use the Feed Web Part only. This license DOES NOT include: Ribbon Integration, Sharing of pages/documents/items from SharePoint, Share from Anywhere, File Upload, Search Integration and Sync. The Enterprise license includes all of the solution functionality (similar to the old 1.x license) for a one-time charge of $599 per farm PLUS per-user licenses. User licenses start at $1.50 per user for less than 1000 users. Customers interested in the Enterprise license should contact me for a quote.

Q: I am interested in the Enterprise license. How do I know how many user licenses I need?
A: I have created a License Calculator tool which is included in the ZIP file. Run the tool from one of your SharePoint Servers (see the documentation for details). It will determine the user count based on the larger of the user count in the User Profile Service (if provisioned) or the largest site collection. It will then add 10% and round the number up to the nearest tenth to give you a suggested license size. You may choose to increase that number if you know your user base will grow quickly. Otherwise you can purchase additional licenses in groups of 100.

Q: We already have purchased the 1.x solution. How do we get version 2.0?
A: 1.x customers under maintenance as of November 1, 2014 will be receiving the 2.x solution at no cost and will be grandfathered into the Enterprise licensing model for the number of users recommended by the License Calculator tool. 1.x customers not under maintenance must repurchase the solution under the new licensing terms.

Q: Do you offer support or maintenance?
A: YES! Yearly Support and Maintenance contracts are available. The cost varies depending on the license type. For Standard licenses it is $1000/year per license. For the Enterprise license it is the greater of $1000 or 20% of the total license cost (farm+user licenses).

I hope these are helpful. If you have a question not addressed above please feel free to contact me. Look for the Chatter for SharePoint 2.0 launch during the week of November 3rd!

On Deck: Chatter for SharePoint 2.0

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Hi Everyone! As you can guess from the title we are getting close to the release of the next major version of Chatter for SharePoint. This project began almost a year ago and is finally coming to fruition. I’d like to thank my BETA testers for their feedback. Since the BETA was released last month there have been major changes to the codebase, including general bug squashing and significant performance improvements. The majority of the work has been around performance and I am happy to report that version 2 is far faster in rendering feeds and performing feed actions than the 1.x codebase. In many areas – it’s as much as a 100% performance increase. This is due to an entirely new caching design. While the 1.x solution cached entire feed pages – the 2.x code caches individual feed items and dynamically builds feed pages on the fly. This new caching was not implemented in the BETA – but you will be able to see it very soon.

Which leads me into the next topic – the general availability of version 2.x. Plans are to release the final version the week of November 3rd! I’m in the final debugging stages – soon to be updating the installer and documentation.

Next – a final reminder about the licensing change. Only Version 1.x customers who are under maintenance as of November 1, 2014 will be grandfathered into the new Enterprise licensing model at no cost. New and existing customers not under maintenance will need to purchase the 2.x solution and license it under the new terms.

Finally – some screenshots (just because everyone loves screenshots)

Screenshot of the Read Only Feed View

The Feed – with the new Trending Panel open.

A feed item with Topics.

Comments on a feed item with attachments.

New dropdown action menus.

The new Edit Mode info panel – licensing details will be visible here.

The Web Part Properties panel is now just one section for easy management of settings.

Thanks again to all my customers who have invested in the Chatter for SharePoint solution. This version represents a year (on and off) of development – with features and improvements suggested by you. I hope you continue to find it useful. I’ll be updating the site the week of November 3rd with the release announcement. Existing customers will be notified via email with download links and instructions for requesting new license keys.

Chatter for SharePoint 2.0 BETA

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Hi Everyone – apologies for being a few days late with the Beta – wanted to fix some last minute things before I let this code into the wild. We’re still on track for a mid-October November release.

Couple of things:

First – you can find the 2010/2013 Beta download links on the Chatter for SharePoint page. Just a reminder – there is no SharePoint 2007 port of version 2. The 1.8.x codebase will be the last for 2007. All good things must come to an end.

Next – You are going to be testing BETA software. It is not perfect. It is not finished. It has bugs. It will do weird things. It may smell bad. Don’t even think of installing this on your Production systems. Please see the Release Notes for full details and installation/upgrade instructions.

You don’t need to be an existing customer or have the 1.x code installed to test this software. The Beta can be installed on a clean farm or it can upgrade existing 1.x installations of Chatter for SharePoint.

In the download you will find a License Calculator tool. If you are going to be upgrading to 2.x and want more than just the feed web part you will need the Enterprise license – which is farm + per-user licensing. This tool will help you determine your user-count and suggest a license size. You will need this information when purchasing 2.x licenses. The tool must be run from one of the servers in your farm and with a farm admin ID.

If you are going to download and test this I only ask that you provide feedback to support@sharepointsnapple.com. I need to know what’s working, what’s not, what could be better, etc.

So please – take version 2.0 for a spin and let me know how I can make this product even better.

Thanks!

Chatter for SharePoint 2.0 UPDATE

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Hi Everyone! It’s been awhile since I posted about the next release of Chatter for SharePoint so I wanted to bring you up to date on the development progress. I’m going to share some screenshots of the solution, talk about the updated and new features in this version, the beta and release schedule and finally licensing and pricing.

Disclaimer – the screenshots are from the upcoming beta release. The CSS is not quite finished yet so there will still be some fit-and-finish improvements.

Above: The Chatter Feed Web Part

 

The UI is all new in Version 2 of the solution – a simple and clean design which focuses on content. As promised, all of the key elements have CSS tags and the branding can be tailored to fit your needs. Speaking of content – the screenshot above illustrates one of the many new features: Metadata scraping of links embedded in posts. Image and description tags are parsed from compatible pages and the rich content is rendered in the feed post.

The solution was also completely refactored and restructured. A new middle-tier library has been created that encapsulates the Chatter API calls and other common code. Next to the new CSS/UI this has been the most time-consuming aspect of the project.

Above: New Search Results Web Part

 

Another new feature is the Chatter Search Results web part – which is designed to be used with the Search Center. This replaces the fairly-complex Federated Search Connector configuration with an easy plug-and-play web part that you drop onto the Search Results page. The web part doesn’t require any configuration beyond the setup of the solution. This new approach addresses the limitations in the Federated Search configuration of SharePoint 2013 dealing with authentication.

New/Improved Features

 

  • Redesigned and customizable UI
  • New jQuery animations and transitions during Ajax postbacks
  • New middle-tier API library
  • New Search Results Web Part (replaces Federated Search components and related issues with permissions delegation)
  • Localization support (English only at launch but other languages are now possible)
  • Performance improvements for feed load times and postbacks
  • Support for RSS output of feed data
  • Trending Topics (In Progress)
  • Follow (In Progress)
  • @mention auto-complete (In Progress)
  • Encryption of user tokens within SharePoint
  • New licensing modes – Evaluation, Standard and Enterprise + Users
  • Custom Installer
  • 3rd party signed binaries for the ClickOnce Authorizer

      Removed features: SharePoint 2007 Support, ‘Share on SharePoint’ feature

Deprecated features: The Federated Search Connector is not included in version 2.x – however any existing connections will continue to function in this release. I strongly recommend switching to the new Search Results Web Part as soon as possible.

BETA and Release Plans

 

Looking to release the BETA version to customers during the week of September 15th. This will be a time-limited version that will allow you to test all of the features. I am requesting any testers provide feedback by the end of September so I can remediate issues and promote the code to production.

If all goes well with the BETA I will look to finalize the code, supporting documentation and related components through September for a mid-October release.

Licensing and Pricing

 

As previously stated, the licensing model for this release is changing. There are now two offerings: Standard and Enterprise. The Standard license grants you the right to use the Feed Web Part only. All other features are not available with this license, including: Upload to Chatter, Search Results, Ribbon Integration (Sharing of pages, items and documents; Finding items in feeds), RSS Feed, and Profile Sync. This license is per-farm with an unlimited number of users.

The Enterprise license includes all of the solution functionality and is licensed per-farm plus per-user licensing. The user-count is calculated based on the site collection with the largest number of users.

Pricing for the Standard License is $299 per farm. Maintenance on the Standard license is $1000/yr per license.

Pricing for the Enterprise License is $599 per farm + per-user licensing. Maintenance on the Enterprise license is the greater of $1000/yr or 20% of the total license cost per year; Per user licensing starts at $1.50 per user for less than 1000 users. Contact me for a quote. Note – non-production farms can be licensed for $599 per farm (no additional per-user costs) as long as your production farm is fully licensed.

Current customers under maintenance will be grandfathered into the new Enterprise licensing model for this version at no additional cost. Version 1.x customers not under maintenance will need to re-purchase the 2.x solution under the new licensing terms.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions and look for the BETA of Chatter for SharePoint 2.x to be released during the week of September 15th!