Just Released: Chatter for SharePoint 2.2

Posted on September 27, 2015 by marcrdavis

Hi Everyone! I am pleased to announce the availability of Chatter for SharePoint 2010/2013 version 2.2. As I mentioned in a previous post there are significant updates and changes to the middle-tier library which were necessary to correct some performance and session boundary issues within the IIS worker process. This issue affected all prior 2.x family releases. I strongly encourage all customers to download, test and deploy the new version as soon as possible.

Full Change Log

Fixes an issue with the Chatter DLL class declarations
Fixes an issue with the caching the API-Enabled user account access token
Fixes an issue with logging and multiple sessions
Fixes an issue where the feed refreshes to the default group ID on postbacks (if one is set)
Fixes an issue where user names in the Like and Comments sections were not selectable
Fixes an issue with custom salesforce URIs and the password grant type
Fixes an issue where under certain conditions the function for returning the AccountName throws a null-reference exception
Moved all methods and properties into one class library
Updated the licensing system to use actual Chatter-enabled users for the license count, rather than the count of the UserInfo list or the number of User Profiles
Licensing system now prevents adding users beyond the licensed limit, rather than blocking functionality
Removed LicenseCalculator tool

The other significant change is around the user-count calculation. The application now looks at authenticated profiles rather that the total user count of a site or farm. Once the user count exceeds the license count – no new users can be authorized on the platform until additional licenses are added.

The updated solution ZIP file(s) and documentation can be found here.

Please let me know if there are any questions or concerns. Thank you for choosing Chatter for SharePoint!

On Deck: Chatter for SharePoint 2.1

Posted on May 6, 2015 by marcrdavis

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.

On Deck: Chatter for SharePoint 2.0

Posted on October 16, 2014 by marcrdavis

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 3^rd! 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 3^rd 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

Posted on September 22, 2014 by marcrdavis

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 1.8.1.0 Released!

Posted on November 12, 2013 by marcrdavis

Hi Everyone! Great news – Chatter for SharePoint 1.8.1.0 has been released. In addition to minor fixes this release includes the new EasySetup install method. If you have already installed Chatter for SharePoint nothing changes for you – everything will work as before. If you are new to Chatter for SharePoint you will have a much easier experience getting CFSP up and running. Why? I’ve eliminated the most complex part: Setting up SalesForce! This is by far the fastest and easiest way to get SalesForce Chatter integrated with SharePoint.

Check out the new one-sheet EasySetup Guide. Seven simple to follow steps and within 5 minutes you will be up and running.

What if I want to customize the installation you say? Absolutely! I’ve updated the User Guide with even more instructions and useful information.

As always I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. EasySetup came about from a user suggestion. Have an idea to make Chatter for SharePoint even better? Now is the time to let me know. Version 2.0 development is underway. I have a ton of new features going into the next major release.

Thank you for using Chatter for SharePoint!

Who’s using Chatter for SharePoint!

Posted on November 12, 2013 by marcrdavis

They say you’re only as good as the company you keep. By that standard, Chatter for SharePoint is in good company indeed. Here is but a small sample of the fantastic organizations using my software.

On Deck: Chatter for SharePoint Roadmap & EasySetup

Posted on November 2, 2013 by marcrdavis

Hi Everyone. The march towards the next milestone begins. Development on the 2.x codebase has begun. Still looking at between 3-4 months of development time before we have usable code but the feature list has been locked down and preliminary work has begun. I will be sharing more details of 2.x over the next month so look for more updates soon. Office 365/SharePoint Online support is on the roadmap for 2.x.

But before then we have several significant releases of the 1.x codebase in the pipeline. A feature of the 2.x codebase is going to be delivered early in the form of a new install program and a Zero Configuration Setup. So what does ‘Zero Configuration’ mean? Think Staples Easy Button™. No SalesForce setup… No Connected Applications to configure… just install, add the web part to a page and you’re done in less than 5 minutes. This method is great for those who don’t have administrator access to SalesForce or who don’t want to go through the manual setup process. If you already have a connected app setup don’t worry – everything will still work as normal. This is just a great way for new customers to get Chatter for SharePoint installed and running as quickly as possible.

Above: The new EasySetup utility.

Above: Screenshot of new solution installer in action.

Look for this and more updates soon. Thanks for using Chatter for SharePoint!

Chatter for SharePoint 1.8 Released!

Posted on October 27, 2013 by marcrdavis

Hi Everyone. It is with great pleasure I release version 1.8 of Chatter for SharePoint – and with it the long-awaited support for Chatter Free. You asked, I found a way. Thanks go out to my beta testers for taking the time to run 1.8 through its paces. This version also includes some great new functionality – including support for thumbnails/previews and direct downloading of attachments right within the chatter feed. The full change log is below. You can download the updated version here.

Changes in 1.8:

Added Chatter Free support
Added support for attachment thumbnail/preview images
Added direct-download of SalesForce attachments in feed items
Added new verbose logging option to web.config
Fixed issue where comments on Links or Files would not be posted with the item
Fixed issue with finding correct web.config with multiple AAMs
Fixed issue where group selector would be blank if user was not a member of any groups
Fixed issue where the web part would not properly detect a Team Site in edit mode
Updated web part branding styles
Improved formatting of posts in Read Only mode
Web Part Properties panel now updates it’s values from web.config after the initial configuration
Cleaned up deprecated code
New ‘Edit Mode’ information panel
Minor fixes

Thanks for using Chatter for SharePoint!

BREAKING NEWS: Chatter for SharePoint

Posted on October 17, 2013 by marcrdavis

Hi Everyone! I have some exciting news regarding a major development with Chatter for SharePoint. Version 1.8 – which is being tested now – will allow Chatter Free users to use the solution! This is a huge breakthrough and (next to O365 compatibility) was the most requested feature. Chatter for SharePoint will be one of the few 3^rd party Chatter applications that support Chatter Free and I’m thrilled to offer it to you.

So – if you were looking at Chatter for SharePoint and were discouraged that it wouldn’t work with your Chatter Free users – look again. I hope to release 1.8 within the next few weeks.

Stay tuned. And thanks for using Chatter for SharePoint!

Update: Several of you have inquired regarding if the Chatter Free compatibility is read-only or full access. It is fully functional and identical to the Chatter Plus user experience.

Chatter for SharePoint 1.7.1.0 Released!

Posted on September 26, 2013 by marcrdavis

Hi Everyone. I’ve just published the latest version of Chatter for SharePoint to the blog. All of the previously discussed features are present, including the first version of the User Profile Sync (2010/2013). You can download the latest version from here.

Just a reminder if you are installing the solution for the first time, please run the PrepareSharePoint.exe utility on your farm BEFORE deploying the WSP. See the documentation for detailed instructions.

As always I appreciate your comments, feedback and suggestions. I hope you continue to find this solution useful.

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