Archive for the ‘SharePoint HTML Calculated Column’ Category

Finding where Highlighter is used in a SharePoint site

Date:June 20th, 2019 Author: Tags: ,
Category: Highlighter, SharePoint Development, SharePoint HTML Calculated Column Comments:0 ;

Highlighter allows you to easily apply conditional formatting to your SharePoint lists.

A customer recently asked us how to find out where it had been used (which sites, lists and columns).

We wrote this Powershell script to do just that – but it can be adapted to find any custom field type (or even built in fields with certain attributes like name & type).

Note – it’s commonly suggested on the ‘internets to use the SPField.ListFieldUsedIn method but that will only find where a Site Column has been added to a List, not where a custom field has been directly put into a List column. (see an explanation of the difference between Site Columns and List Columns)

You can download the script here – unzip and open in a text editor for instructions.

Run it from the SharePoint Administration Shell with the URL of your site – e.g.

.\FindWhereHighligherUsed.ps1 https://yoursiteurl/

And it will search all sub-sites and lists and return any fields that use Highlighter :-

 

 

Opening an URL in a new Window from a SharePoint list

Date:June 22nd, 2012 Author: Tags: , , , ,
Category: SharePoint HTML Calculated Column Comments:2 ;

HTMLCC-logo

A missing feature from SharePoint’s URL column is the ability to open links in a new window. However, our free HTML Calculated Column lets you do this in just a few easy steps.

Step 1: Get the software

Download our software from here: HTML Calculated Column Download

It’s free, but you’ll have to sign up to our newsletter. Don’t like our newsletter? Just unsubscribe. No logins, no e-mail reselling, no spam, no drama.

Just run the installer on your server and you’re done.

Step 2: Create a Text column

Add a simple Text column to your list (not a Hyperlink column). Create it as normal, call it ‘URL’ or something similar, and put an URL in it.

Calculated columns (both SharePoint’s and ours) don’t support Hyperlink columns, so it isn’t possible to use these in the formula below.

Step 3: Create an HTMLCC column

Next is our Pentalogic HTML Calculated Column (catchy name, eh?). Create it as you would a normal calculated column, and put the following formula in it:

=”<a href='”&[URL]&”‘ target=’_blank’>Link</a>”

The part that does the actual new window opening is the “target=’_blank’”, and [URL] is the name of your text column. You can customize the formula however you like; possibly with the help of our Calculated Column Cheatsheet.

When you save, you’ll see our cautionary malicious code warning. If you have users you don’t trust able to add/edit items in this list, then… well… sack them (or have them sacked). Then tick the box and click OK.

And while we’re here…

The “[?]” link to our site in the column title has been removed: We heard how annoying it could be, so we got rid of it.

Just upgrade to the latest version (1.3) to update your existing columns.

Let us know what you think of our free SharePoint tools and our other SharePoint web parts: [email protected]

Free HTML Calculated Column for SharePoint

Date:January 11th, 2012 Author: Tags: , , , ,
Category: Highlighter, SharePoint HTML Calculated Column Comments:0 ;

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A free calculated column for SharePoint 2007 and 2010 that allows you to display HTML: SharePoint HTML Calculated Column

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Why did you make this?

I spent a long time working on SharePoint Highlighter, and then later unsuccessfully trying to make a [Today] Calculated Column. During both these projects we kept coming back to this glaring hole in SharePoint: You can’t use HTML in a calculated column.

After unsuccessfully looking for open source projects (or even commercial alternatives) for some time, the only solution I could find was Christophe’s JavaScript workaround using a normal calculated column and a Content Editor Web Part. A nice solution, but unfortunately not without its drawbacks.

So when it came to deciding what I wanted to do in my 10% time, the answer was clear.

Having listened to me rant, rave, swear, and finally give up and denounce all Custom Field Type development (at least once a week during Highlighter, and several times during the [Today] incident), Ryan’s reaction to my choice of project was a typically understated “I’m… surprised?”.

So during the TeamTime project I spent my Friday afternoons creating the first of hopefully many pet projects from us at Pentalogic: SharePoint HTML Calculated Column

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How is this different to Christophe’s solution?

Using the SharePoint HTML Calculated Column avoids the need to add Content Editor Web Parts (containing JavaScript) to every page you want the HTML to be displayed on.

Adding the CEWPs can be a bit of a chore in some cases, and are vulnerable to being accidentally broken by end users editing the pages. They can also be lost on 2007 to 2010 upgrades.

However, HTMLCC requires that a System Administrator install it on the SharePoint server; which in many organisations is a real pain in the ears. Whereas Christophe’s solution can be implemented by most power users.

Isn’t this the same as Highlighter?

SharePoint Highlighter offers quite a lot more than this solution on it’s own. I won’t go into enormous detail, but here’s a sample of what Highlighter offers over the HTML Calculated Column:

  • Row highlighting
  • Countdowns
  • Conditional formatting
  • Built-in icon library

Most notably, all of this is offered through a polished and intuitive interface.

Finally

So, you get to plug the hole in SharePoint that’s bothered so many people over so much time, and we get to plug SharePoint Highlighter whenever we mention it. Everybody’s happy. Smile