A new
feature in SharePoint 2013 is „Following“. Users can follow nearly everything
in SharePoint 2013. Not so nice is the fact that you only can get an overview
of WHAT you are following using your MySite. The WebParts / List used to store
and aggregate that data are not usable in any TeamSite etc. First thought was
that the new and hyped SearchDriven technique could be the way to aggregate all
the content a person followed also outside the MySite. FAILED. The content for
example stored under “Site contents -> Social” in every MySite cannot be
found using search. Also the suggestion part of the Following Feature is not
based on Search Analytics. More details about Suggestions in the
context of Following can be found here: https://www.nothingbutsharepoint.com/sites/eusp/Pages/SharePoint-Online-2013-Suggested-Sites-to-Follow.aspx
The
facts that matters are:
·
Sites
that are being followed by your colleagues.
·
Sites
that are being followed by people you're following will tend to be recommended
to you.
·
Sites
that are being followed by a large number of people in your organization.
·
Sites
that you have modified recently.
To get information
about what a user is following we need to use a REST API call. MSDN
documentation for this can be found here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn194080.aspx
Using
for example that method:
GET
http://<siteCollection>/<site>/_api/social.following/my/followed(types=15)
You get a
JSON result set with information which documents, persons and sites the user fired
the query is following.
Using this JSON result and some jQuery magic we
can generate a WebPart containing this information in a list view:
For the
jQuery Script to create that list go to: https://iamfollowing.codeplex.com/
That solution works with SharePoint 2013
only, on-prem or with O365 / SharePoint Online.
You can use
other REST endpoints to feed the jQuery script to get other information’s, too.
DEMO @ YouTube:
DEMO @ YouTube:
The article gives a practical look at how SharePoint 2013's Following feature stores and exposes information through the MySite experience. The limitation of SearchDriven aggregation is particularly interesting, since content under the Social area cannot simply be discovered through search, making the REST approach a useful alternative.
AntwortenLöschenUsing _api/social.following/my/followed(types=15) to retrieve followed documents, persons, and sites provides a clear example of how SharePoint data can be accessed programmatically. The way the JSON response can be consumed makes this a relevant practical example for RESTful API Training, especially when working with REST endpoints and structured responses.
The use of JSON together with jQuery to transform the returned data into a WebPart or Metro-style interface also shows how the backend API and frontend presentation can be connected. Understanding DOM manipulation and client-side data handling is useful when applying JavaScript Online Training concepts to SharePoint customizations.
AntwortenLöschenI also like the point that other REST endpoints can feed the same jQuery-based interface with different information. That makes the approach more reusable than building a single-purpose view, and it provides a practical direction for students experimenting with API-driven interfaces in Web Development Final Year Projects.
AntwortenLöschen