Document sets are essentially metadata-enabled folders, ideal for standardizing and bundling documents in a predefined folder structure, allowing people to manage their related assets as a single entity. Imagine HR onboarding a bunch of new hires. On their first day, HR creates a record for each person, then shares the item with the respective new … Continue reading SharePoint Online: Document Sets | Default Folders Only
SharePoint Online
SharePoint Online: JSON Formatting | Hide ‘Add shortcut to OneDrive’ Button
SharePoint Online [SPO] is a modern, cloud-based service accessible from any modern browser. Emphasis on modern service and modern browser. Still, because of many legacy business processes, end-users flock to sync their SPO files the first chance they get. They ultimately achieve the same purpose, but there are actually two ways they can sync their … Continue reading SharePoint Online: JSON Formatting | Hide ‘Add shortcut to OneDrive’ Button
Office Scripts: Generate Custom GUID(s)
Office Scripts in Excel is an automation alternative to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Macros are still recorded as a series of actions, but now, these steps are performed using TypeScript, which a superset language of JavaScript. Assuming everything is licensed and configured correctly, everyone should see an Automate tab along the top of their … Continue reading Office Scripts: Generate Custom GUID(s)
Power Automate: Ticketing System | Microsoft Teams + SharePoint Online [managed solution]
Some time ago, I architected a low-cost "service management"-esque app combining Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online (SPO), and Power Automate. As a Power Platform low-code solution, I could piece everything together and demo a working ticketing system in a few hours. However, I never packaged the deliverable as a Power Platform managed solution, adhering to proper … Continue reading Power Automate: Ticketing System | Microsoft Teams + SharePoint Online [managed solution]
SharePoint: Prevent Folder Move
SharePoint is a collaboration platform that also encourages self-governance. Sure, the IT department could deploy and manage all things SharePoint, but that isn't always best. In an ideal, balanced partnership, IT would just handle the administrative tasks and empowered users would provision their own site collections, manage their own site access, and create their own … Continue reading SharePoint: Prevent Folder Move
SharePoint Online: Understanding | Document Sets
Likely an oversimplification, but document sets are essentially collections of files and folders bundled together with shared metadata. A holdover from earlier versions of SharePoint Server, document sets aren't enabled by default in SharePoint Online [SPO], but can be enabled as a feature at the site collection level: Figure 1 - SharePoint Online site collection … Continue reading SharePoint Online: Understanding | Document Sets
Power Platform: Data Sources | SQL Tables or SPO Lists
The Power Platform is Microsoft's collection of low-code, citizen developer solutions. Being low-code, makers don't need coding experience to build their apps, bots, automations, and/ or dashboards. Even so, makers still need to decide where their data should ultimately live. For most people, SQL is typically the go-to data storage consideration. And honestly, SQL isn't … Continue reading Power Platform: Data Sources | SQL Tables or SPO Lists
Power Apps: Canvas App | SubmitForm() + SPOItem [Attachments w/ Permissions]
SharePoint Online lists are flexible as Power Apps canvas app data sources. Not quite as popular as SQL, but app makers can use SPO lists like database tables. One major perk of leveraging SPO lists, they're created ready to handle item attachments without makers needing to configure Azure BLOB storage. Still, there is a permission … Continue reading Power Apps: Canvas App | SubmitForm() + SPOItem [Attachments w/ Permissions]
Graph API: SPO List Items + Batch Delete
As previously explored, batching is the preferred and more efficient approach to processing a large volume of API requests. For every request, there is a call to the Microsoft Graph API and the accompanying response. With that in mind, things add up quickly as dozens, if not hundreds, of API requests are made. Batching bundles … Continue reading Graph API: SPO List Items + Batch Delete
MS Lists: Power Automate Connectors
Microsoft Lists are powerful. Especially when they're used to organize things like project tasks, support requests, product logs, etc. But regardless of the list's purpose, lists are created for either the individual or the group. If the individual, then the list is created in that person's [OneDrive for Business] site. Otherwise, the list is saved … Continue reading MS Lists: Power Automate Connectors
MS Lists: Mail Merge Data Source
Mail merge is still a thing. Why? Because after all these years, it continues to get the job done. But with more businesses using Microsoft Lists, can mail merge still do its job? The short answer, yes. However, Microsoft Word can't connect to Microsoft Lists directly. If we open the mail merge data source dropdown, … Continue reading MS Lists: Mail Merge Data Source
Power Automate: Copy Emails + Attachments to SPO
Closing out this story, the Power Automate flow built to copy Outlook emails to [SharePoint Online] should have copied the email attachments as well. Though not every email has attachments. Tweak the flow and check for attachments, then copy when necessary... Reviewing a previous flow run, examine an export of the tempObj variable. Take note … Continue reading Power Automate: Copy Emails + Attachments to SPO
Power Automate: Copy Emails to SPO
Once upon a time there was a very special user. This user was great at their job and worked with us for many years. Throughout the years, their job responsibilities required that they catalogue and archive legal records for the business. Unfortunately, soon enough, they were ready for new career opportunities. Now, they needed to … Continue reading Power Automate: Copy Emails to SPO
SharePoint: Modern Site Architecture (Hub v. Sub)
Microsoft is encouraging organizations to embrace Modern SharePoint. With this nudging, creating sub-sites is still supported, but largely frowned upon. Though Classic SharePoint welcomes sub-sites. Modern SharePoint, not so much. Instead, Microsoft now recommends creating all sites as their own site collection, then associating sites using hub linkage... To better conceptualize the hub idea, consider … Continue reading SharePoint: Modern Site Architecture (Hub v. Sub)
SharePoint: What If… Metadata?
Metadata is baked into SharePoint. Even so, many people use SharePoint just for document storage and never explore metadata. But without metadata, SharePoint isn't living up to its full potential. What is metadata? Why is metadata important? For simplicity, think of metadata as "document tagging"/ "document categorization". With the documents tagged, search gets leveled up. … Continue reading SharePoint: What If… Metadata?
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