“Link to a Document” opens Read only documents

General note:

If you find a different solution, please report it as a comment to this post. Be sure to double-verify it: undo your solution and verify that the problem comes back, then redo it and verify that the problem goes away.

Today we are going to discuss a content type “Link to a Document”.

Basically these are summary points:-

1.     How to use and add this content type?

2.     Why this content open read only documents?

Let’s start with – How to use and add this content type?

By default only one content type is a part of any document library i.e. New Document – How to check this?

1)    Open your SharePoint document library

2)    Click on new

3)    You will see the content type named as “New Document”

Now I want another content type listed over there as “Link to a Document” – How to enable this?

a)     Open your SharePoint document library

b)    Top section ->Ribbon

c)     Library

d)    Library settings

e)     Advanced settings

f)      Enable this option – ‘Allow management of content types’

g)     Click OK

h)    You will again come back to the library settings page

i)       Scroll down to the same page

j)       There you go  - you will see a new section named as “content types”

k)     Click this options – “Add from existing site content types”

l)       You will see several content types under “Available site content types” gallery

m)  Scroll down to the list and select “Link to a document”

n)    Click Add

o)    Hit OK

By this way, we have successfully added the “Link to a document” content type (CT).

Now how to use this content type?

1.     Open your document library where we have enabled this content type

2.     Top Ribbon ->Library Tools

3.     New Document

4.     Select ‘Link to a document’

5.     You will see two fields Document Name and Document URL

6.     Enter the name as per your requirements and enter the document URL (How to get document URL? – Go to the document library where the document resides ->Right on that document for which you want to create a link ->Copy shortcut)

By this way – a link to document will be successfully created!

Now the times arrive to discuss issues w.r.t. this functionality.

Why the document which has been created by “Link to a document” content type opens only in “Read only” mode?

Not understanding the exact behavior – let’s try to reproduce it J

Let us create one hyperlink / link to a document in my document library – here is the screenshot

Click on it and you will get these options – Open, Save and Cancel.

Where is the edit option?

If you click on open ->document will open without any problems ->but if do any changes and try to save it then it will ask you to save locally

Is this I want? NO – I want that this document should be saved directly to SP and not locally!

Let’s try to understand this / check what is under the hood – How is this functionality working?

When we use the content type “Link to a document” then it will not be an office compatible component that we can use with word, excel or PowerPoint. It is simply an aspx page and it’s not possible to edit these pages in office version.

I have created a document share for this document library where I placed the “linked to document” content type.

Default visibility will show you that it’s an excel compatible as we have linked the excel document to it.

But if you create a network share for the same document library then it will reveal the real facts, like above.

From the screenshot, you will understand that it’s showing as aspx page and not an office document. ASPX page are not office compatible so it’s quite obvious it will give you the prompt of open, save and cancel.

I think the above explanation; most importantly the screenshot will clear the queries/doubts you have regarding this functionality.

Let me know in case of any, I would be more than happy to address your queries/issues, Thank you.

Upload Multiple Documents is disabled - SharePoint 2013

We have been recently migrated from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013 environment so we are still in the phase to setup the complete settings in the environments. We have created some site collections and give to so many departments to do application testing so that we can analyse the errors and take appropriate action according to those exceptions.

So many users have reported that they are not able to upload multiple documents as “multiple documents” option is disabled/greyed out.

Also, some have reported that they are getting the following error message:

This control is currently disabled. You might not have the right permission level to use this, you might need to select an object or item, or the control might not work in this context.

Let me tell you guys that this section is very widespread and can be happen because of so many reasons. I don’t want to restrict this thread with only one solution as while debugging on this issue, I have explored so many options and would like to share all the options with you so that you can take a benefit of this and issue can be resolved in easy as well as proficient manner.

I am going to elaborate this information in step by step manner so in case of any queries/questions regarding any step then please let me know. I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues, Thank you.

Multiple Resolutions:

1.   Make sure the Office 2013 should be installed on the machine.

2.   Make sure the IE (Internet Explorer) Version should be 32-bit and not a 64-bit. How to check this: http://www.tracker-software.com/knowledgebase/280-How-do-I-tell-if-I-am-using-a-32-bit-or-64-bit-version-of-IE   

3.   Make sure the client integration is Enabled in Central Administration

How to check this: Central Administration-Manage web applications-Ribbon-Authentication Providers-Client Integration check box.

4.   Make sure the STSSYNC add-on should be enabled in IE. How to check this: Open IE-Tools-Manage Add-Ons-Look for the STSSYNC add-on and enable it.

5.   Make sure this option “Enable additional actions and Online Status for members” in Central Administration is set to Yes. How to check this: Open the Central Administration page-Click on Manage web applications-Select the web application you would like to configure-From the ribbon select General Settings-In the section titled Person Name Actions and Presence Settings change the setting Enable additional actions and Online Status for members to Yes-Click OK to apply changes.

6.   Make sure the ActiveX Control is enabled in Internet Explorer. How to check this- Open IE-Tools-Manage Add-Ons-Look for the STSUpld UploadCtl Class add-on and enable it.

7.   Make sure the Internet Explorer settings should not be too high. How to check this: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows-vista/change-internet-explorer-security-settings

8.   Make sure the protected mode should not be enabled in Internet Explorer. How to check this: Open internet explorer- Click on Tools menu and select Internet Options- Select Security Tab in the Internet options windows- Select Internet from the zone settings- Uncheck Enable Protected Mode option to disable the protection from Security for this zone- Hit Apply and Ok.

9.   Make sure the SharePoint site should be added inside trusted sites zone. How to do this: http://sharepointknowledgebase.blogspot.in/2010/07/site-prompts-for-credentials.html

Thank you once again!

I would like to request you if you have any different resolution apart from the above mentioned then please share here so that it would be beneficial for others as well.

Happy SharePoint to all of U...

Product applies to:

-Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013

-Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2013

-Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013

-Microsoft Office Excel 2013

-Microsoft Office Enterprise 2013

Reference:

Uploading Documents to Document Library - SharePoint 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB3LX_RizeA

Backup Restore in sharepoint 2013 + Backup and Recovery Tools for SharePoint

A good backup is an excellent approach to prevent data loss & repair database in most of the data corruption cases.

If your backup is not well structured then it will not help you to recover your data at any cost.

Back up a site collection by using Windows PowerShell

Backup-SPSite -Identity <SiteCollectionGUIDorURL> -Path <BackupFile> [-Force]

Example: Backup-SPSite -Identity http://sharepointamol/sites/planet -Path D:\planet.bak -force

Along with this, we can use the following parameters with respect to our requirements:

-Force: overwrite a previously used backup file

-NoSiteLock: keep the read-only lock from being set on the site collection while it is being backed up

Restore site collection by using windows PowerShell

Restore-SPSite -Identity <SiteCollectionURL> -Path <BackupFile>  -Force

Back up a Farm in SharePoint 2013 by using windows PowerShell

Backup-SPFarm -Directory <BackupFolder> -BackupMethod {Full | Differential} [-Verbose]

<BackupFolder> is the path of a folder on the local computer

Backing up sites, lists, and libraries

Export-SPWeb –Identity “http://SharePointamol/Planets/SharePoint2013” –Path “E:\Backups\SharePointPlanetSite.cmp”

Import List: Using Powershell

Import-SPWeb http://sharepointamol.com -path E:\backup\planets.cmp -updateversions overwrite

Backup and Recovery Tools for SharePoint

http://www.topsharepoint.com/backup-and-recovery-tools-for-sharepoint

DocAve Backup and Restore for Microsoft® SharePoint Backup

http://www.avepoint.com/sharepoint-backup-and-restore-docave/

A Simple Way to Restore Individual SharePoint Documents

http://www.cmswire.com/cms/enterprise-cms/a-simple-way-to-restore-individual-sharepoint-documents-004917.php

Performance best practices for SharePoint backup and restore operations

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg266384.aspx#section_perf

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know, I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues, Thank you.

Manage access requests in SharePoint 2010

‘Manage access request’ is an old mechanism which was present in MOSS2007 and with no surprise Microsoft has continued the same feature in SharePoint 2010.

Let me tell you guys that this feature is very important from so many perspectives:

§  There might be so many site collections administrators are assigned but you can specify any user or you can call as POWER USER who has the responsibility to approve the access request.

§  You can specify anybody, but make sure that he has a thorough knowledge of the functionality as it might be a threat to your site security because your site might contains some confidential documents that you don’t want to explore any third party user.

§  You are maintaining a proper channel as well as record by which to whom you are approving or whom you are giving access denied.

§  This might be a part of your governance project model also

The access request feature allows people to request access to content that they do not currently have permission to see. As a site owner, you can configure the feature to send you mail when someone requests access to a site.

Where is the location of this functionality in SharePoint 2010?

How to enable ‘manage access request’ in SharePoint 2010?

Here are the detail steps:

1.   Open the site collection on which you are working.

2.   Site actions

3.   Site settings

4.   Under ‘users and permissions’ section

5.   Site permissions

6.   Please refer the Ribbon on the top

7.   Permission tools

8.   Manage access requests

9.   Select the checkbox ‘allow request for access’ and enter the appropriate email id as per your requirements and click OK

That’s it- We are done!

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know, Thank you.

The workbook cannot be opened error while opening excel files in SharePoint 2010

I am using SharePoint 2010 and when users click on an .xlsx document in a document library it throws the following error message:

The workbook cannot be opened because it contains the following features that are not supported by Excel in the browser:

• Data validation

• Sheet protection

Would you like to try and open this file in Excel?

Learn more about unsupported features

Number of things to check or troubleshooting steps to find out the culprit:

1.   Make sure that this file is not broken. Download a copy of this file and edit it Excel client. Remove the Consolidation, Data sources and Data validations on the file to have a test whether it fixes this issue.

2.   Check the event viewer and try to find out the exact error information as it will give you the account name where the problem lies.

3.   Check the SharePoint ULS logs where it will show the exact root cause.

4.   Check the supported and unsupported features: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff595319%28v=office.14%29.aspx

5.   If you getting this error while trying to view the excel file in browser mode then please have a look on this article:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/differences-between-using-a-workbook-in-the-browser-and-in-excel-HA010369179.aspx#_Toc240268532

6.   If there are unsupported features then you need to remove it before uploading that excel file in SharePoint document library.

7.   You can define in the library settings whether or not to open documents in the browser or the client application. The default is set on the server, but you can overrule that at the library level. Since Excel Services cannot open workbooks with data validation, graphic object or VBA, many Excel files with basic functionality simply won't load in the browser.

8.   Make sure that you are using 32-bit version of IE- Microsoft Recommended. - This is very important as it resolves most of the issues.

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know. I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues, Thank you.

Request: If you have any other resolution then please share so that it would be helpful for the entire community, Thanks again!

August 2013 CU for SharePoint 2013

The product group released the August 2013 Cumulative Update for the SharePoint 2013 product family.

The KB articles for August CU will be available at the following locations in a couple of days:

• KB 2817517 - SharePoint Foundation 2013 August 2013 CU
• KB 2817616 - SharePoint Server 2013 August 2013 CU
• KB 2817615 - SharePoint Server 2013 with Project Server August 2013 CU
• KB 2817521 - Office Web Apps Server 2013 August 2013 CU

The Full Server Packages for August 2013 CU are available through the following links:

• Download SharePoint Foundation 2013 August 2013 CU
• Download SharePoint Server 2013 August 2013 CU
• Download Project Server 2013 August 2013 CU
• Download Office Web Apps Server 2013 August 2013 CU

After installing the fixes you need to run the SharePoint 2013 Products Configuration Wizard on each machine in the farm.

Reference: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/jj891062.aspx 

import Spreadsheet failed into SharePoint as a list - SharePoint 2010

Problem Description:

I had one user who was not able to Import an excel spreadsheet into SharePoint as a list.

Error Message:

You are not authorized to view this page.  

You might not have permissions to view this directory or page using the credentials you supplied.

HTTP Error 403 - Forbidden

Troubleshooting Done:

-User is a site collection administrator.

-We got the file at our end and checked it worked fine.

-We also checked with the proxy settings but even after changing it to the same as we had it did not work.

-Asked the user to check from a different machine with his login it worked fine

-As it was related to excel tried checking on Microsoft office Diagnostics available in Office 2007.

And to my amaze it worked. We were able to import the spreadsheet without any issues.

Where is Microsoft office Diagnostics?

Start => all programs => Microsoft Office => Microsoft Office tools => Microsoft Office Diagnostics

If at all we have office 2010. We may have to run the Repair available under control panel.

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know, Thank you.

Product Applies To:

-SharePoint Server 2010

-SharePoint Foundation 2010

How to create a subsite in SP2010

Subsite is an integral part of site collection. There are several uses of subsite for which you can deal with as well as manage almost the same set of operations that you can do from the top level site.

Many organisations have some security policies and they don’t permit complete leverage to the owners to manage the complete site collection but one thing is very good that at list they can create multiple subsites as per their requirements.

Today’s topic is based on the same and would like to share this basic information with all of you so that there would not be any confusion in creation the subsite.

Here are the details:

-Open the website on which you are dealing with

-site actions

-site settings

-site administration

-sites and workspaces

-Create

-Enter the title, URL, select the appropriate template and click OK.

By this way you can create a subsite in an easy without being dependent on others / without referring any article or document/ without asking for help from anybody/ without taking any training.

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know, Thank you. 

Access Services is unable to process the request.

Few days before I worked on one access issue but at that time the exception was different and this time we faced new error message.

Problem description:

While working on asset database site, trying to create new item and got the following exception.

Error message:

Access Services is unable to process the request. Click here to try again

Let me tell you access service application was already created and properly working without any issues.

Troubleshooting done:

-Checked the status of the access service application

-Checked the access SA proxy-whether it’s been properly associated with that web application or not.

-Checked the SharePoint logs as it is the most important location where we can find the cause behind it.

-Checked the event logs for any noticeable event id based on access.

-Try opening your SharePoint website in Firebug (Firefox utility) and check what exactly it’s blocking.  

IMP POINT:

Make sure that your foundation web application service and access services are running on the same box.

Please refer this for detail information: http://sharepointknowledgebase.blogspot.in/2013/08/unexpected-error-occurred-while-running.html

Resolution:

-Do IISRESET and check the results.

-If you check the logs and find any traces on security token service not working then you need to provision the security token service application.

Get-SPServiceApplication

$sts = Get-SPServiceApplication | ?{$_ -match "Security"}

$sts

$sts.Status

$sts.Provision()

If you have any different resolution apart from mentioned above then please share here so that it would be useful as well as beneficial to others as well.

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know, I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issue, Thank you.

Operation is not valid due to the current state of the object

Every day we face some strange issues in SharePoint, if it’s working before then why it suddenly stops working! Big question-hmm??

Today we are going to discuss one similar scenario and I am pretty much sure you will comes up with different resolution’s because this issue might vary from environment to environment so resolutions might be different.

Problem description:

One of our content database has already reached the 100GB mark so as per Microsoft recommendations, it’s better to move the site collections to new database as it might create some problems while doing backup and restore. So the plan to move some site collections from existing database to new database. For this purpose, we have created a new database by means of central administration.

One thing I wanted to clear that we are doing backup-restore activity, we are moving some heavy site collections between databases only.

In SharePoint 2010, we have an inbuilt command to move the site collections between databases, please refer the following:

Move-SPSite <http://ServerName/Sites/SiteName> -DestinationDatabase <DestinationContentDb>

So we make modifications as per our databases i.e. URL of the site collection and name of the destination database.

As soon as we hit enter, the PowerShell command throws an exception as mentioned below.

Error message:

Move-SPSite: Operation is not valid due to the current state of the object

Troubleshooting done:

-Checked the status of site collection-whether it’s set to lock/read only?

-Checked the status of the database-whether it’s online/offline?

-Tried detaching the source and destination databases and reattached again but still no results

-Tried moving site collections to existing databases- this one works!

-Tried creating a site collection in newly created database- works!

-The site that we have just moved to existing DB- tried moving to the destination database (where we are facing to problem)- Failed!

-Tried creating a new database for different web application and performed the same operation- Failed!

-checked the health analyser again to verify for any new errors

-Found this error which we have neglected-Databases running in compatibility range, upgrade recommended.

<This is the main culprit>

Resolution:

We ran this command on the source database from which we were trying to move the site collections to destination database.

upgrade-contentdatabase -Name <> -Webapplication <>

Operation completed successfully.

Tried running the move-spsite command and executed successfully without any issues…

By this way we have overcome this error message but as I mentioned in the beginning resolution might vary from environment to environment so request you to please share if you have different resolution part from the above mentioned so that it would be beneficial to others as well.

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know, I would be more than happy to help you as well resolves your issues, Thank you.

Product Applies To:

SharePoint Server 2010

SharePoint Foundation 2010

SharePoint Server 2013