01 February 2008

Create a Zero Code Web-Based Training Site

One of the best tips I've come across recently has been the use of a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License javascript library called LyteBox. This library allows you to incorporate some pretty cool effects into SharePoint using a simple content editor web part. Using this javascript library, a content editor web part and SharePoint Designer, my plan is to walk through creating a simple training site that gives users a Web 2.0 feel to training content.

First, download the scripts from the link above. After you have downloaded the scripts, create a new blank site. We're going to add our own lists and libraries to this site, so there is no need for us to have any existing content.

Getting LyteBox Setup

When you're new site has been provisioned, create a new document library called LyteBox and place all of the scripts and images into this library. Be sure to place all of the images in a new folder in this library called images.

 

Now, edit the page of your site and add a new content editor web part to top-right zone of the homepage (default.aspx). Edit the shared web-part and include the following lines using the source editor:

<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="lytebox/lytebox.js"></script>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="lytebox/lytebox.css" type="text/css" media="screen" />

Change the Appearance of the web part and turn off the chrome. This way, the web part will not be displayed at all. If you'd like, export this web-part for reuse in other places in SharePoint.

Creating Training Libraries and Lists

Next, we need to create a few libraries and lists to use for our site. I need a library to contain basic HTML pages and resources for those pages, a list to create categories for the training labs and a list to contain the actual training labs.

Create a new document library called Resources and upload a few sample HTML pages (or create them with SharePoint Designer or a similar tool). This will be the place that you can upload all of the materials needed for your training labs. Our organization will be creating Camtasia projects for the users to review. You could include anything that is HTML based for your users in the library.

Next, create a custom list to contain a list of categories. I named this list Categories and added the following items: Excel 2007, Word 2007, SharePoint 2007. This list will be used as a lookup for categorizing your training sessions (and as a connected web-part for filtering the list of available labs).

Now, the next list is the "meat and potatoes" list because this is where you will be organizing the labs that are available. Create another custom list called Training Labs and add the following columns to the list:

  • Category, Lookup, Required -- linked to Categories - Title
  • Description, Multiline
  • Width, Number
  • Height, Number
  • Resource Link, HyperLink/Picture -- set to hyperlinks

At this point, you may want to create some items for testing when we get into SharePoint designer. The idea is each item will provide a link to the resource using the resource link column. This will be linked to an HTML page in the Resources library. The width and height columns will be used to control how large the LyteBox window becomes using some cool SharePoint designer items.

Now the basic lists are available and ready to use for your site. Its time to start wiring up all the pieces with SharePoint Designer.

SharePoint Designer

Open the site using SharePoint designer and then double click default.aspx to open the page. In the toolbox (or click Task Panes), go to the Data Source Library and locate the Training Labs list. Click on the list and choose Show Data. In the list, highlight the title column and drag this over to the default.aspx page right zone. Drop it in place below the content editor we placed in the page earlier.

Now, using the Common Data View Tasks Widget, modify the columns you wish to display. I added in the description and category fields to my display. Click on the widget for the title column and change it into a hyperlink column. For the hyperlinks properties, make sure the Text to Display is set to {@Title} and the Address is set to {substring-before(@Resource_x0020_Link,', ')}. The easiest way to do this is to click on the Fx button for Address and choose the Resource Link from the list and then do the same for the Text to display.

 

Now for the fun part. You will need to make some modifications to the tag properties of the hyperlink so the LyteBox script will execute on the link. In the rel attribute, set it to lyteframe. Then locate the rev attribute and choose the function box. Make sure to use the following function in the dialog:

concat('width: ',@Width,'px; height: ',@Height,'px; scrolling: no;') 

Now, your properties should look something like the following:

 

You should be ready to save your page and begin testing it out. If you have been successful, your resources should load up in a Web 2.0 feeling box that dims the surrounding area and displays the content in the box.

Filtering Content

The final step to make this site more useful is to allow your users to filter the content based on the category. To do this, in SharePoint, edit your page and add a web part for your Categories list to the Right zone (you can also do this from inside of SharePoint Designer, but I prefer SharePoint's ability to set the properties of the web part).

Go back into SharePoint designer and reload the page. Right click on your Categories Web Part and choose Web Part Connections.

  • Set the connection to Provide Row To and click Next.
  • Choose to Connect to a Web Part on this Page and click Next.
  • Choose the Target Web Part as your Training Labs DataView and the Target Action to Get Filter Values From
  • Match up the columns between the Categories List and the Training Labs List. This should be to set the Categories List to Title on the same row as the Training Labs category row.
  • Click on Finish.

Now save the page and load it up in your Browser. Test that the filter gets applied and you can now review training labs based on the way your filter is set.

I'll see if I can't upload the template I've created for you to dissect and play with. My final template looks like the following:

 

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chris - It sure didn't take you long to put LyteBox to work. I agree with you... it's one of the simplest things you can do to really spiff up SharePoint.

I'll be using your method on EndUserSharePoint.com to redo the presentation of all videos, and probably all external links, too.

Regards,
Mark

DrLeary said...

Cool stuff!

In the picture at the end you have several more filters on the right side of the page. Are these actually functional? I mean, have you figured out a way to connect multiple filters to the same webpart?

Chris said...

DrLeary,

Yes, each one of those items is functional. I added multiple look-up fields to other lists in my main training labs list. I then followed the same steps for connecting the first list web part to the data view. The only down side is that there isn't an easy way to clear a filter.

Anonymous said...

I found this very helpful. In response to the prevous comment about clearing the filter, I added a button with an an onclick event that "refreshed the page". I used the following code for the buttons on click event;
FP_goToURL(/*href*/'http://sharepoint.yourdomain.com/Tech/trainingdemo/default.aspx')
probably an easier way, but that seemed to work.
Thanks again for this tutorial!

Anonymous said...

One thing that I would like to do is add a category Icon to new courses based on which category they choose.

I have the icons already set up in the categories list.

I want to set a "category icon field" in the courses list that gets updated/set based on the category "title" that they choose. Do you have any ideas on how to set up a workflow for that? I can't seem to get it to work quite right.

Chris said...

Chanley,

I'm actually using SharePoint designer to handle this in my template. I set-up a dataview and then use conditional formatting in a new table column to decide what image to show.

Basically, I have an image for each category. I place the first image in and then set conditional formatting to only show the image with the category is, say, videos. I then do the same thing for each subsequent image.

I hadn't considered doing this through workflows, but if you're able to figure it out it would be interesting to see how that works as well.

Anonymous said...

Can you give more details on how you got multiple filter webparts to connect to the same webpart? I'm hitting a limitation where I'm only able to make one connection. Are you doing 4 connections (one to a different webpart)?

Chris said...

Anonymous,

I created the web part connections using SharePoint Designer. I placed multiple web parts for the lookup tables on the right hand side of the page and then connected each one to provide filter values back into the main Data View Web Part. Hope this helps!

Badari said...

I had added LyteBox Files but i am unable to see my picture in popup window

Chris said...

ITZ, I would make sure your URL is referenced properly. You can double check the link by right clicking on the lytebox window and choosing properties. There should be a URL available that indicates where the image is being requested. Make sure this URL matches the actual URL for your picture.