Make SharePoint List pages editable through web interface...

Currently doing a lot with the pages in a SharePoint list. I'm trying to improve the discussion list functionality (going quite well!). One of the problems is that the discussion list contains 288 items, and that I'm trying to modify XSLT data views, converted from initial list views (in CAML) using FrontPage which takes ages even in “code“ view of FrontPage. Seems like it's trying to rerender all 288 items on typing each character! It would be great if it was possible to modify the data view web part using the web interface, like you can do in “normal” SharePoint pages. And yes... this is possible after adding some “magic code”.

Change the following code in the view pages (AllItems.aspx, ...):

....<SPSWC:RightBodySectionSearchBox runat="server" SearchResultPageURL="SEARCH_HOME" FrameType="None" WebPart="true" __WebPartId="{D3BCAB36-897B-4BAF-A947-1C71A63112F3}"/></td></tr> <tr style="padding-right:1px">......

To

...<SPSWC:RightBodySectionSearchBox runat="server" SearchResultPageURL="SEARCH_HOME" FrameType="None" WebPart="true" __WebPartId="{D3BCAB36-897B-4BAF-A947-1C71A63112F3}"/></td></tr>
   <tr> <td nowrap align="right" class="ms-vb"><WebPartPages:SettingsLink runat="server"/> </td> </tr>
   <tr style="padding-right:1px">

Change the following code in the item pages (DispForm.aspx, EditForm.aspx, NewForm.aspx):

...<SharePoint:ListItemProperty Property="Title" MaxLength=40 runat="server"/></a><!-- --></td> </tr></table>...

To

...<SharePoint:ListItemProperty Property="Title" MaxLength=40 runat="server"/></a><!-- --></td> </tr> 
<tr> <td nowrap align="right" class="ms-vb"><WebPartPages:SettingsLink runat="server"/> </td> </tr>
</table>...

And now add &mode=edit after you URL of the list page and you get the well none “Modify Shared Page” functionality and you can add extra web parts and configure the existing web parts like you are used to.

You need to add these modifications using FrontPage or directly in the list pages in the list template.

5 Comments

  • Pardon the confusion, but this wouldn't let you edit XSLT Data Views in the web browser, would it? That seems to be quite impossible, since it's FP-side behavior.



    Now, it DOES seem to allow the placement of other web parts on the page. List forms are web part pages, after all.

  • Forget the &quot;no toolpane&quot; part of my post. ;) The rest of it's the same. :)



    Now if you can find out how to add the DataView to a SharePoint site without using FrontPage, you'll have something unique on your hands. ;) While you could create a .DWP with the stub code required to insert a DVWP (we've done this, it's certainly possibly), editing the XSL, the query, and the rest of the DVWP parameters is an exercise in futility when you're not using FrontPage. When I say &quot;You can't edit a data view in the browser&quot;, I should clarify: &quot;You wouldn't want to edit a data view in a the browser.&quot; :)

  • Dustin, the settings link has nothing to do with the DVWP, and yes, you can save a stub dwp fiel for DVWP, but this not the way you want to build DWVP's. But... my point was: if you create a DVWP with frontpage on a list view page and you don't want to use FP (because with items in the list it gets sloooooooow), you can edit the web part through the DVWP toolpane if you add this code to the list view page.

  • I get it. I just didn't see a reason for a DVWP on a list view page; I always create new web part pages for them. :)

  • By the way, nice blog. Subscribed in my SharpReader client, and I look forward to your posts. :)

Comments have been disabled for this content.