Does anyone have experience with modifying Sharepoint Applications?

Question

Hi SO:

I am currently working on a call log project. The boss wants me to use Sharepoint as a base, so I set up a virtual machine with an instance of MOSS 2007. I downloaded microsoft's call center template and installed it. I have been playing around with it for a little while now and it seems pretty simplistic. How can I modify this template (or extend it?) to suit my needs? I would also like to know how it works so if the need arises I could create my own application, so any help will be greatly appreciated here.

Thanks!

edit:

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the aspx files I have found inside this folder:

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\FEATURES\

have their code-behind already compiled so there will not be much I can do in terms of seeing how the application functions this way. Am I correct here?

Answer 1

My experience with MOSS development has not been pretty. IMO, it is not built for application development or custom code. There are many other portals that fit that need well. For the built in collaboration tools, it is a great tool. Going beyond that, it fights you the whole way.

At least that has been my experience.

Answer 2

I developed several sharepoint features and webparts. And yes, it's a real pain in the a**.

On your Sharepoint Server look at the Directory

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\60\TEMPLATE\1033

There should be the masterpages and CSS Stylessheet you're looking to modify.

Answer 3

SharePoint development can have a steep learning curve and the product seem to fight against you. This is particularly if you're used to ASP.NET and are used to all the freedom that gives. It's quite a large and sometimes complex product with its own framework and way of doing things. That why I strongly recommend doing some serious reading in conjunction with going in and trying things out with existing applications. A few points:

Support

The primary reason is because you could easily end up with an unsupported installation if you change the file system without realising the impact. This will cause serious problems if it is necessary to install service packs or upgrade to a future version. There is usually a way to deploy updated code to SharePoint without needing to go down this path.

Getting results

Another reason is that unless you know what you are doing, hacking around with little knowledge will usually result in a lot of head bashing and few results. Errors can occur that make little sense or changes that you make won't take affect.

The SharePoint way

Finally, you will seriously waste time trying to get things to work if you don't know the 'SharePoint way' of doing something. Knowing 'the way' can save you so much time and integrate with the product nicely, but if you don't know about it prepare for pain! This includes topics from custom code through to CSS and master pages, through to deployment.

I hope this hasn't put you off as it is possible to enjoy the challenge the product provides and there is some very cool stuff you can do with it. For more reading there are several questions on Stack Overflow about getting started with SharePoint development (this is just one).

Answer 4

What Alex said!

Building a call centre application should be very possible with SharePoint. Personally I'm not a fan of the Microsoft templates but they may help giving you ideas on how to build something like that. I don't know what your app is supposed to do exactly but by building a few web parts and leveraging the oob lists and workflow features you (or a somewhat experienced SharePoint developer) should be able to create something quickly.

You should not let people with negative experiences throw you off. Like it or not, SharePoint is going to stay and once you get over the learning curve it can be very effective as an application platform. I can see how installing SharePoint can be a pain if you've got no clue what you are doing but it's a server application; a little learning should be expected.