Exchange, Outlook & SharePoint FAQs

How can I make links in Microsoft SharePoint technologies open in a new browser window?

By default, SharePoint links open in the existing browser window. You can find several solutions for this behavior on the Web, but I found the following solution to be the easiest:

1. Use Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) to open the SharePoint page containing the links.
2. From the File menu, select Edit with Microsoft Office FrontPage.
3. In FrontPage, right-click the section with the links, and from the displayed context menu select Convert to XSLT Data View.
4. Right-click one of the links and select Hyperlink Properties.
5. From the displayed dialog box, click the Target Frame button.
6. Select New Windows and click OK to all dialog boxes.
7. Save the page changes.

Now, when someone clicks a link, the page will open in a new window. You can find other solutions for this behavior at http://mindsharpblogs.com/todd/archive/2005/08/16/654.aspx and http://andrewconnell.com/blog/articles/sharepointlinkslistopeninnewwindow.aspx.
—John Savill

How can I hide SharePoint columns from certain users? I have a power user who, ideally, should have access to all columns as well as standard users who need only limited column access.

Neither Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 nor Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (or earlier SharePoint technologies) supports the ability to apply permissions at the columm (i.e., field) level. You have several options for meeting this type of need, but if you require the information to be truly secure, you'll have to use custom coding or purchase a third-party product.

One of the simplest ways to address this need is by using FrontPage 2003 to remove the sensitive fields from the existing list pages and create other pages for your power users that contain those sensitive fields. Then you need to prevent your standard users from accessing the pages designed for your power users. One approach is to use a simple redirect Web Part, such as the one created by Bamboo Solutions (http://www.bamboosolutions.com). Such a Web Part will redirect users to another SharePoint page or site if they don't belong to a specific permission group. Note that this approach will unghost your pages and therefore require additional maintenance in the future. (For more information about page ghosting, see the first FAQ on this page.)

A second—and considered a bestpractice—approach is to create a custom list definition. You can create a custom list definition to provide most any functionality you want, including how the list is displayed. If you chose to create a custom list definition, I recommend that you read the MSDN article “Creating a List Definition” (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/spptsdk/html/tsptcreatelisttemplate_sv01016233.asp). You might need to augment this list definition approach by using a custom Web Part that lets you control what information is displayed to users. (For more information about custom Web Parts, see “A Developer's Introduction to Web Parts” at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/ms916848.aspx.)
—Bob Mixon

How can I display the currently logged-on user on our SharePoint portal's home page?

Surprisingly, this functionality wasn't a standard UI element in Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 or Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2003. Rest assured that Microsoft has added it Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 and SharePoint Server 2007, but if you're still running the earlier versions, there are a couple of methods you can use to gain this functionality. Probably the easiest approach is to find a third-party Web Part that will display this information. You can download one such free Web Part from the Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies Web Component Directory (http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint/downloads/ components/detail.asp?a1=841).

Another approach, which is described in the MSDN FrontPoint blog post “Howto: Display the Username for the Logged on user on a page” (http://blogs.msdn.com/frontpoint/articles/123179.aspx), uses the Data View Web Part and a few custom Collaborative Application Markup Language (CAML) techniques. Take a look at the article before you decide on the approach you want to take.
—Bob Mixon