Category Archives: Resources

SharePoint Training Review: InfoPath

I have been out of town for almost two weeks now. The last week of August, I went to Nashville for Infopath training. The day after I got back, I had to evacuate for Hurricane Gustav. I just got back home this morning. I’m trying to remember my training… 😉

I went to the InfoPath class offered by SharePoint Solutions. It was three days long and covered InfoPath, SharePoint, and Workflows. The instructor was very nice and knowledgeable. I have a much better understanding of how to use IP to create forms and even mimic applications. I really thingk that IP will become a primary means for my group to create small apps, as most of the apps we build are just web versions of print forms. The savings in development time will be huge. I will post more as I remember-still have hurricane brain fog 😉

Sharepoint Training Review

Sharepoint Branding Bootcamp, Sharepoint Experts, taught by Heather Solomon
When: December 2007, Houston
Topics Covered: Branding, customizations
Overview: Excellent content and delivery, most useful training thus far. I finally got it through my head how to use content types, and the info about configuring CQWP and the dataview webparts was great.
Positives: Excellent instructor and materials
Negatives: No full examples of custom branded sites; hotel provided breakfasts and snacks were little more than sugar. Students have to supply their own SP environments.
Materials Provided: Several full-color pdf’s of well-written content with screenshots and step by step instructions; practice files; some free programs. All content digital.
Accommodation’s, meals, snacks provided: Hotel was fine, though the rooms got hot at night and the pillows were too fluffy. The breakfast and snacks provided were mostly sweets, so alot of very sleepy people.. Lunches were tasty. The trainers took us out for dinner on one night and they even gave us drink coupons (raspberry margaritas, niiice..)
Recommended?: Absolutely. Book it now.

Applying SharePoint 2007 – MOSS Advanced Features, Sharepoint Solutions
When: October 2007, Nashville
Topics Covered: Excel, Infopath, Content management
Overview: Good content and delivery. Some of the modules were on features that we aren’t using on our intranet, so me and my programmer ducked out and went to a state park 😉
Positives: Good overview of topics, friendly instructors
Negatives: Perhaps not deep enough in some areas that I was interested in, but I guess it’s hard when you are covering so much…
Materials Provided: Spiral bound workbook
Accommodation’s, meals, snacks provided: They have their own training center, so that was very nice. They have virtual environments set up for each student, a nice rec area with good coffee and snacks, and a Wii. The hotel was nice and comfy, and the area we were in was beautiful.
Recommended?: Yes

Extreme Makeover SharePoint 2007 Edition – Branding & Customization , Sharepoint Solutions
When: June or July 2007, Nashville
Topics Covered: Branding and customization
Overview: This was only a three day class, so it went rapidly. A lot of the techniques were more code-oriented. Some good instruction and ideas.
Positives: Good content, amiable people
Negatives: Some content too technical. Branding mostly consisted of simple alterations to existing themes and master pages.
Materials Provided: Spiral bound workbook
Accommodation’s, meals, snacks provided: They have their own training center, so that was very nice. They have virtual environments set up for each student, a nice rec area with good coffee and snacks, and a Wii. The hotel was nice and comfy, and the area we were in was beautiful.
Recommended?: Yes, IF Heather’s class is unavailable. If you can only take one branding class, take Heather’s.

Reveal Styles Javascript

UPDATE: I find this script a bit intrusive. I mostly use the IE Developer Toolbar for tracking down the styles in the page-it works a lot like Firebug does in Firefox-highly recommend!

Reveal Styles Script

Background:
I got this script from a Sharepoint Solutions class-not sure if they wrote it… To help with your branding, you need to know what styles affect what. This script helps to reveal that.

How To:
Insert this script (attached as a pdf-wordpress freaked out when i published the code here) into a content editor webpart. It displays a div that shows what styles are being affected wherever you roll over with your mouse. Once you have the style information you need for the page, remove the webpart so that it is not published.