SharePoint Workflow error

Tech Trek – 2017 February

PROBLEM:
User encounters a runtime error when initiating workflows, i.e. nothing happens or failure occurs when attempting to transfer files (via OfficialFile.asmx Web service). Re-executing the workflow would result into the expected behavior.

ROOT CAUSE:
The issue typically happens after a SharePoint upgrade or patch has been applied. As this affects only a certain component, this behavior may not be apparent after the update.

RESOLUTION:

1. Open SharePoint LOGS folder and check the affected log file at the time the event occurred to see if the following Unexpected error is present:
   <Error>
   <CompilerError Line=”0″ Column=”0″
   Text=”Type Microsoft.SharePoint.Workflow.SPWorkflowTaskProperties,
   Microsoft.SharePoint,
   Version=15.0.0.0,
   Culture=neutral,
   PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c is not marked as authorized in the application configuration file.” />
   </Error>
2. Compare entry differences of the most recent web_<date/time>.BAK using a text comparison tool like WinMerge or WinDiff.
3. Open web.config in the Web Front-end server at the following location and add/correct the affected component.
   C:\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\<port number><System.Workflow.ComponentModel.WorkflowCompiler>
   <authorizedTypes>
   <targetFx version=”v4.0″>
   …
   <authorizedType Assembly=”Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=15.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c” Namespace=”Microsoft.SharePoint.Workflow” TypeName=”SPWorkflowTaskProperties” Authorized=”True” />
   </targetFx>
   </authorizedTypes>
   </System.Workflow.ComponentModel.WorkflowCompiler>
4. Perform an iisreset.

I’ve highlighted Version=15.0.0.0 since usually this entry reverts back to 14.0.0.0 in the SharePoint web.config file which causes the unauthorized issue.

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SharePoint files moved into root folder

Tech Trek – 2016 January

PROBLEM –
Users reporting that files are missing in their respective child folders, and eventually being moved into the root folder of the document library.

TROUBLESHOOTING –

1. Identify if the affected SP 2013 site/library is being accessed via SharePoint Workspace (formerly Groove) client and your content is not over these file restrictions.
2. Make sure that the following patch is applied for Workspace 2010 client
   SharePoint Workspace 2010 hotfix – February, 2012
   https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2597939
3. To temporarily address the automatic transfer into the root folder –
   Set Offline Client Availability to No under Advanced Settings for the affected Document Library.

RESOURCES –

• Synchronize SharePoint content with SharePoint workspace
• Manage lists and libraries with many items

MS Excel Add-Ins

Tech Trek – 2016.03.14

PROBLEM –
One or more MS Excel COM Add-Ins are not loaded correctly even after enabling items in Excel Options dialog.

RESOLUTION –

1. Check whether the add-in is listed under Disabled Items in File … Excel Options.

   

2. Otherwise, open registry editor and find the affected Add-Ins in the following registry key path. Change the LoadBehavior value data into 3 (Load at Startup).

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Excel\Addins\
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Word\Addins\

DISCLAIMER:
Make registry updates with care since changes can render your system into an unusable state. Make sure you have a system restore point, or necessary backup before doing changes.

Drag & Drop is not working for SP2013

Tech Trek – 2015.09.28

One of the nice features of SharePoint 2013 is the ability to perform drag & drop file uploads. This is a quicker option from Upload Multiple Documents (known as Upload files using Windows Explorer instead — now that’s a mouthful).

PROBLEM –
Drag & drop function is not working for certain users in any SharePoint 2013 site even though this operation works for others. Files will not being displayed, or uploaded after file drop operation was successfully completed.

RESOLUTION –
Here are the steps to perform to resolve this issue:

1. Make sure prerequisites are installed in the affected PC – see list below.
2. Check if SharePoint-related extensions are enabled under Manage add-ons in Internet Explorer.
   
3. Use an alternate web browser to check if file uploads can be successful.
4. If everything else is fails, check if the machine was previously upgraded from Office 2010 under Programs and Features of Control Panel. Perform an MS Office Repair if multiple versions exist.

SOFTWARE PREREQUISITES –

• Internet Explorer 10 or higher
• Internet Explorer 8 or 9 with MS Office 2013 installed
• Latest version of Firefox or Google Chrome web browser that supports HTML 5 standards

 

SharePoint Checkbox Yes and Empty (No) values

Tech Trek – 2014.07.02

PROBLEM —
SharePoint defaults into “No” (false) value when Checkbox column is not selected. A user requested that it will be easier to isolate “Yes” (true) value when having a Checkbox column. This got me into my thinking cap, so why not?

WORKAROUND —
You can create a Choice column instead with only one item e.g. Yes, in order, to display empty values when users doesn’t select a value. Make this an optional column and leave the default value as blank. You can choose whether to use a drop down style, or checkbox to display the control.

Nice and easy …

SharePoint Send an Email when Owner is Assigned

Tech Trek – 2014.06.28

One of the nice things about SharePoint Task list is the ability to send an email notification when an ownership is assigned. Check out Advanced Settings in List Settings page as shown in the following screenshot.

What if your SharePoint list doesn’t fit the Task template?

But WAIT (pun intended), don’t despair! Open up your friendly SharePoint Designer and let’s build a simple workflow to address this need.

There is a SharePoint Designer action called Wait for field change in current item that you can use for this scenario. Here’s a screenshot where I have a Person/Group column called Item Owner to collect the possible recipient of a list item.

Then, you can use the Send Email action to notify the user after this event has been completed. It is usually best practice to create conditional checks and add a history log entry to denote workflow completion.

Once your custom workflow is published, set the Start options when a new item is created and associate the list. Voila!

New entries will wait for the field to change and send an email after the Owner column is updated.

I’d recommend having a site owner that will manage the list and assign items immediately to the respective people. You can send an email notification to the site owner by using the built-in SharePoint alert when new entries are added.

Mission Accomplished!

SharePoint Foundation compatible application could not be found.

Tech Trek – 2014.02.13

Recently, our remote users have been frequently getting the following issue when opening Microsoft Office documents within SharePoint.

In Word Web App,
“To open this document, your computer must be running a supported version of Microsoft Word and a browser that supports opening files directly from the Office Web Apps.”

In Excel Web App,
“To open this workbook, your computer must have a version of Microsoft Excel installed and your Web browser must support opening files directly from Excel in the browser.”

I’ve outlined how to troubleshoot the issue so that hopefully you wouldn’t get crazy in attempting to decipher the misleading message and find out what happened to the user’s PC.

Note, we have the following basic assumptions —

• Microsoft Office was installed in the first place.
• Internet Explorer 7 (32-bit) or higher is used. Non-IE browsers will open files locally by default and results into the error message below.

First, try opening the affected file using Edit in Microsoft Word (or Excel) from the list item menu. If you get the following message, then, it confirms that this isn’t just an Office Web Apps issue.

Second, try opening another document with a different file format, e.g. PDF document, or ZIP file. Then, open Microsoft Word/Excel application and load the document by accessing the site URL directly.

If you were able to succesfully open files from SharePoint, proceed to the steps below.

• Open Tools … Manage Add-ons in Internet Explorer
• Make sure that the following SharePoint add-ons are enabled especially SharePoint OpenDocuments class.

Most of the time, this will resolve the issue. Close and re-open the browser window to load these add-ons properly, then, try opening Office documents again.

Third, open Office Upload Center via Taskbar icons, or from Microsoft Office –> Office Tools in the Start Menu. Check if there are Pending or Cached Files that have failed recently from the list. Follow the steps below to delete cached files:

• Click Settings and select Delete cached files button. Try to re-open the document to see if it helps. I’ve found most of the time this doesn’t properly delete files in the hidden folder.

Lastly, the following steps should be performed by technical personnel since it involves a couple of steps.

• Exit SharePoint Workspace from Taskbar icons.
• Start Task Manager and click End Process for the following: MSOSYNC.exe, MSOUC.exe, or GROOVE.exe (if SP Workspace is still available).
• Open Windows Explorer and proceed to Users folder in your local hard drive. Make sure that hidden files is selected under View tab of Folder and search options.
• Expand to the following location —
  \Users\<userId>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\<Office version>\OfficeFileCache
• Delete the entire folder.
  Close any Microsoft Office applications if you’re unable to delete the folder successfully.

By this point, most of the issue should be resolved. A workaround that you may instruct end-users is to open files via Open with Explorer under Library ribbon menu, or use SharePoint Workspace to open the site.