SharePoint mobile app—your intranet in your pocket

The intranet is the nerve center of many organizations. It provides content-centric collaborative spaces that give teams the resources they need to work together. It lets users consume and contribute news and information within their teams and across the organization. It manages knowledge and connects users to content through navigation and search. It hosts applications that support and automate business processes.

SharePoint is now making your intranet more accessible on the go, more intelligent, and more personalized, based on your activities across sites, the people you work with, the content you work on and the business processes you drive.

We’re thrilled to announce the SharePoint mobile app, designed for Windows, iOS and Android, to put your intranet in your pocket, with full-fidelity access to company news and announcements, people, sites, content and apps—no matter where you are. And the app will incorporate your on-premises SharePoint sites, as well.

The new SharePoint mobile app helps you keep your work moving forward by providing quick access to your team sites, organization portals and resources, and even a view into what the people you work with are working on. And this new app is infused with the intelligence of the Microsoft Graph, which applies machine learning to activity in Office 365 to connect you to the relevant documents and people around you. The SharePoint mobile app works with SharePoint Online in Office 365, SharePoint Server (2013 and 2016) on-premises and your hybrid environment. Once you launch the app on your iPhone, you’ll be prompted to sign in with your SharePoint credentials. The SharePoint mobile app lets you easily switch between accounts.

The Sites tab takes you to a list of the sites you visit frequently and sites you’re following. Click on a site to see recent activity, recent files and the site’s assets (documents, lists, subsites, pages and more). You can also share the site. When you click to a team site, you immediately see how the SharePoint mobile app natively renders the site elements quickly and beautifully.

The SharePoint mobile app also links to other Office apps. For example, when you click an Office document in the Recent files pivot, it will take you directly into the corresponding Office mobile app. Similarly, when you access a SharePoint document library within a team site, you will be taken into the OneDrive mobile app for iOS to view, share, discover and manage files stored across Office 365. Learn more how the two apps work together.

The People tab gives you visibility into what the people you work with are working on. Find and browse colleagues in your network. Tap on an individual to see their contact card and discover what they are working on and who they are working with based on intelligence powered by Office 365.

The Links tab takes you to sites and portals programmed for everyone in your company to see. These are curated by your SharePoint admin(s) from the SharePoint home in Office 365. And if you have invested in responsive, mobile-designed portals, they will shine through in the app. Microsoft, too, is investing in responsive design as a top priority to ensure all new experiences (like the SharePoint home in Office 365, Microsoft Delve and Office 365 Video) are mobile and responsive by default.

Search—The SharePoint mobile app provides search throughout with clean results—filtered by sites, files and people. When you perform a search in the SharePoint mobile app, you are connecting through full enterprise search, so you can find content and people from across your intranet, SharePoint team sites, company portals and the OneDrive for Business folders you have access to, including content recommendations powered by the Microsoft Graph.

What’s next

The SharePoint mobile app for iOS is just a first step on the SharePoint mobile journey, and we are excited to continue to build on what we’ve started. We’ll continue delivering enhancements to the app, such as support of cross-company news and announcements, coming later this year. We are also working on Android and Windows Universal versions, which we expect to release before the end of this year.

Differences between SharePoint 2013 and SharePoint 2010

SharePoint 2013	SharePoint 2010
What is SharePoint 2013 (Preview) - A new version of Microsoft famous Collaboration portal called SharePoint. The version adds few new exciting features such as Social Feed, SharePoint Apps, and cross-site publishing.	What is SharePoint 2010 - It is a previous or I should say the current version of SharePoint that was released in the year 2010.
Development Changes – In SharePoint 2013 Microsoft Introduced a new Cloud App Model for designing Apps for SharePoint. Apps for SharePoint are self-contained pieces of functionality that extend the capabilities of a SharePoint website. You can use HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and protocols like the Open Data protocol (OData), and OAuth to communicate with SharePoint using Apps. Tools – SharePoint 2013 has Introduced New Tools for App development. Visual Studio 2012 now lets you develop apps for SharePoint and apps for Office. In addition, new web-based tools called “Napa” Office 365 Development Tools were introduced for developing apps. No more Sandbox solutions. SharePoint 2013 sandboxed solutions are deprecated. So, all we got is the New App model and the Old SharePoint Farm solutions. check out SharePoint 2013 – Apps Vs Farm solutions	Development Changes – SharePoint 2010 Introduced Sandbox solutions to help developers deploy code that did not affect the whole farm. In SharePoint 2010 you could use Server Object model and Client Object model (.Net Managed, ECMAScript and Silverlight) to extract data from SharePoint. In SharePoint 2010 developers were also developing Farm solutions as they did with the previous SharePoint 2007 version.
Social and Collaboration features –  Microsoft in SharePoint 2013 Introduced new Social capabilities for better collaboration in the company.New Features added are - Interactive feed Community Site Follow people Follow Sites	Social and Collaboration features - SharePoint 2010 had very few social capabilities. My sites Tags and Tag profile pages Notes
Search - SharePoint 2013 includes several enhancements, custom content processing with the Content Enrichment web service, and a new framework for presenting search result types. Some of the features added are – Consolidated Search Results Rich Results Framework keyword query language (KQL) enhancements	Search – SharePoint 2010 had Introduced Integrated FAST search as an Enterprise search. In addition to this build-in SharePoint search is still widely used in companies.
Enterprise Content Management (ECM) - SharePoint 2013 added some of the best capabilities of an ECM software. The newly added stuff is Design Manager Managed Navigation Cross-site Publishing EDiscovery	Enterprise Content Management(ECM) -SharePoint 2010, on the other hand, had Introduced Managed metadata and taxonomy as a part of new ECM benefits for SP 2010. This version did not have Managed Navigation and Cross-site Publishing. SharePoint designer was a primary tool to modify Master pages instead of the new Design Manager.

Overview of the SharePoint Framework

The SharePoint Framework (SPFx) is a page and web part model that provides full support for client-side SharePoint development, easy integration with SharePoint data, and support for open source tooling.

With the SharePoint Framework, you can use modern web technologies and tools in your preferred development environment to build productive experiences and apps that are responsive and mobile-ready from day one.

The SharePoint Framework works for SharePoint Online and for on-premises (SharePoint 2016 Feature Pack 2).

Key features of the SharePoint Framework include:

1.      Runs in the context of the current user and connection in the browser. There are no iFrames for the customization (JavaScript is embedded directly into the page).

2.      The controls are rendered in the normal page DOM.

3.      The controls are responsive and accessible by nature.

4.      Enables the developer to access the lifecycle - including, in addition, to render - load, serialize and deserialize, configuration changes, and more.

5.      It's framework agnostic. You can use any JavaScript framework that you like: React, Handlebars, Knockout, Angular, and more.

6.      The toolchain is based on common open source client development tools like npm, TypeScript, Yeoman, webpack, and gulp.

7.      Performance is reliable.

8.      End users can use SPFx client-side solutions that are approved by the tenant administrators (or their delegates) on all sites, including self-service team, group, or personal sites.

9.      SPFx web parts can be added to both classic and modern pages.

The runtime model improves on the Script Editor web part. It includes a robust client API, an HttpClient object that handles authentication to SharePoint and Office 365, contextual information, easy property definition and configuration, and more.

That architecture worked well in environments with only one enterprise, but it didn’t scale to the cloud, where multiple tenants run side-by-side. Thus, we introduced two alternative models: client-side JavaScript injection, and SharePoint Add-ins. Both solutions have pros and cons.

JavaScript injection

One of the most popular web parts in SharePoint Online is the Script Editor. You can paste JavaScript into the Script Editor web part and have that JavaScript execute when the page renders. It’s simple and rudimentary, but effective. It runs in the same browser context as the page and is in the same DOM, so it can interact with other controls on the page. It is also relatively performant, and simple to use.

SharePoint Add-in model

The current option for solutions that run in NoScript sites is the add-in/app-part model. This implementation creates an iFrame where the actual experience resides and executes. The advantage is that because it's external to the system and has no access to the current DOM/connection, it's easier for information workers to trust and deploy. End users can install add-ins on NoScript sites.

SharePoint 2013/2010 Interview questions - Part 2

Q1: Can you deploy .wsp Solutions from SharePoint 2010 in SharePoint 2013?

Ans: Yes. SharePoint 2013 provides Support for both 14 Hive and 15 Hive. Solutions from SharePoint 2010 can be deployed in SharePoint 2013 either in 14 Hive,15 Hive or both. This can be done using the new “CompatabilityLevel” parameter of Install-SPSolution cmdlet with which you can now Deploy your wsp Solutions to 14 hive, 15 hive or both. For more Info see DEPLOY SHAREPOINT 2010 SOLUTIONS IN SHAREPOINT 2013

 Q2: Can you Create & Deploy Sandbox Solutions in SharePoint 2013?
Ans: Sandbox Solutions are depreciated in SharePoint 2013.You can still Create them and deploy them but they are not supported by Microsoft (not 100% sure about this though).

Q3: What is the new JS Link Property on SPField?
Ans: New “SPField.JSLink” property has been added to help specify any external JavaScript file Containing any Rendering logic for Out-of-Box or Custom field type.WithJSLink developers can now Control the Rendering (the presentation and validation) of any Field (Custom or Out-of-box) on List forms as well as in Views by simply adding a reference to an External or deployed JavaScript file.

Q4: Whats are the new Delegate Controls in SharePoint 2013?
Ans: In SharePoint 2013, three New Delegate Controls have been Introduced for the purpose of displaying the new Top Suite bar (with links SkyDrive, NewsFeed,Sync,follow). These Controls are -

SuiteBarBranding

Delegate delegate Control    

SuiteLinksDelegate delegate Control   

PromotedActions Delegate Control

Q5: What are the Changes in CSOM and REST based APIs?
Ans:  Microsoft has improved both Client Side Object Model (CSOM) and Representational State Transfer (REST) based APIs by adding a much-needed support for the Search, User Profiles, Taxonomies, and Publishing Object Model.Client.svc service is extended with REST capabilities and accepts HTTP GET, PUT, POST requests.

Q6: What’s the new App model?
Ans: SharePoint 2013 Introduces a Cloud App Model that enables you to Createapps.Apps for SharePoint are self-contained pieces of functionality that extend the capabilities of a SharePoint website. An app may include SharePoint components such as lists, workflows, and site pages, but it can also surface a remote web application and remote data in SharePoint.

Q8: What's new Mobility Feature in SharePoint 2013?
Ans: With the new mobility features in SharePoint 2013, you can create SharePointpowered mobile applications for Windows Phone using the new SharePoint phone application wizard template in Visual Studio. You can integrate new features introduced in SharePoint 2013, such as the Geolocation field type and “push" notifications from SharePoint Server, into your mobile applications.

Q9: What are new Apps for SharePoint?
Ans: SharePoint 2013 introduces a Cloud App Model that enables you to create apps. Apps for SharePoint are self - contained pieces of functionality that extend the capabilities of a SharePoint website. An app may include SharePoint components such as lists, workflows, and site pages, but it can also surface a remote web application and remote data in SharePoint.

Q10: What are Callout Popups in SharePoint 2013.
Ans: Similar to Dialog framework in SharePoint 2010, Microsoft has added a new Callout Popup framework to Create Hover Popups that you know as Preview Windowsas well. This Notification\Tooltip\Help (whatever you call it..) Callout Popups can be fully Customized to add Custom Text & Actions for guiding End-users.For more details see The new Hover Over\Preview\Callout Popups in SharePoint 2013.

Q11: Is Callout Popups a replacement to Dialogs in SharePoint 2013.
Ans: No. Dialog Framework still exists.

Q12: Can we view PDF files in Callout Popups?
Ans: Yes. A Custom Result type and Display template would be needed.

Q13: Are there any Changes to Solutions deployed in \bin directory and GAC in SharePoint 2013?
Ans: You can no longer add partial trust Solution Packages to the \bin directory.Any files deployed to the \bin directory must be full trust. Any deployment scripts need to be updated to make sure that they specify the correct trust level. After the release of .NET Framework 4.0, the GAC was split into two, one for each CLR.
c:\windows\assembly is the location for .NET versions 1.0 through 3.5 and c:\windows\microsoft.net\assembly is location for all the dlls for project Created in .NET Framework 4.0.

 Q14: How are Sandbox Solution Migrated in SharePoint 2013?
Ans: Sandbox Solutions are upgraded with the Content databases.

Q15: What’s new with Visual WebPart in SharePoint 2013?
Ans: A new Visual WebPart Template has been added to Visual Studio 2012 for Creating Visual Webparts for SharePoint 2013. In this new Template both the User Control and WebPart Classes are merged to Create one template unlike SharePoint 2010 where you had a separate ascx and webpart file.Also, now you can Create both Sandbox and Farm solutions using Visual WebPart Template.

Q16: What’s the new TilesViewWebPart in SharePoint 2013?
Ans: SharePoint 2013 Introduces a new “Getting Started” WebPart that has “Tiles” to provide an easy access to some of the main links in the Site like – adding lists\libraries,Creatingmasterpageetc.To Programmatically Create this new WebPart a new abstract base class TilesViewWebPart has been added in SharePoint API.You have to Create a Custom Webpart and Inherit from TilesViewWebpart and Override GetTiles() to Create Custom tiles.

Hybrid search in SharePoint

Hybrid search lets your users search for files and documents across SharePoint Server and Office 365 at the same time. Depending on how you set up hybrid search, you can have only on-premises users search for content stored in Office 365, only online users search for content stored in SharePoint Server, or both user groups search for content stored in the other environment.

There are two variants of hybrid search:

•         Cloud hybrid search
•         Hybrid federated search

     Hybrid search?

     With the cloud hybrid search solution for SharePoint, you index all your crawled content, including on-premises content, in your search index in Office 365. When users enter a query in a search center, they get search results from the Office 365 search index, and thus get results both from on-premises and Office 365 content.

     Hybrid federated search?

     With the hybrid federated search solution for SharePoint, you federate results from your search index in SharePoint Server 2013 and your search index in Office 365. When users enter a query in a search center, they get search results from the Office 365 search index and from the SharePoint Server 2013 search index, and thus get results both from on-premises and Office 365 content.

     Cloud hybrid search or hybrid federated search - what's the difference for your users?     With cloud hybrid search, search results come from one search index. A search center in for example SharePoint Online in Office 365 displays and ranks results in one single result block. SharePoint Online calculates search relevance ranking and refiners for all your results, regardless of whether the results come from on-premises or Office 365 content.

With hybrid federated search, search results come from two indexes. A search center in for example SharePoint Online in Office 365 displays and ranks results in two result blocks. SharePoint Online displays and ranks search results from Office 365 content, but uses the ranking from SharePoint Server 2013 for search results from on-premises content and displays these search results in the order that they arrive.

Should you choose cloud hybrid search or hybrid federated search?

We recommend that you choose cloud hybrid search for these benefits:

• ·        Your users get unified search results, search relevance ranking, and refiners even if your organization has a hybrid deployment with content both on-premises and in Office 365.
• ·        Your users automatically get the newest SharePoint Online search experience without your organization having to update your existing SharePoint servers.
• ·        Your users can use cloud capabilities such as Office Delve also for your on-premises content.
• ·        You no longer have to worry about the size of your search index, because your search index is in Office 365. This means that the footprint of your SharePoint Server 2013 search farm is smaller, and your total cost of ownership for search is lower.
• ·        You don't need to upgrade any of your existing installations of SharePoint to have enterprise search in the cloud because SharePoint Server 2013 supports crawling of existing SharePoint Server 2007, SharePoint Server 2010 and SharePoint Server 2013 content farms.
• ·        You no longer have to migrate your search index to a newer version of SharePoint because this happens automatically for you in Office 365.
• If you have some on-premises content that’s highly sensitive and shouldn’t be indexed outside your on-premises network, then we recommend using a combination of cloud hybrid search and hybrid federated search.

New and improved features in SharePoint Server 2016

Feature	Description
Access Services	New Access features are available when you deploy Access Services in SharePoint Server 2016 .
Compliance features	New compliance features for SharePoint Server 2016 include the document deletion and in-place hold policies.
Customized web parts	The compile time for customized XSLT files used for Content Query, Summary Links, and Table of Contents Web Parts is improved.
Document Library accessibility	SharePoint Server 2016 includes new document library accessibility features.
Durable links	Resource-based URLs now retain links when documents are renamed or moved in SharePoint.
Encrypted Connections	SharePoint Server 2016 supports TLS 1.2 connection encryption by default.
Fast Site Collection Creation	The Fast Site Collection Creation feature is a rapid method to create site collections and sites in SharePoint.
Filenames - expanded support for special characters	SharePoint Server 2016 now supports using some special characters in file names that were blocked in previous versions.
Hybrid in SharePoint 2016	Hybrid in SharePoint Server 2016 enables you to integrate your on-premises farm with Office 365 productivity experiences, allowing you to adopt the cloud at your own pace.
Identify and search for sensitive content	SharePoint Server 2016 now provides the same data loss prevention capabilities as Office 365.
Image and video previews	You can now preview images and videos in SharePoint Server 2016 document libraries.
Information Rights Management	SharePoint Server 2016 provides Information Rights Management (IRM) capabilities to secure information by encrypting and securing information on SharePoint libraries with OneDrive for Business.
Large file support	SharePoint Server 2016 now supports uploading and downloading files larger than 2,047 MB.
MinRole	MinRole is a new feature in SharePoint Server 2016 that allows a SharePoint farm administrator to define each server’s role in a farm topology.
Mobile experience	SharePoint Server 2016 offers an improved mobile navigation experience.
New features in November 2016 PU for SharePoint Server 2016 (Feature Pack 1)	The November 2016 Public Update for SharePoint Server 2016 (Feature Pack 1) offers seven new features for SharePoint Server 2016.
New controls for working with OneDrive for Business	SharePoint Server 2016 provides controls at the top of your personal document folders that make common tasks in OneDrive for Business more accessible.
New Recycle Bin in OneDrive and Team sites	SharePoint Server 2016 adds a link for the Recycle Bin in the left navigation area of the OneDrive and Team sites.
Open Document Format (ODF)	SharePoint Server 2016 adds support for Open Document Format (ODF) files to use in document library templates.
Project Server	New Project Server features are available in SharePoint Server 2016.
ReFS file system support	SharePoint Server 2016 now supports drives that are formatted with the ReFS file system.
SharePoint business intelligence	SharePoint Server 2016 now supports SQL Server 2016 CTP 3.1 and the Power Pivot add-in and Power View.
SharePoint Search	SharePoint Search Server Application has significant changes to its deployment.
Sharing improvements	SharePoint Server 2016 has many new sharing improvements available.
Site Folders view	SharePoint Server 2016 provides a new Site Folders view that lets you access the document libraries in sites that you're following.
Sites page pinning	This new feature helps you see and follow sites.
SMTP Connection Encryption	SharePoint Server 2016 supports sending email to SMTP servers that use STARTTLS connection encryption.
SMTP ports (non-default)	SharePoint Server 2016 adds support for SMTP servers that use TCP ports other than the default port (25).
Web Application Open Platform Interface Protocol (WOPI)	You can now rename files, create new files, and share files from within the WOPI iframe on the browser page.