1. SharePoint and jQuery Essentials
Mark Rackley – Solutions Architect /
SharePoint Practice Lead / Developer
Email: mrackley@gmail.com
Blog: http://www.sharepointhillbilly.com
Twitter: @mrackley

2. Workshop Outline
• jQuery Overview / Common methods
• Deployment & Development
• Interacting with SharePoint & the DOM
• Reading / Writing SharePoint List Data
• Using Third Party Libraries
• Putting it all together to build an
application
2

3. jQuery Overview
• What / Why jQuery?
– JavaScript utility library supported by
Microsoft
– Don‟t have to crack open Visual Studio or
deploy solutions (ideal for SharePoint online
and tightly controlled environments)
– It‟s the future

4. jQuery Overview
• What skills do you need?
– JavaScript
– CSS, XML
– A development background
• It IS code
• Uses development constructs
• If you can‟t write code, your ability to do magic will be
limited to what you can copy/paste
– CAML, CAML, CAML… Sorry…
– Ability to think outside the box
• Use all the pieces together

5. jQuery Overview
• What you need to be careful of
– Performance
• Executes on client computer
• Don‟t send too much data over the wire
• Minify your scripts
– Inconsistent results
• Different browsers
• Network speed
• Client machine differences
– Changes in the jQuery library

6. jQuery Overview – JavaScript
Common Methods
JavaScript Description
Classes / Objects var myCar = {
id: 1,
make: “Jeep”,
model: “Wrangler”,
color: “Silver”
}
var vehicles = {};
vehicles[myCar.ID] = myCar;
For each loops For (car in vehicles)
{
var thisCar = vehicles[car];
}
.split() Var numbers = “1,2,3,4,5”;
Var myArray = numbers.split(“,”);
myArray[0] == “1”
.replace() var myString = “This string has spaces”;
var newString = myString.replace(“ “,””);
newString == “Thisstringhasspaces”;

7. jQuery Overview – Common
Methods
Method Description
$(document).ready(function($){}) Where code execution begins after page is loaded
$(“#ElementID”) Returns element with given id
$(“Type[attrib=„value‟]”) Gets element of specific type and attribute value
$(“input[Title=„First Name‟]”)
.show(), .hide(), .toggle() Shows, hides, toggles
.html() Gets the raw html for an element with tags
.text() Contents of an element with HTML tags stripped out
.each(function() {}) Iterate through all elements that are found.
$(“tr”).each(function() { }) would iterate through every row on
the page.
.closest(selector) Get the first element that matches the selector, beginning at the
currently element and progressing UP the DOM
$("input[title=„Field Name']").closest("tr").hide();
.contains() Check to see if a DOM element is within another DOM element
.find() Get the child elements of current element, filtered by a selector
Chaining:
$("#WebPartWPDnn").find("nobr b:contains('Sum = ')").html().split(" = ")[1].replace(",","");

8. Deployment & Development
• Deployment Options
– Document Library
– File System
– CDN
• Reference Options
– CEWP Link to source
– ScriptLinks
– DO NOT ENTER JS DIRECTLY IN
MASTERPAGE

9. Deployment & Development
• Development Tools
– IDE
• Visual Studio
• Notepad++
• SharePoint Designer
– Debugging
• IE Developer Tools
• Chrome debugger
• Fiddler
• Alerts… lots and lots of alerts
• Avoid Console.log (or use it wisely)

10. Interacting with SharePoint &
the DOM
• View the DOM to understand what
elements and classes exist on the page.
• “View page source” (Chrome) and “View
Source” (IE) displays the contests of the
DOM when the page is initially loaded.
• The DOM is always being modified, view
the active DOM in your chosen debugger
to view the DOM as it currently exists.

11. Interacting with SharePoint &
the DOM
Getting/Setting SharePoint Form Fields
• Text Boxes
– $(“input[title=‟My Text Field‟]”).val()
• Selects
– $(“select[title=‟My Choice‟]”).val(mySelectValue);
• Checkboxes
– $("input[title='My Check
box']").removeAttr('checked');
– $("input[title='My Check
box']").attr('checked','checked');
http://sharepointhillbilly.com/archive/2011/08/20/a-dummies-guide-to-sharepoint-and-
jqueryndashgetting-amp-setting-sharepoint.aspx

12. Reading/Writing SharePoint List
Data
• SPServices vs. Client Object Model
Feature SPServices COM
Allows CRUD against SharePoint List Data Yes Yes
Works in SharePoint 2007 Yes No
Works in SharePoint 2010 Yes Yes
Works with Anonymous Access Yes No
Comes with additional helper functions Yes Yes

13. Using Third Party Libraries
• Tips for selection and integration
– Look for supported / document libraries
– Test in target browsers before implementing
– Duplicate file structure
– Test “vanilla” in SharePoint first

14. Using Third Party Libraries
• Some of my favorites
– Content Slider -
http://www.awkwardgroup.com/sandbox/awkward-
showcase-a-jquery-plugin/
– Formatted Tables - http://www.datatables.net/
– Modal Window -
http://www.ericmmartin.com/projects/simplemodal/
– SPServices - http://spservices.codeplex.com/
– Calendar - http://arshaw.com/fullcalendar/

15. Putting it all together
SHAREPOINT TRAINING
APPLICATION