Code Tax: Programming With The Taxonomy API In SharePoint 2010

1. Code Tax: Programming With The Taxonomy API In SharePoint 2010 Patrick Tucker

2. About Me • Patrick Tucker • Strategic Data Systems, MS Gold Partner • Principal Consultant, SharePoint • MCT, MCTS, MCPD, MCITP, MCSD, MCAD, MCDBA • Patrick.Tucker@sds-consulting.com | tuckersnet@live.com • Blog: www.tuckersnet.com • Twitter: @TuckersNet

3. The Managed Metadata Experience How do we interact with managed metadata in sharepoint?

4. Managed Metadata in SharePoint • A way to do classification of content based on attributes • Applies to documents, list items & pages at the column level • Assists SharePoint in being a document management & collaboration platform • Taxonomy and Folksonomy

5. Where Is Managed Metadata Surfaced? • The Taxonomy picker Control • Managed Metadata Columns • The Document Information Panel • Search

6. Managed Metadata and Taxonomy • Managed Metadata Service Application • Taxonomy Term Store • Term Sets • Managed Metadata Column Type

7. Taxonomy Term Store • Available through Managed Metadata Service • Comprised of system or admin created term sets • Term sets may be global or local, open or closed • Hierarchical • Groups contain Term Sets • Term sets contain terms • Terms may have a default label and other labels (Synonyms)

8. Behind the Scenes • Taxonomies are stored in a single database • Each root site in a site collection contains a “TaxonomyHiddenList” • The “Taxonomy Update Scheduler” timer job syncs hourly to update this list • Taxonomy field values are implemented as lookup columns • The “Managed Metadata” Field is actually comprised of multiple columns • TaxonomyField • TaxKeywordTaxHTField • “TaxCatchAll” • “TaxCatchAllLabel”

9. Managed Metadata Limitations • Practical Limitations: • Not supported in InfoPath forms • Not supported in SharePoint Workspace • Not supported in Datasheet views • Limited Support in SPD Workflows • Per TechNet, the recommended storage guidelines are: • Max 7 levels of nesting in a term store • Max 1000 term sets in a term store • Max 30,000 terms in a term set • Max 1 million total items in a term store

10. The Taxonomy API Working with the managed metadata service programmatically

11. Options • Server side object model (Microsoft.SharePoint.Taxonomy) • Sorry, not available to sandboxed solutions • The Taxonomy Client Service • Declarative XML • PowerShell

12. Object Model • Need to Reference Microsoft.SharePoint.Taxonomy DLL • Entry point is a new Taxonomy Session, connects to MMS instance • Classes in Taxonomy Namespace mirror Hierarchy Seen in Term Store Management Tool • TaxonomySession class • TermStore class (takes name of MMS Proxy) • Group class • TermSet class • Term class (may contain nested terms)

13. So The Hierarchy Is…

14. Terms, Keywords and Synonyms • Terms are either managed terms or enterprise keywords • Each Term may be marked as available for tagging • Each term has a default label • Synonyms are added under the “Other Labels” section • Synonyms are exposed in code through a labels collection on each term. The default label is the first term in the collection.

15. Creating New Term Store Items In Code • Get a reference to session . . . Term Store • The termStore class contains a CreateGroup method • The Group class contains a CreateTermSet method • The TermSet class contains a create term method Tips to Remember . . . • Adding items to the term store is transactional. We must remember to call “CommitAll()”

16. DEMO • Traverse the hierarchy of groups, Term Sets and Terms • Display the hierarchy in a tree view control via a custom web part • Create a new group, term set and terms programmatically • Retrieve and display the newly created terms

17. The Taxonomy Client Service • The taxonomyclientservice.svc is available, but limited • Operations to retrieve term store items and add terms are available

18. Taxonomy Client Service • Navigate to http://sitecollectionUrl/_vti_bin/taxonomyclientservice.asmx • Do you know the Guids of your term store and term Set? • XML parsing is in your future

19. The Taxonomy Field Type • Custom list definitions will need to create the field – Declaratively or programmatically (or both) • This field is exposed in the UI via the taxonomy picker control • Page layouts may also make use of this field type to tag pages as well as items and documents

20. Implementing a Taxonomy Field in a Custom List • Declarative approach • Will need sspID and term set Guids in XML • Programmatic approach • also works with partial declarative code

21. Setting Taxonomy Field Values • Allows the user to select term(s) to tag content • The control shows up on new and edit forms • The control may be used on custom page layouts

22. DEMO • Use the taxonomy web service to display term store items • Create a custom list definition that contains a managed metadata column • Set a taxonomy field value for a list item in code

23. The Undiscovered Country What’s new with managed metadata in SharePoint 2013?

24. So What’s Changed in 2013? • Managed Metadata Navigation • Terms intended use may be for navigation • Target pages are attached to terms and drive the navigation of the site • CSOM – Client Side Object Model Support • Available to .NET, Silverlight and JavaScript • Projects may reference the Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Taxonomy assembly • Datasheet view support for the managed metadata column type • Custom properties may be added to a term to store additional Data • More than just additional labels, this is a dictionary of metadata for your metadata • Exposed in the Taxonomy Term Store management UI and in code

25. Q and A • Patrick.Tucker@sds-consulting.com | tuckersnet@live.com • Blog: www.tuckersnet.com • Twitter: @TuckersNet