As we’ve discussed, SharePoint is a web content platform for sharing information. Like many of the programs of this type that use an intuitive graphical interface to manage everything, this one also has a part that is meant for developers who know coding. For SharePoint programming there are different technologies used, such as SQL Server, ASP.NET, Windows Workflow and IIS. You don’t have to take everything from the start, so those who are already familiar with other programming environments will not have many problems with this platform if they use it for development.
SharePoint Programming Overview
Through SharePoint programming the user may have access to more functions and this makes the system more flexible and provides more control to the user. You can use Visual Studio for development, Microsoft SharePoint Foundation SDK, or the third version of the SharePoint Server. In the following section, some basic tasks will be shown regarding the use of the Software Development Kit.
Reading the Value of a Field in a List Item
You have to get reference to the site that you want the list to be delivered to for reading the value of a specific item list field value. In the next phase, you need a reference to the list and to the particular field in the end. Once you get reference to the site containing the list, the reference to the list itself can be obtained if you use the method GetList(String) that belongs to the SPWeb object. This can also be made by using an index of the SPWeb.Lists property.
Now you have reference to the list. For getting reference to a list item, you could use the method GetItemByIdSelected(Int32, []). This option is known to provide the most performance. The next phase is reading the value of a field, which can be done by using an index of the SPListItem object. You can choose one of the three types of indexes: Int32, Guid and String.
Returning Items from a List
For this purpose, you could use one of the different GetItem methods that are part of the SPList class. You will be able to get an object called SPListItemCollection. This object is actually a subset of items or exactly the particular item that you may require. For instance, this step can help you return items from a Calendar list in a website, but only when the event happens after a particular date.
Creating or Deleting List Items
In order to create List Items, you have to use the method called Add from the class SPListItemColletcion. Then, you will have to update the database so the new item can be recognized. This can be done by using the method named Update in the class SPListItem.
Bottom Line
The notions presented above are just some basic tasks that you can perform in the SharePoint programming SDK. In order to better understand the process, you could use some examples of how each procedure works. References can be obtained for websites, web applications and different key objects. No matter what type of SharePoint programming you choose to become specialized in, some of these tasks may become part of your daily routine.
