SharePoint Interview Question & Answers Q2

Explain 1) BDC 2) BCS

1) BDC - Also called Business Data Catalogue is used to connect to an external database and read it in SharePoint.

2) BCS - Also called Business connectivity Services is new in SharePoint2010. BCS aids in reading and writing into the external Database.

Explain Content types in Sharepoint.

- A content type is a WSS type definition which is flexible and reusable.

- It is used to define the columns and behavior for an item in a list or a document in a document library.

Differentiate between Library vs List.

- Library is used to store the document whereas Lists are the container of similar items in the form of rows and columns.

- Core documents like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint can be created using a Library while you can not create a document in a List. List can be used to attach a document.

What do you mean by Field Control?

- Field controls are ASP.NET 2.0 server controls. They provide basic field functionality in SharePoint.

- They also provide basic general functionality such as displaying or editing list data as it appears on SharePoint list pages.

What are the various types of input forms that can be created for a workflow?

Four tyes of input forms can be created for a workflow:

1. Association form

2. Initiation form

3. Modification form

4. Task edit form

Explain an ancestral type. How is it related to content types?

- An ancestral type is the base type that the content typed is derived from.

- It defines the metadata fields included with the custom content type.

Explain Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server?

- SharePoint Portal Server is a portal server that connects people, teams, and knowledge across business processes.

- It integrates information from various systems into one secure solution through single sign-on and enterprise application integration capabilities.

- It provides flexible deployment and management tools, and facilitates end-to-end collaboration through data aggregation, organization, and searching.

- It enables users to quickly find relevant information through customization and personalization of portal content and layout as well as through audience targeting.

Explain 1) Custom action

- It Represents a link, toolbar button, menu item, or any control that can be added to a toolbar or menu appearing in the UI.

- Custom actions are defined through a custom action element within a feature definition file. Custom actions can be bound to a list type, content type, file type, or programmatic identifier (ProgID).

Event receiver

- Event receivers can be defined by using a receiver element within a feature definition file.

- They evaluate an event and define the behavior of an application.

Explain Module in Sharepoint

- A module is a file or collection of file instances which define the location where the files are installed during site creation.

- They are used to implement a Web Part Page in the site.

- Modules can be defined by using a module element within a feature definition file.

What are the different types of base classes used in web-part?

Sharepoint allows the business to collaborate using the same platform for the enterprise as well as web. It also allows many individuals to easily create and manage the websites. There are two types of bases classes that are used by share-point and they are:

1. Share-Point Web-Part Base class : Allows the derived web-part base class to inherit the properties from the Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.WebPart

2. ASP.NET 2.0 Web-Part base class : Allows the derived base class to inherit the properties from the default class of System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart. This is the most widely used class.

What is the difference between the Sharepoint Web-Part and ASP.NET 2.0 Web-Part base class?

The difference between the two types lies in the architecture produced by them:

Sharepoint webpart base class : Is designed to build over the Microsoft ASP.NET web part infrastructure. Whereas, ASP.NET 2.0 WebParts base class : Provide the integrated set of controls to create a website. This enable the user to modify the content and behavior of the webpage using the user interface and directly from the browser.

Sharepoint webpart base class : It provides the backward compatibility and can be used with ASP.NET application also and other applications that include the functionality to execute the code. Whereas, ASP.NET 2.0 WebParts base class : Doesn't include backward compatibility and allow easy to use user interface.

Sharepoint webpart base class : There are some features to be provided with it such as:

1. Cross page connections : This is used to include the pages that are connected with each other but not as a part of the website.

2. Connections between Web Parts : These are the connections that are outside the Web Part.

3. Client-side connections : Includes the webpart service components that include all the services that are required to be shown.

4. Data caching infrastructure : Consists of the data structure that is used to keep all the data in the cache for future use.

Whereas, ASP.NET webparts base class : Consists of controls that can be saved and some session that can be personalized using the web part capabilities.

What is the function of Global Assembly Cache in Sharepoint?

Global assembly cache includes the assembly code or the machine code that is used to run the program so that it doesn't have to bring the program in the memory. If the same program runs again then the binaries are fetched from the cache itself that makes it faster and easier to manage. It provides custom binaries that are deployed to be used in between the receiver and the sender. It is used with the .NET assemblies cache for the command line platform. It consists of the totally controlled repositories with the addresses given of the shared library.

Explain the CreateChildControls() method with an example

CreateChildControls() method notifies the server about the control that to implement the child controls for posting back and for rendering. The statement is given as:

Protected: virtual void CreateChildControls();

The example shows the implementation of the CreateChildControls() method that is:

‘Override CreateChildControls to create the control tree.

<System.Security.Permissions._

PermissionSetAttribute(System.Security._

Permissions.SecurityAction.Demand, Name:="FullTrust")> _

Protected Overrides Sub CreateChildControls()

' Add a LiteralControl to the current ControlCollection.

Me.Controls.Add(New LiteralControl("<h3>Value: "))

' Create a text box control, set the default Text property,

' and add it to the ControlCollection.

Dim box As New TextBox()

box.Text = "0"

Me.Controls.Add(box)

Me.Controls.Add(New LiteralControl("</h3>"))

End Sub 'CreateChildControls

This is the method that is used to instantiate the control and fetches the properties to set it according to the website. The add () method of the control class adds the control in the collection. The method CreateChildControls () implies that the WebPart consists of a collection of child controls.

What is the purpose of WebPartManager sealed class?

WebPartManager sealed class consists of the responsibility for the management that is occuring on the webpage. This consists of controls, events and other activities that need to be saved and worked upon. It is responsible to provide a central calss through which the data can be controlled using the control set. It consists of all the methods that are required by the control developers for the extension of WebPartManager that controlled inside the WebPartManagerInternals class. It includes simplifies API and libraries that inherit the customized properties of the control. It includes the controls with custom display modes, zones, verbs, WebPart controls, and extensions that are used for web user interface.

What is the purpose of SPWebApplication object represented in sharepoint?

SPWebApplication object comes under the SPWebApplication class that is the parent class used to run the web services of the web. There are instances of the applications that are made as an application and configured to provide the identity to various objects. This class provides the namespace that provides the webapplication properties through which user can access the web applications. The application is used as a sharepoint web application that provides an IIS virtual server to be implemented and the instance is created to provide the operation for creating new web application through the code. It is also used to provide the user with the web level setting to display their pages and modify it directly from the browsers.

Write a program that connects the reference to the sharepoint list.

The program that is used to connect the references given for the object and allow the insertion of the new list is as follows:

using(SPSite my =new SPSite("serverurl"))

{

    using(SPWeb myWeb = my.OpenWeb())

    {

        SPList interviewList = myWeb.Lists["insert"];

        SPListItem newItem = interviewList.Items.Add();

        newItem["carrerride"] = "carrerride";

        newItem.Update();

    }

}

In this the references are used to connect the items from the list like the use of new operator that is used to create an object or an instance to include the items that are required to be inserted in the list of the items with proper linking.

What is the function and use of CAML?

CAML is known as Collaborative Application Mark-up Language and it is an XML based mark-up language. It is used with the family of Microsoft technologies with the Sharepoint. CAML consists of some very specific groups of tags that defines and displays the data used in the database. It is used to store the list definitions using the file name ONET. XML and other files that are related to it. The CAML is used to define the elements that exist on a particular instance of the web site. It also displays the sub-elements that are used in ASPX files. These files define the arrangement and displaying of the element in proper format. CAML is used as the language for the query purpose to represent the views of the programming language using certain inbuilt APIs.

What are the different types of elements used in CAML?

CAML allows the developers to construct and display the data using the rendering process and other processes. CAML consists of different types of elements to represent the lists and the sites by using some predefined style.