SharePoint form Integration

Description: This document will provide instruction on how to use the services created by Tommy Rush for anonymous form submissions to a UFconnect SharePoint list.

Author: UF Web Services

Author contact: webmaster@ufl.edu

Author URI: http://webservices.it.ufl.edu/

Prequisites

Planning: develop your form architecture, and know which input fields you will be needing.
Create your UFconnect SharePoint list, and add your custom columns that correspond with the input filed that will be used with your form.
Add user UFAD\ap-svc-sharepoint-fo to your SharePoint list, and grant it contribute permissions. This will be the user that posts to the SharePoint list.

Static HTML Form

Develop your form as needed, a simple example is below:

<form method="post">
Name:<br>
<input type="text" name="name" value="your name"><br>
E-mail:<br>
<input type="text" name="mail" value="your email"><br>
Comment:<br>
<input type="text" name="comment" value="your comment" size="50"><br><br>
Service Requested<br>
<select name="services">
<option value="hosting">Hosting</option>
<option value="hosting">DNS</option>
</select><br><br>
<input type="submit" value="Send">
<input type="reset" value="Reset">
</form>

Which generates:

The service consumes the name="" field of the input tags to direct the information into the proper column in your SharePoint list. You may submit to some of the predefined columns in your SharePoint list, but not all. You may use Category and Description fields currently, but any other field you may need will have to be made in sharepoint.

Replace `name=""` filed with the appropriate SharePoint labels

Sharepoint labels aren't entirely inuitive. Follow the steps below to modify your form to be consumed by SharePoint.

* Please note: name='' fields are case sensitive *

If using the Category and Description fields, change the name="" field:

If using the Category field, change <select name="services"> to <select name="Category">
If using Description field, change <input type="text" name="comment" value="your comment" size="50"> to <input type="text" name="Body" value="your comment" size="50">

For all other cases, you have created the custom columns in SharePoint. To view the labels created by SharePoint.

In your list:

Select List Tools
Select List
Select List Settings
Under Columns, select the custom column you have created
Unfortunately there is no elegant way to view the input name. The name exists only in the address bar of your broswer. The name will be at the end of the address, and is prefixed by Field=. See the screen shot below.

Replace the name="" field in your form associated with the SharePoint column to the string you have discovered. name="mail" changes to name="Contact_x0020_Gatorlink". Repeat with any other fields that are associated with custom Columns in your SharePoint list.

Add hidden fields required by the service

The service created by Tommy Rush requires some more details about your SharePoint list. You will need to add two hidden input fields:

<input id="SGUID" class="SP" name="SGUID" type="Hidden" 
value="{XXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX}" />
<input id="SPATH" class="SP" name="SPATH" type="Hidden" value="INST/DEPT/SUBDEPT/APPLICATION" 
/>

These fields require some explanation.

The SGUID can be found:

While you are at the main listing for your list (E.g. https://connect.ufl.edu/at/ATEAM/virt/Lists/UFApps/AllItems.aspx) select list -> list settings. The SGUID of the form can be found at the end of the URL.

E.g. https://connect.ufl.edu/at/ATEAM/virt/_layouts/listedit.aspx?List=%7B5D044E9B-4524-48AE-8396-97C89337FD8A%7D

You will notice the string after ?List= has %7B and %7D in place of curly brackets. Replace them with the curly brackets to make a porperly formatted SGUID. %7B5D044E9B-4524-48AE-8396-97C89337FD8A%7D becomes {5D044E9B-4524-48AE-8396-97C89337FD8A}

The SPATH can be found:

Under List settings, you can see the full Web Address for your list.

E.g. https://connect.ufl.edu/at/ATEAM/virt/Lists/UFApps/AllItems.aspx The SPATH requires the part of the address after the .edu/ and ends before the /Lists/XXX part of the address. For this example the SPATH is at/ATEAM/virt

Form Submission

The service is currently hosted at http://apps.aa.ufl.edu/SForm/Post. Set your form action to this address to enable the SharePoint integration.

E.g <form class="course" action="http://apps.aa.ufl.edu/SForm/Post" method="post">

Example

Code

<form class="course" action="http://apps.aa.ufl.edu/SForm/Post" method="post">
<input id="SGUID" class="SP" name="SGUID" type="Hidden" value="{5D044E9B-4524-48AE-8396-97C89337FD8A}" 
/>
<input id="SPATH" class="SP" name="SPATH" type="Hidden" value="at/ATEAM/virt" />
Name:<br>
<input type="text" name="Contact_x0020_name" value="your name"><br>
E-mail:<br>
<input type="text" name="Contact_x0020_Gatorlink" value="your email"><br>
Comment:<br>
<input type="text" name="Body" value="your comment" size="50"><br><br>
Service Requested<br>
<select name="services">
<option value="hosting">Hosting</option>
<option value="hosting">DNS</option>
</select><br><br>
<input type="submit" value="Send">
<input type="reset" value="Reset">
</form>

Demo

Wordpress

Currently the only way Web Services supports SharePoint is through the use of a licensed, third-party plugin called Gravity Forms. Web Services has written a PHP script that posts to SharePoint. The script can be found here.

This script attempts to post * all * gravity forms to SharePoint.

With the exceptioon of changing the form action, the same customizations to a form built in HTML have to be done to any form created by Gravity Forms.

To add the admin labels needed by Sharepoint:

* Refer to the method described above for locating the appropriate labels in your SharePoint list *

Build your form as you would normally in Gravity Forms.

Add admin labels

Select the appropriate field, and select "edit".
Select the "Advanced" tab
You will see an input field labeled "Admin Label". Simply add the appropriate SharePoint label in this field.

Add hidden fields (SGUID) (SPATH)

Create a new "Standard Field" from the dialogue box on the right of your form. Select "Single Line Text".
Add an appropriate "Field Label" to the newly created input (e.g. "Hidden SGUID").
Select the "Advanced" tab
You will see an input field labeled "Admin Label". Simply add the appropriate SharePoint label in this field.
Under "Default Value" add the value of the hidden field that the services requires (e.g. if you are adding the SGUID your "Default Value" would be {5D044E9B-4524-48AE-8396-97C89337FD8A}. Make sure you include the curly brackets.
Under "Visibility" select the radio button that reads "Admin Only"
Repeat with SPATH and any other additional hidden fields you would like to submit to SharePoint.

Contact

If you have any questions about the service, email Web Services:

webmaster@ufl.edu