Tag Archives: Picture Library Slideshow web part

Beyond the Slideshow web part capabilities in SharePoint 2010

Overview

In one of the previous post we have started the discussion of customizing   Slideshow web part, in particular it was demonstrated  how to provide additional filtering for picture items. This time we’re going to go further and consider different scenarios of using SharePoint SlideShow capabilities. We deliberately do not consider the use of  third party libraries for Slideshow or creating custom web parts, but try to build new experience using existing tools only.

1. Customize the display for Slideshow control: display additional picture properties

Suppose in addition to standard properties, custom properties should be displayed  from Picture Library in Slideshow web part.

PictureLibCustomFields

The following  fields are retrieved  from Picture Library for Slideshow:

So, our goal is to display slideshow using custom layout as shown below

CarsSlideshow

Solution:

Solution consist of the following parts:

  • load custom picture properties, see loadCarPicturesAdditionalInfo method for details
  • Slideshow library (imglib.js) methods overriding for slideshow object initialization, picture  changing and displaying

Usage

Save JavaScript code to the file and embed it into the page with Slideshow web part  as demonstrated below

2. Customize the display for Slideshow control: display original pictures

In Slideshow web part, picture is initialized with field value that contains the Url of  Web image (EncodedAbsWebImgUrl  field). Unfortunately it is not supported to configure in web part what image type (original, web or thumbnail) should be displayed in Slideshow The solution that demonstrated below allows to display original images instead of web images in Slideshow web part.

Solution:

In order to specify original images, method overriding for picture initialization is used:

Usage

One of the most simple way to apply these changes is to embed specified JavaScript code via Content Editor web part (CEWP), for more details please follow this article.

  • Save JavaScript code to the file, for example in SlideshowObjectInitializer.txt and upload it to SiteAssets Library
  • Add CEWP on page where Slideshow web part is located and in the Content Editor tool pane, under Content Link property, type /SiteAssets/SlideshowObjectInitializer.txt

3. Slideshow List View

Slideshow List View is only available for Pictures Library. It is pretty common scenario when another types of repositories are used for storing images, for example Assets Library. Let’s look at how to create a Slideshow  List View for images stored in Assets Library.

Solution:

Slideshow List View

Slideshow control initialization and retrieving picture entries from Assets Library

4. Aggregate picture items and render as Slideshow

The last example demonstrates how to display slideshow for pictures aggregated  from site collection.  For aggregating pictures from site collection, Content Query web part is utilized.

Solution

OuterTemplate.SlideShowBody template is intended for rendering Slideshow control in CQWP

Usage

  • Configure source properties (List Type: Picture Library, Content Type:  Picture)PicturesCQWP
  • Specify additional fields for retrieving via  CommonViewFields property. For more details how to display custom fields in a CQWP, follow this article
  • Replace OuterTemplate.Body template with OuterTemplate.SlideShowBody in ContentQueryMain.xsl. For more details how to customize XSL for the Content Query Web Part follow this article

Conclusion

The main idea of this post  was to demonstrate how to combine different components available in SharePoint 2010 in order to build new functionality without creating new one from scratch (i.e.: new web parts) or using third party components.

Extending Picture Library Slideshow web part in SharePoint 2010

Overview

According to MSDN Picture Library Slideshow web part is used to display the pictures in a picture library slideshow.

Below are provided some details about  how Picture Library Slideshow web part works:

Step 1. Query Picture Library

Picture items are retrieved via SPQuery from Picture Library and results are saved in internal array of ImageInfo entries

Step 2. Initialize and render Slideshow control

JavaScript  Slideshow Library ( imglib.js)  is included and slideshow control is rendered.

Information about Picture entries is passed to the client side and Slideshow control is initialized

Extending Picture Library Slideshow web part

Picture Library Slideshow web part class is marked as sealed, so it could not be extended by inheriting from it . But there is another way how it could be extended.

As was noted earlier SlideshowObject  is instantiated using object constructor. Using the technique with overriding   SlideshowObject constructor it is possible to provide additional logic as shown below:

For example, the following example demonstrates how to exclude pictures with no titles from displaying them in Slideshow :