Sol Web Solutions Blog

I had a customer request to hide a row conditionally, but when the report rendered in the browser the hidden row still took up spacing on the report.

I found this post thanks to Frank v.d. Laar:

http://www.sqldev.org/sql-server-reporting-services/hidden-rows-still-displayed-9660.shtml

Try to set the Hidden property of the Static Row Group under the Details Group, in this case the whole row will disappear instead of the content of the textboxes.

If you are using Report Builder, you need to switch to Advanced Mode (make sure that the Properties and the Grouping windows are displayed, go to the upper right side of the Grouping window and press the black triangle), click on the second "Static" item under the "(Details)" group and you can set the Hidden property on the Properties window.

I had a requirement to add some spacing after a prefix of a textbox to align with a row below it and make the report more visually appealing.  I tried the space() function within my expression, and that didn't work.

Here's what I did to resolve our scenario:

1. Left Double click the textbox that will hold this value/expression
2. Right click the textbox area and select "Create Placeholder" from the flyout menu option
3. In the "Placeholder Properties" pop-up modal, make sure to select
"HTML - Interpret HTML tags as styles" when in the "General" section

4. When creating the expression, I used the following for my padding:
=iif(Fields!datatype.Value="Issues", "Issue:"  
& "       &nbsp" , "") & Fields!comment.Value

In my scenario, if the type was "Issues", then I needed to put:
a prefix of "Issue:" + spacing + my comment field

Thanks!

I had a request to create an autonumbering column in SharePoint 2010 for document numbering, and here is how we got the solution to work.  I will use elementary school documents as an example.  

The user could select one of up to 15 different school subjects when requesting a new document number, and the autonumber should stay in sync with the school subject...so there is no loss in the next available number for that particular school subject.

This is why I can't simply use the ID column that's associated with every list and append that to the eventual variable in a workflow.

When you add new items in a SharePoint list, what do you do if you want to change the ordering and or layout in this mode of adding a new list item?

A report is developed, but then the customer makes a request to have the headers visible as they vertically scroll.

What do you do?

A Facebook business can like another business.

• Find the Page you want to follow
• Scroll to bottom left column and look for “Add to Page Favorites”
• Click that button and the pages you manage will populate, choose the appropriate page

...another option:

• Switch from your personal account to the Business Page Account
• Find the Page you want to follow
• scroll to the bottom left column and “Like”

Check out this page from Eileen Lonergan for more details:

http://www.eileenlonergan.com/how-a-business-likes-another-business-on-facebook

On a recent sub-report, there were 2 rectangles to control rendering, and the page size was left @ 11 x 8.5.
The report looks fine in the Visual Studio IDE while developing the report, but if the user tried to print the report or export the report, there was a huge blank space on the page.  What fixed the issue?

A personal profile page is designed for individuals. This page allows you to engage and connect with family, friends, and coworkers as you choose. You can add as much personal information as you wish. Personal profile pages also have many privacy setting options, allowing you to control who has access to see certain things on your personal profile page.

Facebook pages (formerly referred to as “fan” pages) are meant for businesses, public figures and brands. They include much greater functionality for marketing and connecting with fans. Facebook users can “Like” your page (your dental practice). These types of pages are public, meaning anyone can see the page, including Google. Once someone Likes your page, their Facebook friends will be notified, creating additional interest that may result in others Liking your page. Each time your practice updates your page, your fans are notified and the information shows up on their news feed.

A Few Commonly Asked Questions & Answers….

Question #1: Will the people who “Like” my business page be able to see my personal information?

Answer #1: No. Unless someone is your personal friend on your personal account they will not be able to see any personal information.

Question #2: How do I create a business page?

Answer #2: Remember that you must first set up a personal account. Once you have done that, if you are one of our clients, we will get the page set up for you. If you are not one of our clients, simply click on the following link and Facebook will walk you through a step-by-step process to create your page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

Question #3: How do I get a “custom URL” for my Facebook page? That is, instead of having that big, long, cumbersome URL… How do I get a shortened one, e.g., Facebook.com / PracticeName?

Answer #3: The first thing that Facebook requires you to do is have at least 25 initial “Likes” before you can change that URL. Once you have 25 Likes, log in to your personal account then click on the following link: http://www.facebook.com/username.

Thanks to MySocialPractice:

http://mysocialpractice.com/2011/06/facebook-business-pages-vs-facebook-personal-accounts/

We had users that were trying to export to PDF, and kept getting

Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

One work around that we used was when you print the report via the print icon (not an export), change your printer to Adobe.  We are looking into the patch 2008 R2 CU6 as of April 2011 to see if that helps.

How to get the user-friendly Facebook Url

1. Click the following link: http://www.facebook.com/username
2. Select the Fan Page you want to Create the user-friendly Url
3. Enter the name you want to give your fan page and click on Check Availability
4. Don't forget to save it!

If you've created a personal Facebook account, and wanted a business account, there may be questions about the difference.  Business accounts are designed for people who only want to use Facebook to administer Pages and run ad campaigns. For this reason, business accounts do not have the same features as personal accounts. Business accounts have limited access to information on Facebook-when using a business account, you can view all the Pages and Social Ads you own, but you will not be able to view profiles (timelines) or content owned by other people. Business accounts cannot be found in a search, and the owner of the account will not be able to send or receive friend requests.

Have a look here first: http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=213602951994043

Use this URL to convert to a business account: https://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php?migrate

Log into your Facebook account via computer and select Account at the top right corner.

Then select

• Account Settings
• Scroll down to Account Security
• Check the box called ‘Login Approvals'
• Click the "Login Notifications" checkbox to you are notified of account changes

This security feature seems a bit tedious to some, and if you may find the process a bit exhausting if you access Facebook from multiple locations. However, if you are having issues with keeping your account secure the added steps and security may be worth the extra hassle.  To get the direct description of how this feature works – check out the post from Andrew Song on Facebook.

Thanks to Abbi Siler for posting this @ http://local2social.com/2011/facebook-login-approvals/

To add another admin to your Facebook Page:

1. Go to your page and click the Edit Page button in the upper right corner.
2. From the left column menu, click Manage Admins.
3. Type the names of other people you'd like to add in the open field and click Save Changes. You'll need to enter your password to confirm the change.

Ever have a SharePoint 2007 list where you need to create a custom autonumber column? ...and the ID system column just won't give you what you need?  Recently I found a fix for this issue.

Recently an upgrade from SSRS 2005 to 2008 threw our team for a loop.  The exact connection in 2005 was working perfectly, but in 2008, the reports were failing.  What was the issue, and how did we fix it?

Ever wonder how you can calculate the age of the list items in SharePoint?  The Today() function is not allowed in calculated fields, so what's the trick?

While trying to edit a Joomla article in IE9, neither the top Save nor the Cancel button would work.  I tried to enable Scriplets in the Tools/Internet Options/Security, but that did not work.

Upon trying to transfer several Foxpro files into SQL server, an SSIS package was failing.  Error message of:
Selected Data Source is on a remote computer.  The bulk insert failed.  We fixed it, but how????

We have a bug/enhancement list we use to show what items have been completed, if they are bugs or enhancement, assignees, etc.
The description field is a rich text and multiple lines of text.  When the report is run, the HTML tags show up.

How did it get resolved?

A user reported a bug in an ASP.NET web application, and after running several test scenarios it was difficult to see where the bug actually resided.  Of course after much "hair pulling" and "keyboard banging", we turned to the debugger.