Project Catchupalooza 2006

So here it is, 2006, and I'm already behind. Well, to be fair I'm behind from projects I started last year but hey, that was a year ago so what's the delay? Anyways, here's a rundown (with some links to the original blogs that started them) of projects I have on the go SharePoint wise. Yeah, not much of an eye-popping information-packed blog but sometimes, just occasionally, people need a break from me.

SharePoint Builder
SharePoint Builder is my visual Xml editor for site definitions. It’s got a large beta group that is anxiously awaiting a release. I just have to sit down and get it out to everyone. One of the first projects to be added to my SharePointForge site to call its home.

SharePoint Wrappers
This set of .NET wrappers provides easy to use objects to access SharePoint information remotely (via Web Services). Uploaded to CVS so anyone can grab them anonymously, I have some updates to do but there hasn’t been any projects using it or needing the updates so it’s been on the back burner. Still, I think it’s a good resource as many people want to do something with SharePoint but can’t use the Object Model (because it’s for a remote web site or desktop app) and don’t want to fiddle with SharePoint Web Services. Will get to update this but probably not until sometime in February.

SharePoint Template Project
Another SourceForge-soon-to-be-moving-to-SharePointForge site. This is really two things. First, a framework to distribute templates for SharePoint and a way to get them out to the end user. There are a few templates that people have asked for but couldn’t produce that I’m making for them and others that people have offered me to include in this project. Not sure how this is going to shake out, but there’s some interest. Another project that will come sometime in February as some of the others on this page take precendence (I am only a one-man show you know).

SharePoint Admin Host
This is a small project that I built which allows you to write Plugins for SharePoint to basically do anything against a site or set of sites. A call for plugin authors went out and SDKs are being sent out. Another project to be hosted on SharePointForge and makes use of my SharePoint Wrappers to enable you to build desktop SharePoint applications.

SharePointForge
My one-stop shopping spot for SharePoint development projects. Basically a home for the homeless. Up and running but not all the hidden wires are revealed so the shop isn’t open for business yet, just the storefront is dressed for people to come by and say “I should come back here again later”. In the works and should be public in the next week or two. 

DotNetNuke Skins
I have a set of DotNetNuke skins that basically let you skin your own DNN site to look like any of the OOTB SharePoint themes. I’ll probably put these up on my personal site but still some work to do there as I figure out permission issues. Also have an Office 12/SharePoint V3 skin but I can’t release that until after the public betas (coming soon).

Might be a couple of other projects (I have so many things kicking around) and I juggle working on them them between custom web parts, sites, templates, tools, HOWTOs, etc. (some say I have ADD) in my spare time. No, I don’t sleep. Why sleep when you can have this much fun!

BTW, I’m blogging this post with a tool called BlogJet. It’s a desktop doofer that Scott “The Toolman” Hanselman (and a raft of others) push and let’s me do blog entries on my desktop, then upload it to the site. What I really like is that it’s an offline tool. So many times I’m blogging on the weblogs.asp.net site and have to keep saving it and coming back to update it. Yeah, I could use another tool to do it offline but then there’s issues with formatting, image linking, blah, blah, blah. BlogJet is cool because it gives me my full screen to work with and now has Flickr support so I can just upload my screenshots to Flickr and link them visually into my blog.

Very nice so another tool I’m purchasing and adding to my offline setup directory. I keep a setup folder on an external Iomega 250GB drive that I can easily hook into a new machine after getting the OS up and running. It contains all the setup programs that I use so I update it from time to time with newer versions and burn a DVD on occasion just for backups. Makes for setting up a new drive very nice. I still have to sit down and do something geeky like create an installer that will automatically give me a menu of choices so I don’t have to run each setup.exe individually but with the list of things to do above, Life 1.0 and Work 7.2 going on, who has time?

So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that; reverse it (thanks Todd!)