Connect to office disabled in SharePoint 2010

Connect to office is a very vital feature if you are working with lots of libraries and lists. One of our users reported an issue that he is not able to use the ‘connect to office’ drop down menu.

Desktop entities:-

Windows 7 OS

IE 9 32-bit

Office 2010 32-bit

SharePoint Server 2010

Problem description was not clear so further probing, we came to know this option is disable/greyed out. Strange! No ideas as I have never used this functionality before the issue actually reported to my team.

I started my research by learning the default functionality:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/sharepoint-foundation-help/connect-to-office-HA102080653.aspx

Issue description:-

Connect to office disabled / Connect to office disabled is greyed out

Error message:-

Connect to office, this control is disabled.

Note:-

Before you start troubleshooting on this issue, make sure that you have enough set of permission to perform this activity.

Troubleshooting done:-

1)   Cross-checked the office version is 32-bit or not. It should be 32 bit only and not a 64-bit.

2)   Cross-checked the IE version is 32-bit or not. It should be 32 bit only and not a 64-bit.

3)   Tried opening the SharePoint site in Mozilla Firefox as well as Google chrome but same results i.e. option is disabled.

4)   Repaired the office version but that didn’t resulted any success.

5)   Tried enabled-disabling add-ons in internet explorer but no success

6)   Tried adding the SharePoint site in trusted location by means of IE but still no results.

7)   Checked on different desktops who were using IE 7, 32-bit as well as Office 2013, 32 bit but no results

Resolution:-

After the exhaustive troubleshooting for hours then I got the following article and I wanted to convey my Million Thanks to Mr. Brian for sharing this valuable information with all of us: http://mywinsysadm.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/sharepoint-connect-to-office-for-new-document-creation

As per this article- MySites must be configured with the Use Personal Features permission turned on.  You can enable this by going into the Central Administration Console, click on Manage Service Applications, click the link for the User Profile Service Application, and select Manage User Permissions.

That’s it. I got the direction, followed as per the mentioned instructions and the issue has been comes to an end. Happy SharePoint!

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know. I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues, Thank you.

Sync to sharepoint workspace greyed out - SharePoint 2010

A SharePoint workspace is automatically synchronized with the SharePoint site as follows:

-All updates you make in a SharePoint workspace are immediately sent to the SharePoint site when you save them.

-All content in the SharePoint workspace and the SharePoint site is automatically synchronized as frequently as possible, at minimum every 10 minutes, depending on network traffic.

Desktop attributes:-

Windows 7 OS

Internet explorer (IE) 9.0

SharePoint 2010

Office 2010 – make sure this is office professional plus

Issue description:-

Sync to SharePoint Workspace is disabled.

Error message:-

This control is currently disabled.

How exactly it works? – Best article to understand the functionality

http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/sharepoint-foundation-help/synchronize-sharepoint-content-with-sharepoint-workspace-HA101854201.aspx

1)   Tried opening the site with Mozilla Firefox as well as Google chrome but still same results i.e. Sync to SharePoint Workspace option is greyed out/disabled.

2)   Installed Microsoft SharePoint workspace 2010 on the desktop and then tried to open the site again to check the results but still the option is disable.

Resolution:-

1)   Open the document library in which you are facing the problem.

2)   From the top Ribbon-Library Tools

3)   Click on Library

4)   Library Settings

5)   General Settings-Advanced Settings

6)   Go to section- Offline Client Availability

7)   Option- Allow items from this document library to be downloaded to offline clients?

8)   By default this option is set to NO

9)   Switch it to Yes- Please refer the following screenshot for more details

That’s it- Click OK.

Go back to the document library to check the results. You should be able to see that option in enable mode.

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned

information then please let me know. I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues, Thank you.

Product applies to:

1)   SharePoint Server 2010

2)   SharePoint Foundation 2010

Reference:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/sharepoint-foundation-help/synchronize-sharepoint-content-with-sharepoint-workspace-HA101854201.aspx

Webpart security

One of our developers has reported that he is trying to setup connection between two webparts but somehow the connection option is disabled.

There might be a possibility that you will not get a connection menu also.

By using Web Part connections, you can create or enhance your Web Part Pages. You connect Web Parts so that when you perform an action in one Web Part, it changes the contents of another Web Part.

Now the next question will arise as:

1)   Why the connection option is disabled?

2)   Why the connection menu is greyed out?

3)   Why the connection menu is not available?

4)   Is there any setting at the site collection level or at the web application level by which we need to turn on any feature/activate something…

Let me tell you guys there is a setting which is present at the web application level so need to whether its enabled or not.

How to enable this option?

1)   Open the central administration

2)   Application management

3)   Web applications

4)   Manage web applications

5)   Select the web application for which you would like to enable the option

6)   On the top-Ribbon-You will find an option as ‘webpart security’

7)   Click on it and you will get one frame window which specifies ‘security for web pages

8)   Here you will find the option of Web part connections

9)   Select the option “Allows users to create connections between Web Parts”

Click OK and that’s it. You are done. 

After doing this, still not able to setup connection between two webparts?

Let me refer you this article: http://office.microsoft.com/en-in/sharepoint-server-help/connect-data-in-web-parts-HA010024105.aspx

In which Microsoft has specified several reasons in which web part menu may not be enabled or visible on your web part page / The Connections submenu is hidden or unavailable:

1)   You are not using the correct browser. You must use Internet Explorer version 5.5 or later to create, modify, or delete a connection between Web Parts.

2)   The Web Part you are trying to connect from does not allow connections. You can try to find or import another Web Part that does what you want and that allows connections.

3)   The zone that contains the Web Part does not allow connections.

4)   The Web Parts were connected in shared view and so the connection cannot be changed in personal view. If you can, switch to shared view.

5)   You do not have permission to make Web Part connections.

6)   Web Part connections are not supported at the site.

Some other possibilities:

Only compatible Web Parts are available from the Connections submenu. This situation can occur for one or more of the following reasons:

The Web Part you are trying to connect to does not support making connections. Not all Web Parts are designed to be connected.

1)   The Web Part you are trying to connect from is not compatible with the Web Part you are trying to connect to because it has an incompatible Web Part type. This can occur for the following reasons:

2)   You are in personal view, the Web Part you are trying to connect from is a shared Web Part or personalized Web Part, and the Web Part you are trying to connect to is a private Web Part on the same Web Part Page.

3)   The Web Part you are trying to connect from is a private Web Part, and the Web Part you are trying to connect to is a shared Web Part or personalized Web Part on the same Web Part Page.

4)   The Web Part you are trying to connect to or from allows only one connection. To create a new connection, you must first remove the current connection from that Web Part.

5)   The Web Part you are trying to connect to is already connected to the Web Part you are trying to connect from through a different connection type. Web Parts can have more than one connection, but each connection must be to a different Web Part.

6)   The Web Part you are trying to connect to is not compatible with the Web Part you are trying to connect from because the Web Part is required to run on either a client or server. There are two situations that can apply:

7)   The Web Part you are trying to connect to currently runs on the client, and the Web Part you are trying to connect from runs on the server.

8)   The Web Part you are trying to connect to currently runs on the server, and the Web Part you are trying to connect from runs on the client.

In this case, the Web Parts you are trying to connect must both run either on the client or on the server.

For assistance, contact the site administrator.

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know. I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues, Thank you.

The list cannot be displayed in DataSheet view – SharePoint 2010

One of my team mate working on the server where windows server 2008 R2 was installed, he tried switching the view from standard to datasheet and he got the following error: list cannot be displayed

If you are facing the above mentioned error message then I would request you to check the installed office version first.

If you have any confusion as how to check the version then please refer the following link: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/24259/beginner-discover-if-youre-running-the-32-or-64-bit-version-of-office-2010/

Why we are checking the office version? Is it necessary?

Yes, it’s very necessary to know the office version we are using whether it is 32 bit or 64 bit.

Microsoft strongly recommends the use of 32-bit (x86) versions of Office 2010, Project 2010, and Visio 2010 applications as the default option for all platforms.

Resolution:

Make sure you use 32 bit version of office.

FAQ: can we install 32 bit office on 64 bit OS? – Yes, absolutely no probs.

Once you install the 32 bit office in such problematic scenarios then I am pretty sure that your issue will be resolved. Thank you.

In case of any issues/queries then please feel free to contact, I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues.

Product applies to:

SharePoint Server 2010

SharePoint Foundation 2010

error while opening excel files in SharePoint 2010

I am using SharePoint 2010 and when users click on an .xlsx document in a document library it throws the following error message:

following features that are not supported by Excel in the browser:

• Data validation

• Sheet protection

Would you like to try and open this file in Excel?

Learn more about unsupported features

Number of things to check or troubleshooting steps to find out the culprit:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.   <!--[endif]-->Make sure that this file is not broken. Download a copy of this file and edit it Excel client. Remove the Consolidation, Data sources and Data validations on the file to have a test whether it fixes this issue.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.   <!--[endif]-->Check the event viewer and try to find out the exact error information as it will give you the account name where the problem lies.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.   <!--[endif]-->Check the SharePoint ULS logs where it will show the exact root cause.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.   <!--[endif]-->Check the supported and unsupported features: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff595319%28v=office.14%29.aspx

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.   <!--[endif]-->If you getting this error while trying to view the excel file in browser mode then please have a look on this article:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/differences-between-using-a-workbook-in-the-browser-and-in-excel-HA010369179.aspx#_Toc240268532

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.   <!--[endif]-->If there are unsupported features then you need to remove it before uploading that excel file in SharePoint document library.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7.   <!--[endif]-->You can define in the library settings whether or not to open documents in the browser or the client application. The default is set on the server, but you can overrule that at the library level. Since Excel Services cannot open workbooks with data validation, graphic object or VBA, many Excel files with basic functionality simply won't load in the browser.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->8.   <!--[endif]-->Make sure that you are using 32-bit version of IE- Microsoft Recommended. - This is very important as it resolves most of the issues.

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know. I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues, Thank you.

Request: If you have any other resolution then please share so that it would be helpful for the entire community, Thanks again!

Connect to Outloook Ribbbon button disabled /greyed

Connect to outlook is disabled in SharePoint 2010- why? Any mystery? If yes then we needs to find out? Root cause? Workarounds? Resolutions?

Problem Description:

·         Connect to outlook is disabled in SharePoint 2010

·         The Ribbon button is disabled for the List

·         Connect to Outlook button is grayed out

Check List:

Is this problem list specific or library specific?
Is this problem site specific or farm specific?
Specifically which list we are trying to connect? Whether it’s a contact list or custom list or calendar list? –very imp to find out
Permissions??
Features --site features/site collections features??
Does the SharePointStssync Handler enable in your IE?
Does the IE belong to 32 bit or 64 bit?
Is Client Integration disabled in the Web Application Settings?

Very Important info: Connect to Outlook is available on the following list types  only- Calendar, Tasks, Project Tasks, Contacts, Document Library and Discussion Boards

Resolution:

Multiple resolutions are available so please select the one which is feasible as per your requirements.

Resolution 1--Try to open the same list (where we the problem is) in SharePoint Designer 2010 and then check the results.

Resolution 2—Enable the client integration feature at the web application level  (note: if the problem is farm wide)

Resolution 3—if the problem is occurring because of IE then enables the sync handler

How to enable this:

Internet Explorer—Tools--Manage Add-ons--Enable or Disable Add-ons

·         In the Show drop down and select "Add-Ons currently loaded in IE " and find for -" SharePoint Stssync Handler "

·         if it’s not there then click on Show drop down and select "Add-Ons that have been used by IE" and find for " SharePoint Stssync Handler "

·         Enable it

·         Restart the browser and then check "Connect to Outlook" option is visible or not.

Product applies to:

1.    Windows 7 client Operating system

2.    Office 2010

3.    IE 7.0 or IE 8.0

4.    SharePoint 2010

5.    SharePoint Foundation 2010

References:

How to Synchronize SharePoint 2010 content with Outlook 2010

Synchronizing SharePoint content with Outlook

If you have any queries/questions regarding the above mentioned information then please let me know.

I would be more than happy to help you as well as resolves your issues…

Thank you…