Using Value Comparison as a Validator

Using Value Comparison as a Validator

Overview of Validator Column configuration screen

Value Comparison allows the Validator Column to compare a user-entered value with either a pre-defined value or a value contained in another column within the current list, via comparisons, such as greater than/less than for numeric values, and contains/begins with/ends with for text values.

Image of the Validator column configuration screen when the Column and Value Comparison check box is selected
The image has been edited to better represent the configuration options.

NOTE: The following steps require you to have accessed the New Column settings screen and selected Bamboo Validator as the column type.

Function
1.

Select the type of data to be entered into the column from the Column Data Type drop-down menu. The available choices are:

  • Single Line of Text

  • Number

  • Currency

NOTE: Additional formatting options may appear in the configuration screen based on your selection.

2. Check the Column and Value Comparison check box to expose the value comparison configuration options.
3.

Select the operator to be used in the value comparison:

  • contains
  • is equal to

  • is not equal to

  • begins with

  • ends with

  • is greater than

  • is greater than or equal to

  • is less than

  • is less than or equal to

NOTE:The options shown are associated with the Number column data types. The available choices will differ based on the currently assigned Column Data Type.

4.

Select either Enter value to set a specific comparison value, or Select column to use a comparison value from another column in the List.

  • If you choose Enter value, provide the value in the blank field on the right.

  • If you choose Select column, choose the column from the drop-down menu on the right.

5. Enter the required message that will be displayed when an entered value is determined to be invalid in the Validation message field.

Using Range Comparison as a Validator

Using Range Comparison as a Validator

Overview of Validator Column configuration screen

Range Comparison allows the Validator Column to compare a value entered by a user to a specific range of values, provided by the site administrator.
Image of the Validator column configuration screen when the Range Comparison check box is selected
The image has been edited to better represent the configuration options.
The following steps require you to have accessed the New Column settings screen and selected Bamboo Validator as the column type.

Function
1.

Select the type of data to be entered into the column from the Column Data Type drop down menu. The available choices are:

  • Single Line of Text

  • Number

  • Currency

  • Date and Time

NOTE: Additional formatting options may appear in the configuration screen based on your selection.

2.

Check the Range Comparison check box to expose the pattern comparison configuration options.

NOTE:This option will be grayed out if Single Line of Text was selected as the Column Data Type.

3. Enter the Minimum and Maximum values into the corresponding fields.
4. Enter the required message that will be displayed when an entered value is determined to be invalid in the Validation message field.

Using Pattern Comparison as a Validator

Using Pattern Comparison as a Validator

Overview of Validator Column configuration screen

Pattern Comparison allows the Bamboo Validator Column to compare a value entered by a user with either a pre-defined pattern or a custom expression of your own. In addition, you can use and/or logic to require that an entered value matches multiple patterns, or one of several possibilities.

Image of the Validator column configuration screen when the Pattern Comparison check box is selected
The above image has been edited to better represent the configuration options.

NOTE: The following steps require you to have accessed the New Column settings screen and selected Bamboo Validator as the column type.

Function
1.

Select the type of data to be entered into the column from the Column Data Type drop-down menu. The available choices are:

  • Single Line of Text

  • Number

  • Currency

  • Date and Time

NOTE: Additional formatting options may appear in the configuration screen based on your selection.

2. Check the Pattern Comparison check box to expose the pattern comparison configuration options.
3.

Select Pre-defined pattern to validate user entries against the following options:

  • Phone Number (German & US)

  • Postal/Zip Code (German & US)

  • US Currency

  • Email Address

  • Internet URL

  • Password (6-20 characters, 1 letter and 1 number)

  • IP Address

  • Social Security Number

  • Number

NOTE: The options above are associated with the Single Line of Text column data types. The available choices will differ based on the currently assigned Column Data Type.

OR

To create a custom pattern, select Enter regular expression and define the desired expression in the field to the right.
A detailed explanation regarding how to create an expression can be found in this MSDN article.

NOTE: Regular expression is the only Pattern Comparison available if Date and Time is selected as your column type.

4. Select the Add Another button to add second pattern using the desired logic operator (And/Or).
5. Enter a required message in the Validation message field that will be displayed when an entered value is determined to be invalid.

Release Notes for Validator Column

Release Notes for Validator Column

NOTE: Release Notes will open in a new browser tab

WSSv3/MOSS SharePoint 2010 SharePoint 2013
Release Notes Release Notes Release Notes
Microsoft ended mainstream support for SharePoint 2007 in October 2012. See Microsoft’s Lifecycle Support Policy.
At that time, Bamboo stopped enhancements to our SharePoint 2007 product line, but continues to provide support and bug fixes to customers with active support contracts until October 2017. Previously purchased licenses will continue to function after October 2017, but support for these products will end, and no additional bug fixes will be provided beyond that time. Bamboo plans to cease selling new licenses and annual support contacts for its SharePoint 2007 products in October 2016 to ensure customers will be eligible to receive support for at least one year after purchase.
Microsoft plans to end mainstream support for SharePoint 2010 in October 2015. See Microsoft’s Lifecycle Support Policy. At that time, we will stop any enhancements for our SharePoint 2010 product line but will continue to provide support and bug fixes for our SharePoint 2010 products to customers with active support contracts until October 2020. Previously purchased licenses will continue to function after October 2020, but support for these products will end, and no additional bug fixes will be provided beyond that time. Bamboo plans to cease selling new licenses and annual support contacts for its SharePoint 2010 products in October 2019 to ensure customers will be eligible to receive support for at least one year after purchase.

Bamboo Solutions has also begun releasing Bamboo Apps to the SharePoint Store, for additional details, see the SharePoint Apps & Mobile products page where you can get the latest info about each of our Apps as they release to the Microsoft Store.

A separate installation package and license key is required for SharePoint 2013 deployment. For additional details, review the following knowledge base articles:

Understanding Bamboo Releases:

  • Bamboo offers Trial, Basic and Premium support.
    • Free Trial support expires after 30 days.
    • For more information about Basic and Premium support, please see the Support Plans page.
    • There may be a fee to upgrade from a major version to another.

See Also:

Overview of Validator Column

Overview of Validator Column

When a Validator Column is created, the site administrator determines column’s data type, as well as the comparison type to be used in validation — either Pattern, Range, or Value/Column comparison. Then, depending on the comparison type, validation criteria are added. These can include everything from spacing, to preset minimums and maximums, to the inclusion of certain strings, and can be customized programmatically.

If, for example, you wanted to store social security numbers, you would create a Validator Column “set to Pattern Comparison”, and use the built-in preset for Social Security Number.
Set.jpg

When users attempt to enter a value into the column, the New/Edit form will automatically reject values that don’t match the specified format — in this case, three digits, a dash, two digits, another dash, and four digits — and displays an administrator defined error message.
hw41e11.jpg

Migrating the Validator Column from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013

Migrating the Validator Column from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013

Be sure you have at least the Minimum SharePoint 2010 Product Release (shown in the table below) installed before migrating. If not, upgrade your Bamboo product release before migrating. For more information, see Upgrading your Bamboo Web Part. Also, the target SharePoint 2013 farm requires at least the Minimum SharePoint 2013 product release shown.

Icon-WarningIMPORTANT: When migrating from SharePoint 2010 to SharePoint 2013, the Database Attach Upgrade Method is the only method supported.

Minimum SharePoint 2010 Product Release 10.3.20 Minimum SharePoint 2013 Product Release 10.3.35.2013
Database Attach Upgrade Method
Issues The Validator Column migrates without any errors or additional steps required.
Resolution N/A

Migrating Validator Column from SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint 2010

Migrating Validator Column from SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint 2010

Be sure you have at least the Minimum SharePoint 2007 Product Release (shown in the table below) installed before migrating. If not, upgrade your Bamboo product release before migrating. For more information, see Upgrading your Bamboo Web Part. Also, the target SharePoint 2010 farm requires at least the Minimum SharePoint 2010 product release shown.

Icon-Warning IMPORTANT: When migrating from SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint 2010, you MUST select the option to change existing SharePoint sites to use the new user experience. Your Bamboo products will not perform as expected with the old look and feel.

Minimum SharePoint 2007 Product Release 1.3.1 Minimum SharePoint 2010 Product Release 10.3.12
In-Place Upgrade
Issues Validator Column migrates without any errors or additional steps required.
Resolution N/A
Database Attach Upgrade Method
Issues The Validator Column migrates without any errors or additional steps required.
Resolution N/A

Localize Bamboo Applications or Custom Columns

Localize Bamboo Applications or Custom Columns

Overview of the localization process for Bamboo Products

Bamboo applications and custom columns are slightly different than web parts when it comes to localizing/translating. The user interface isn’t confined to a web part, but can exist as site definitions or other custom pages. For example, the configuration of a Bamboo custom column is within the SharePoint list settings area.
The text strings that require translation are located in different files than the strings that appear in a web part.

Changing the language or text for an application or custom column is a multi-step process:

Top

About the Language Files

Text displayed in a Bamboo application may be included in one or both of the following locations:

  • Provisioning Resources. These resources are located in the 12, 14, or 15 “Hive”, in the Resources folder. The number of the Hive depends on the version of SharePoint you are using (e.g., SP2007 has a 12 Hive, SP2010 has a 14 Hive, and SP2013 has a 15 Hive). 14Hiveresources.jpg

    The Bamboo.*.resx files include text used in site features, site definitions, list definitions, and other provisioning resource elements. Any changes you make in these files will apply to new product instances only.

  • Application/Runtime Resources. These are also located in the 12, 14, or 15 Hive, but in the CONFIGResources folder.The Bamboo.*.resx file in the CONFIG folder is different than the one included in the Resource folder.14HiveCONFIGResources.jpg This one includes text used in application pages, custom site menu actions, navigation elements, and other runtime resources. Any changes you make will apply to new and existing product instances only.

In each location, there may be multiple versions of Bamboo.*.resx files with identical content. The different files are provided for English (en-US), German (de-DE), French (fr-FR), and Spanish (es-ES). The content of all files is in English until you translate it to your language. If your site is configured to use a language that does not have a corresponding Bamboo product .resx file, copy an existing file and rename it to include the culture name for that language pack. For example, create a file for Italian by saving the default file as Bamboo.[Product].it-IT.resx. Make your changes to this new file. If your site is configured to use a specific language but you do not have a culture-specific file, the product will use the default Bamboo.[Product].resx file instead.

Icon-WarningIMPORTANT: If you customize one of the default resource files provided with the product, your changes will be overwritten when you upgrade.

To avoid losing customizations, copy the customized file to a different location (not the same folder) before upgrading. After the upgrade is finished, compare the new file with your customized file to incorporate any new entries. Then copy the merged file to the Resources folder. Culture-specific files created for languages that are not provided with the product will not be overwritten during an upgrade, but you still need to incorporate new resource entries.

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Editing text in resource files

Icon-WarningIMPORTANT: Before making any changes, back up your original file to a different folder.

To change text in a resource file, open it in a text editor and locate the text you want to change. Editable text is usually found between the <value></value> tags, as shown in the screen shot below. Do not modify the data tag. If you want to remove text completely, delete only the text; do not delete the <data> or <value> entries from the file, or the server will display an error message. In the example below, the editable text is highlighted in gray.

Common_resxEdit.jpg

When you are finished with your changes, save the file and copy it to the appropriate Resources *folder on *all Web front-end servers in your SharePoint farm. Follow the instructions below to make your changes take effect.

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Applying Language File Updates

To apply changes to Provisioning Resource Files:

If you modified the provisioning resources file, apply your changes by restarting Web services with the following command on all Web front-end servers.

iisreset

NOTE: changes to provisioning resources affect new instances of the Bamboo product only; existing instances of the product are not updated.

To apply changes to Application/Runtime Resource Files:

If you modified the application/runtime resources file, apply your changes by executing the following stsadm command on all Web front-end servers. This command copies the updated resource file to the App_GlobalResources folder of each Web application. Changes apply to existing product instances and any new instances you create.

stsadm -o CopyAppBinContent

NOTE: Changes apply to EXISTING product instances AND any new instances you create.

How to Work With Validator Column

How to Work With Validator Column

hw41e11.jpgWhen Validator Column is created, the site administrator determines column’s data type, as well as the comparison type to be used in validation — either Pattern, Range, or Value/Column comparison. Then, depending on the comparison type, validation criteria are added. These can include everything from spacing, to preset minimums and maximums, to the inclusion of certain strings, and can be customized programmatically.

If, for example, you wanted to store social security numbers, you would create Validator Column and set to Pattern Comparison, and then use the built-in preset for Social Security Number.

Then, when users attempt to enter a value into the column, the New/Edit form will automatically reject values that don’t match the specified format — in this case, three digits, a dash, two digits, another dash, and four digits — and displays an administrator defined error message.

hw41e12.jpg

In addition to pre-defined patterns, Validator Column also supports custom patterns in the form of regular expressions — this allows you validate column data in almost any conceivable format, from proprietary SKUs to contact information, and more.