SharePoint: This entry cannot be validated. Exception Object reference not set to an instance of object. occurred

Today while using Audience settings in navigation , I got the error while validating groups in Audience setting, even groups are correctly set.

The following error message was appearing during audience validation:
 This entry cannot be validated. Exception Object reference not set to an instance of object. occurred

After some quick search on internet i found that, there might be possibility of User Profile Service is not associated with web application.

To check that, I went to Central Administration --> Application Management --> Manage Web application.
Selected my web application and clicked on "Services Connection"

The check-box in front of User Profile Service Application was unchecked. I selected the check-box and clicked OK.

Then I went to set the audience and problem was resolved.

Cheers!!!!!!. Hope this helps.

Prevent duplicate values in SharePoint 2007 list column

In SharePoint 2007 list, if we want to prevent duplicate values in a column, we can make use of the SPServices MakeUnque function.

More details are here:
http://spservices.codeplex.com/wikipage?title=$%28%29.SPServices.SPRequireUnique&referringTitle=Documentation

Currently, the function works only with Single line of textcolumns.

Cannot perform this operation. The file is no longer checked out or has been deleted - SharePoint Designer 2013

While working in SharePoint Designer 2013, sometime it demanded to check out files that are not checked in, refused to check in other files. And it shows below error message:

Cannot perform this operation. The file is no longer checked out or has been deleted

After some search on google, I found this post, which helped a lot.

We need to clear the cache of sharepoint designer. The cache is composed of these 2 folders:

• %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Web Server Extensions\Cache
• %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WebsiteCache

Just delete their contents and you are done.

External Content Type to read data from SQL Server using SQL Authentication

Found below a good artical on creating external list to read data from SQL server using SQL Authentication:
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/mvpawardprogram/archive/2012/04/12/sharepoint-2010-external-content-type-to-read-data-from-sql-server-using-sql-authentication-and-secure-store-service.aspx

How to add external css in visual webpart in SharePoint 2010

If you want to add external css on visual webpart,

1. First go to layouts folder in 14 hive, path is C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\TEMPLATE\LAYOUTS
2. Create a new folder in it and give a proper name to that folder.
3. Add your css files in that newly created folder.
4. Now to call the css file from your webpart code, add below tag in your ascx file <SharePoint:CssRegistration ID="cssReg" runat="server" Name="/_layouts/ForCss/style.css"></SharePoint:CssRegistration>

Done. Hope this helps.

Free Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Templates

Download free SharePoint 2010 templates at:
http://www.microsoft.com/government/en-us/campaigns/pages/sharepoint-templates.aspx 

SharePoint Custom List form with horizontal RadioButtons

In sharepoint list form we don't get options to show radiobuttons horizontally and they take to much space of form if there are too many of them.

We can make those radio buttons vertically using some javascript. I searched on google and I found below post.
http://www.mickyjay.co.uk/blog/?p=668

We need to open the form in designer and add below javascript in it.

<script type="text/javascript">
_spBodyOnLoadFunctionNames.push("reconfigRadios");
function reconfigRadios()
{
var inputs = document.getElementsByTagName("INPUT");
var radios = new Array();
for (var i=0; i < inputs.length; i++)
{
    if (inputs[i].type == "radio")
    radios.push(inputs[i]);
}var html = new String();
var openTable = "<TABLE cellSpacing='0' cellPadding='0'
width='100%' border='0'><TR>";
var closeTable = "</TR></TABLE>";for (var i=0; i < radios.length-1; i++)
{if (i == 0)
html = openTable;
var obj = radios[i];
while (true)
{
    if (obj.tagName == "TD")
    break;
    else
    obj = obj.parentElement;
}
html = html + "<TD>" + obj.innerHTML + "</TD>";
if (radios[i].name != radios[i+1].name)
{
   html = html + closeTable;
   var obj2 = obj;
   while (true)
   {
      if (obj2.tagName == "SPAN")
      break;
      else
      obj2 = obj2.parentElement;
   }
   obj2.innerHTML = html;
   html = openTable;
}
if (i == radios.length-2)
{
   obj = radios[i+1];
   while (true)
   {
      if (obj.tagName == "TD")
      break;
      else
      obj = obj.parentElement;
   }
   html = html + "<TD>" + obj.innerHTML + "</TD>";
   html = html + closeTable;
   var obj2 = obj;
   while (true)
   {
      if (obj2.tagName == "SPAN")
      break;
      else
      obj2 = obj2.parentElement;
   }
   obj2.innerHTML = html;
}}}</script>