Create a Bargain Corner Using Microsoft SharePoint Protal Server

Microsoft SharePoint is powerful collaborative website solution for any organization. SharePoint is very useful for small organizations, schools or colleges who want to have a website in order to organize inter or intra departmental activities through web based applications. SharePoint is a complete solution for organization who wants to manage the internal communication through web based application. The main advantage of Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server is the minimum development effort. Developer gets everything ready-made in SharePoint. Developer needs to customize the available web parts per the requirement. This is not true that SharePoint is only meant for small organizations.

Microsoft SharePoint can be used for any organizations with proper customization. For a large or reputed organization we often need to use company logo and maintain the same look & feel in compare to company profile. In those cases also you can do lot of customization using .css file of SharePoint. It was never been so easy to create website and maintain the same by using Microsoft SharePoint. Every application must have some kind of limitations. SharePoint is not out of that rule, but that can be overcome with advance .NET programming skill. As the development cost is very less for SharePoint it is well accepted by any institution who wants a web based application to run the show with minimum cost.

There are several things can be implemented in SharePoint with just few hours of effort. Suppose you are using SharePoint as an internal communication site of a small company which is spread across the geography. You have more than hundred employees at each location. You want to open a 'Bargain Corner' where any associate can post their classified advertisement if they want to sell or buy something. Generally this kind of Bargain Corners is very popular among the associates for any company. Most of the cases these classified ads are first and basic source of information for someone who just relocated to a new place for that company. Whether you need a room-mate, or if want to sell your pet, this is the good place to have them published first. This type of Classified ads should have few basic details to capture and it also should have few basic access restrictions.

The simple requirement of this bargain corner can be like this -

- There should be one link to post the ad.
- There should be one link to check/edit or resubmit your ad.
- There should be one link to browse or search the ads.
- Any ad should have at least this information - Ad Title, Description of Ad, Category of Ad and Contact Name & Number/Email id.
- People can post ad to buy something or if they want to sell something.
- Associate can edit only their own ads.

In SharePoint we can implement this by using the List option. Create list option is available under 'Manage Content' for any area.

Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server - Step 1: Create a Custom List using the Custom List option of Create List page of any area where you want to have this ad web part to be implemented.

Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server - Step 2: Have some meaningful name and description while creating the list.

Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server - Step 3: Once the list has been created click on 'Modify Settings and Columns'.

Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server - Step 4: SharePoint usually creates few fields by default and now this is up to you what the fields you want are. Generally the first field is the key field of the list. You won't be able to delete the first supplied (default) field. You can use that field as the title of ad field which will be the key for this list. Rest of the fields can deleted and recreated based on requirement. SharePoint has all necessary fields' types. If you need amount field then you can select the input value as number and prefixed with dollar sign. You can also define the initial or default value for any field.

Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server - Step 5: Once you have created the fields you can order them as per your design goal from the link available in customize page.

Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server - Step 6: Now you can create a view of this list called 'My Submissions' which will display the entries which has created by the logged user. It can be done from 'Create New View' link.

Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server - Step 7: Now go back to actual page where you want to implement this list and add the list web part. Select the default view to see this web part.

Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server - Step 8: Try to submit a new item for this list and copy the link of that page where you filling out the information. You need to copy the link from beginning to NewForm.aspx. On the actual page create a content editor space web part and have this link as 'Post your Ad'. Similarly you can have the link of My submission view as 'My Submission - Edit & Delete' link

Like this way you can create any kind of list within a minutes and little customization can make a great thing to use.