SharePoint 2010 at Work

Chapter 5. Hyperlinks in the Data View Web Part

Laura Rogers

In SharePoint, List and Library views are used to look at the same set of data in different ways. When views are created, columns, filters, sorting, and grouping are set up in an easy user interface. There are some additional settings such as totals, inline editing, and styles, but in a lot of cases, there is a point at which the out-of-box settings are not sufficient for the goals of the business.

When the settings do not provide the needed customization for the List or Library view requirements, you can use SharePoint Designer to create a Data View web part (DVWP) or an XSLT List View web part. There is a plethora of view modifications that you can make. The following are the most common reasons for customizing List views:

• A need for conditional formatting

• Customization of the displayed message when the view has no items

• Creation of parameters

• A need for complex filters

In this chapter, you will learn that there is a difference between Data View and XSLT List View web parts, and how hyperlinks are customized in each. The hyperlinks will also be structured differently for libraries than they are for lists. Therefore, an overview of SharePoint URL structures will be provided.

In May 2009, I originally wrote an article with an associated screencast, called “Data View Web Part, The Basics—Add a Hyperlink.” It has had many site visits over the years, and is my most popular EndUserSharePoint (EUSP) article.

I wrote this article before ...