Scenario - Move Multiple Folders Between Libraries

In this article we can explore a real-world scenario of working with folders and files in a Document Library.

Scenario

Your customer has a collection of folders and files in a Document Library. The customer needs more convenient options to Cut, Copy and Paste folders and files between SharePoint Sites and the local file system. How to provide a solution?

Solution

The cost of developing custom actions for the preceding operations would be time-consuming and interfacing with the local file system would still be unresolved. Luckily we do not have to do it.

SharePoint 2010 has built-in features to support Cut, Copy and Paste features. We can use the power of the desktop using Windows Explorer to do it.

Open with Windows Explorer

We can use the Open with Windows Explorer feature of SharePoint 2010 to perform the operations:

1. Cut, Copy and Paste of Folders
2. Cut, Copy and Paste of Files
3. Operate between SharePoint Site and Local File System

We can access the feature from the Library tab of the document library as shown below:

On using the preceding option, the library gets opened in the Windows Explorer.



In the preceding Explorer window you can do multiple selections, Cut, Copy and Paste operations, drag and drop etc.

Constraints

The following are the constraints of using this feature:

1. The Client should be the Windows Operating System
2. The Client Browser should be Internet Explorer 32 bit
3. The Client machine should have a WebClient service started

The operating system can be Windows 7 / Vista / 2008 etc. Internet Explorer 64 bit and other browsers will have the button disabled. The Web Client service should be started for the Windows Client operating systems.

WebDAV

Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) is an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) that enables treating HTTP locations as file systems. WebDAV is enabled in the Internet Information Services (IIS) level of the SharePoint server to provide Open with Windows Explorer functionality.

Error Situation 1: Disabled Button

An error situation can arise like the following where the button is disabled.



Solution

Ensure Windows & Browser: Ensure the Windows and Internet Explorer combination is valid according to SharePoint 2010 recommendations. Please ensure that you are using the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer.

From the Start Menu launch the correct version of Internet Explorer.



You can also verify the Internet Explorer (IE) version using the About menu item inside IE. Press Alt within IE, then choose Help > About menu item as shown below:



Click the menu item and you will see the following dialog:



For IE 32-bit the Version line looks like above.

For IE 64-bit (incompatible) the Version line looks like the following:



I would like to repeat that IE 64-bit does not support the Open in Windows Explorer feature.

Error Situation 2: Error Message

In this error situation, the button is enabled but will throw an exception dialog saying "Your client does not support opening this list with Windows Explorer".



Solution

Start WebClient Service: The WebClient service has to be started in the client operating system. This service makes Windows Explorer treat the SharePoint site as a file system.

To ensure it is started please open the Run command window and type services.msc, as in:



This command will open the Windows Services management console. (You can also start this console from Start Menu > Control Panel > System & Security (group) > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Services and Applications > Services)

Locate the WebClient service within this window and Start it if it is not already started.



Click the Play button from the toolbar to start the Service.

You can also change the Startup Type to Automatic for starting the service on operating system start. For changing this you need to right-click the Service item and choose Properties menu.

Note: If you are using a Windows Server 2008 / 2012 machine as your client (server & client same machine) then you need to add the feature "Desktop Experience" to work with this functionality.

Server Side Troubleshooting

Additionally if you have the SharePoint deployment server under your control, you can troubleshoot the WebDAV settings.

1. Open Server Manager application
2. Click on the Add Roles Services item
3. Check WebDAV Publishing item
4. Proceed with the installion
5. Restart machine

References

http://tinyurl.com/sp2010-browcomp

Summary

In this article we have explored the flexibility of managing document libraries inside SharePoint 2010. Additionally we can map network drives to a SharePoint site using the WebDAV feature. Although SharePoint 2010 supports almost all commonly used browsers we have to keep in mind that all the features are not supported. A browser compatibility matrix can be viewed in the References link. The Browser version should be specified in the Client deployment manual to avoid future chaos.