Here’s the scenario: In SharePoint, you want to view one or more lists from one web in a site collection in a different web on the same site collection. What do you do? That’s easy: You go to SharePoint Designer, go to the original list view, export the XSLTListView web part that represents that view, load it into your other web and place it in whatever web part page you’d like. Boom. Dashboard.

Unless, of course, you’ve got the In Place Records Management feature enabled. In that case, you’re screwed. Everything will look fine for a while. But eventually, all of the views of your original list will fail. You will see the dreaded:


Server Error in '/' Application.
________________________________________
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
Description: An unhandled exception occurred during the execution of the current web request. Please review the stack trace for more information about the error and where it originated in the code.

[NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.]
Microsoft.Office.RecordsManagement.RecordsRepository.Records.GetCachedAllowManualRecordDeclarationSetting(CachedList list, Hashtable siteProperties) +3
Microsoft.Office.RecordsManagement.Controls.<>c__DisplayClass1.b__0() +164
Microsoft.Office.Server.Utilities.MonitoredScopeWrapper.RunWithMonitoredScope(Action code) +39
Microsoft.Office.RecordsManagement.Controls.DeclareRecordAction.GetDeclareRecordInfo() +158
Microsoft.Office.RecordsManagement.Controls.InPlaceRecordsRibbon.Page_PreRenderComplete(Object sender, EventArgs e) +74
System.EventHandler.Invoke(Object sender, EventArgs e) +0
System.Web.UI.Page.OnPreRenderComplete(EventArgs e) +11058669
System.Web.UI.Page.ProcessRequestMain(Boolean includeStagesBeforeAsyncPoint, Boolean includeStagesAfterAsyncPoint) +3671


Why, SharePoint!? WHY!? (Seriously, if I had a nickel for every time I shouted that…)

Well, with the help of our good friend .NET Reflector, let’s take a closer look at that stack trace, shall we?

Microsoft.Office.RecordsManagement lives in Microsoft.Office.Policy.dll. I open it up and take a look at GetCachedAllowManualRecordDeclarationSetting(CachedList list, Hashtable siteProperties). Not much there…

internal static bool GetCachedAllowManualRecordDeclarationSetting(CachedList list, Hashtable siteProperties)
{
    if (list.RecordsUseListSetting)
    {
        return list.RecordsAllowManualDeclareSetting;
    }
    return GetCachedAllowManualDeclarationSiteSetting(siteProperties);
}

Nothing that’s going to throw a NullReferenceException unless the cached list itself is null. So let’s travel up the stack a bit to Microsoft.Office.RecordsManagement.Controls.<>c__DisplayClass1.b__0().

public void <GetDeclareRecordInfo>b__0()
{
    SPList list = SPContext.Current.List;
    if (list != null)
    {
        CachedArea rootArea = CacheManager.GetManagerForContextSite().ObjectFactory.RootArea;
        CachedList cachedList = CommonUtilities.GetCachedList(SPContext.Current.Web, SPContext.Current.ListId);
        if (list != null) // <- WTF!?  (This comment added by me.)
        {
            this.declareRecord.iprList = Records.GetCachedAllowManualRecordDeclarationSetting(cachedList, rootArea.Properties);
            if (this.declareRecord.iprList)
            {
                this.declareRecord.userHasRights = Records.CachedDoesUserHavePermissionsToDeclare(list, rootArea.Properties);
            }
        }
    }
}

Ah HA! The cached list is null! The inner null check is clearly meant to check the null-ness of cachedList and not list! So, thanks to a clear, obvious bug in SharePoint, you can’t use XSLTListView Web Parts on other webs in your site collection if In Place Records Management is turned on. Unfortunately, the only solution is to turn it off.

Note: I upgraded my development SharePoint instance to the February 2012 CU. This bug still exists in assembly file version 14.0.6116.5000.

1. My worth as a human being does not depend on the quality of my performance.

I’m no good at judging myself by them anyway. A good show results in an inner monologue that says, “Hey, that wasn’t too bad,” and continues on its merry way. A bad one results in days upon days of depression and self loathing.

2. Sleep is important. I will not neglect this essential need.

The difference in my mood and productivity after a good night’s sleep is astounding. Why do I keep neglecting this essential function?

3. When I perform, I will do so with purpose and conviction.

I’ve performed on stage consistently my entire adult life, and I have performed improv for most of that time. I do not need “stage time” for its own sake. If I get up on a stage it will be in service to a show with a clear purpose, and not just to “screw around.” Following through with Rule 3 will probably help with Rule 1.

4. I will work towards my dreams every day.

My life is too short and too valuable to screw around doing nothing. The Internet is a drug that works by stimulating the part of the brain that craves novel information. I will not let this drug enslave my mind and obliterate my dreams.

5. I will clearly envision and refine my dreams every week.

I will take time to steer the ship, and make sure that the things that I’m doing are pushing me towards goals that I actually want to accomplish. The vivid vision of the artist I want to be will propel me through the agonizing self-doubt that comes from actually doing creative work.

See Wil’s original tweet.

Well naturally I like to give my SharePoint VM lots of RAM, but 6144 is right around the amount that is actually free. So I lower it to 4096 MB. Task Manager tells me I have more than enough free RAM to do that. But I try to start it up… No dice. I lower it to 2048 MB. It starts all right, but running SharePoint + SQL Server + Visual Studio on 2 GB of RAM is not something I relish.

Finally, my Google-Fu was powerful enough to show me newly-posted answer on TechNet.

googlecrashhandler.exe? Really!? Well, seems silly, but anything’s worth a try. I kill the 2 processes and boom. My VM starts with 6 GB of RAM, just like always.

I’m writing this up for two reasons: Primarily, I’m putting this out there so Google can grab it and save my fellow devs from frustration. But secondarily, as a SharePoint developer, it’s not often that I have cause to direct WTF’s at a party other than Microsoft.

Hey, Google: WTF!?

Well then what the hell is up with this:

I’m doing something that I think is pretty typical. I’ve created a content type, descended from Document, to go into a document library, like so:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Elements xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">
  <!-- Parent ContentType: Document (0x0101) -->
  <ContentType ID="0x010100abd74e6994114664b1ca6a8a710ff8cb"
               Name="Project Document"
               Group="WMC Project Management"
               Description="Document related to a project in the PMO portfolio."
               Inherits="TRUE"
               Version="0">
    <FieldRefs>
      <FieldRef ID="{B61A9DBA-5714-4E44-98AE-D410F84874BB}" Name="PortfolioProjectName" DisplayName="Portfolio Project Name" />
      <FieldRef ID="{811A8F99-3336-41AF-A1B1-C9DC624085C2}" Name="PortfolioProjectUrl" DisplayName="Portfolio Project URL" />
      <FieldRef ID="{938CF8E5-CCB2-49B1-91A6-595EB741F532}" Name="PortfolioProjectListItemId" DisplayName="Portfolio Project List Item ID" />
      <FieldRef ID="{9BE2CEAE-351D-4BC1-881B-44C7091FD501}" Name="ProjectDocumentType" DisplayName="Project Document Type" />
    </FieldRefs>
  </ContentType>
</Elements>

And I’ve created a document library to hold documents of this content type, like so:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<List xmlns:ows="Microsoft SharePoint" Title="Project Documents" Direction="$Resources:Direction;" FolderCreation="TRUE" EnableContentTypes="TRUE" Url="PMOProjectDocuments-ProjectDocumentLibrary" BaseType="1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">
  <MetaData>
    <ContentTypes>
      <ContentTypeRef ID="0x010100abd74e6994114664b1ca6a8a710ff8cb" />
    </ContentTypes>
    <Fields>
    (blah blah blah)
    </Fields>
    (blah blah blah blah blah)
  </MetaData>
</List>

So can you tell me why I see the following when I hit my F5 key?

Hm, that’s odd. I called my content type “Project Document” not “Project Documents.” Project Documents is the name of the document library itself. Let’s take a closer look at that content type, shall we?

What the WHAT? That’s no content type, that’s a list instance! I wondered what I’d done wrong. It’s certainly not out of the question for me to screw up a SharePoint XML configuration somewhere. Hell, screwing that up is most of what I do all day. So I went to my test server, where I’d deployed a slightly different earlier version. The document library and content type appeared normal. Could there possibly be some difference in the way I deployed the project? I deployed the .wsp manually on the dev box… the very same .wsp I’d just debugged with F5.

But that looks perfectly normal. What about the content type itself?

So… I guess this means I can’t trust content deployed through Visual Studio anymore. Hey, it’s not like I needed a streamlined workflow or anything.

“True to Form”
Friday, February 3, 2012 (TODAY!)
8:00 PM, The PIT Underground, $5

A monthly show in which we explore the structure of improv by performing unique forms provided by the community and abroad. This month we’re doing “The Ghost,” “Memento,” and “The Master.”

“1800′s London” (with “I’m Into Lemurs”)
Monday, February 6, 2012
9:00 PM, The PIT Underground, SUPER FREE!

My newly-created PIT house team teams up with another newly-created PIT house team and we do longform every week.

“PUPPET FACE” (with “The Internet”)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
7:00 PM, UNDER St. Marks, $(I don’t know, but it can’t be that expensive…)

Improv, with puppets! If you like seeing me do improv while holding a cloth doll over my head, then you will love this show!

Break legs. Relax. Be yourself. Say yes. Listen and react emotionally. Commit. Feel something. SAY YES!

I said, “Say yes” twice, once in ALL CAPS. To which everyone who’s ever taken a Level Zero improv class, or even walked by a room where an improv class was taking place replied, “Well, DUH!”

But saying yes is more than just not saying no.

Sure, at the level at which people are auditioning for house teams, you rarely hear:

A: This is a pink unicorn.
B: No, it’s not! It’s a yellow washing machine!

Good. You passed Level One. Congratulations.

If I have any improv knowledge to impart, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants. And if my knowledge has any breadth, it is because I’m standing on the shoulders of a lot of giants, all lined up together like the Giants defensive line during a goal-line stand.* So this is what some of these giants have taught me about the many ways of saying yes:

From Del (in the canonical text “Truth in Comedy”), and from several of his disciples, I learned Yes, and… Just like everyone else.

From Will Hines at Improv Nonsense I learned that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is an offer to be accepted. Specifically I learned the power of saying “Yes!” to directed questions. Again, once you get beyond Level 1, you don’t get questions like, “Who are you? What is that?” But how many times have you seen this:

A: Sorry I’m late, honey.
B: Are you having an affair?
A: No, I was just stuck in traffic. God, you’re so suspicious!

or

A: I forgot to turn off the oven!
B: What are you retarded?
A: No, I was just in such a hurry to meet you that I forgot.

Mr. Hines posits that these questions are weak, unsure offers, but offers just the same and 99.9% of the time the answer should be, “Yes.”

A: Sorry I’m late, honey.
B: Are you having an affair?
A: Yes, I am. I was wondering how long it’d be until you found out.

or

A: I forgot to turn off the oven!
B: What are you, retarded?
A: Yes, a little. I normally cope well enough but you put so much pressure on me that I forgot my “coping with daily tasks” training.

(If you want to play a fun mini-game, just watch my lips during another team’s improv performance and count how many times I mouth the words, “Just say yes!”)

From Rich Talarico, at his workshop at the PIT, I learned that it’s rarely the best move to be surprised by something. A shocking revelation is a big offer, and a response of surprise is like a “Yes, but…” that takes several lines. For example:

A: I’m having an affair.
B: WHAT? I don’t believe it! With who? How long has this been going on?

Sure, points for honest reactions, but we only have a short time to move this scene forward. But what happens if we’re not surprised?

A: I’m having an affair.
B: I know. With Mrs. Schmidt next door. She’s kind of frumpy. Frankly I thought you could have done better.

I think the more compelling scene lies down the second path.

From Oscar Montoya I learned that while “Yes, and…” is useful “Yes, because…” focuses the scene. Rather than:

A: The souffle has fallen.
B: And the dish is cracked.
A: And the oven’s on fire.

How about:

A: The souffle has fallen.
B: That’s probably because you were jumping on your pogo stick right next to the oven while it was baking.

And finally, from Chris Roberti I learned that it’s always more interesting to be vulnerable than to be guarded. How does that tie into this post’s theme of saying yes? Well, I weave that into Oscar’s advice to create the basis of my entire improv philosophy: “Yes, because I’m vulnerable.”

A: The souffle has fallen.
B: All of my cooking has been a failure since Sheila left…

As always, the path of knowledge is never-ending. This is by no means an exhaustive examination of the myraid ways of saying yes. I’m sure I’ll be learning new ways of saying yes until I’m too senile to perform and the other people at the theater have an uncomfortable discussion to decide who has to tell the old man that maybe it’s time to retire.

But until then, please, SAY YES!

* Go Giants!!!

This is my second time through the audition process at the PIT, and the first time I’ve been through significant cuts. Many people I love, including half of Technicolor, won’t be around for this cycle.

It hurts. I know. I’ve been there.

When I was put on a Harold team at UCB*, I was well beyond cloud nine — I was on cloud a hundred and seventy-four and had a leather steamer trunk covered in stickers indicating the many clouds I’d been on. When I was cut a short time later, I was bereft.

At first I thought, “It’s all right. I’m a bit emotional now, but I just need to take a break from this place.” But then the break became a hiatus. The hiatus became “Whatever happened to…?” Before I knew it, I hadn’t done longform improv in ten years.

Let me tell you: This is, seriously, one of the biggest regrets of my life.

If you need to take time, go ahead and take some time. But please, PLEASE don’t make the same mistake I made. Don’t abandon your craft. Make things happen. Persevere. Be great. I have faith in you.

* Back then, this was not quite the amazing accomplishment it is today. On the UCB retrospective interview that was recently published, someone said, “Anyone who could stand got on a house team.” I could stand. Barely.

In any case, if you wish to see me perform at the PIT, I will be performing Monday nights at 9:30 with the team currently known as 1800′s London. I hope to see many of you there…

So, to put the unsolicited advice I feel compelled as an experienced parent to give all in one place, I’m posting it here:

“Relax. You will be fine.”

Right now, you’re listening to a thousand different voices telling you exactly what you should and shouldn’t do. You’re getting glossy pamphlets from the hospital. Visits from friends. Advice from your parents and in-laws who were expertly trained on you. Books that have titles like, “What to Expect…” which could be substantively replaced by a single page reading, “The Unexpected.”

On top of that, there’s a whole cottage industry out there of parent panic. Am I feeding him right? Is she eating enough? Too much? If I have trouble breast feeding, am I failure? Should I soothe him when he cries, or let him cry it out? Am I swaddling her properly? Are her toys enriching enough? When should he start talking? Walking? If she doesn’t reach these milestones at these times, does this mean she won’t get into an Ivy League school?

“Relax. You will be fine.”

Kids are amazingly resilient. They can thrive in any environment, as long as there’s love and affection. Although none of you know each other, I know all of you and I already know that these kids have love and affection in spades. Kids need to be talked to. Kids need to be played with. Kids need to be loved. All of you guys have hearts so overflowing with love that the very idea of you not meeting these most important needs is ludicrous.

While everyone wants to tell you that everything is dangerous, kids today are incredibly safe. Statistically, they’re safer now than they have ever been. Just the same, they will bump their heads on coffee tables. They will fall down and scrape their knees. There will be boo-boos and Band-Aids. (Pro tip: The ones with Dora on them have greater healing powers.) There will be coughs, sniffles (dear GOD so many coughs and sniffles) and the occasional fever. But, in the end, they will be fine.

So the next time you’re crying over which model of stroller to get (trust me, you will), or panicking about the precise moment to introduce solid food, or waking up in the middle of the night just to make sure your baby is still breathing (no really, you will totally do this), please remember:

“Relax. You will be fine.”

I can’t speak to the parenting experience beyond the age of 5. I can, however, tell you all for certain that when you come home, and your kid jumps up and runs into your arms shouting, “Daddy! I’m so happy to see you!” that it’s pretty much a thousand times more amazing than any feeling you’ve yet experienced.

Good luck, try to get some sleep, and relax. I promise, you will be fine.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go sit in a corner for a while and repeat to myself, “He’ll probably stop wetting the bed before he goes to college.”