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OpenSearch Descriptor File Generator for SharePoint Server 2007 Sites

Summary: Learn about the OpenSearch Location Builder Tool, which you can use to create an OpenSearch Description (.osdx) file to connect Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 sites to the Windows Client via the OpenSearch protocol.

Applies to:    Windows 7 | Windows Server 2008 R2 | Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
Provided by:   Brandon Paddock, Microsoft Corporation | Jo-Anne Stamerjohn, Microsoft Corporation

Contents

  • Introduction

  • Prerequisites

  • Using the OpenSearch Location Builder Tool

  • Running the Sample

  • Conclusion

  • Additional Resources

Office Code Gallery  Download the OpenSearch Location Builder Tool

Introduction

Windows 7 supports the querying of external data sources through the OpenSearch protocol (see OpenSearch.org). OpenSearch enables users to search a remote data store and view results from within Windows Explorer. For more information, see Federated Search in Windows. To connect to the external data stores by using the OpenSearch protocol, you must create an OpenSearch Description (.osdx) file and execute it on the Windows 7 client.

To enable users to search Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 sites from Windows Explorer, you can export the OpenSearch Descriptor file (.osdx) from the Managed Federated Locations page. However, for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 sites, you must create the OpenSearch Descriptor file (.osdx) manually.

The OpenSearch Location Builder Tool can help you create OpenSearch Descriptor files (.osdx) that you can use to connect to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 sites.

Prerequisites

Table 1 lists the software you must install to run the tool.

Table 1. Software prerequisites for OpenSearch Location Builder

Client Server Development Tool

Windows 7

Windows Server 2008 R2

Office SharePoint Server 2007

Microsoft Visual Studio

Using the OpenSearch Location Builder Tool

You can download the sample code for the tool on the OpenSearch Location Builder Sample for SharePoint Server 2007 resource page in the MSDN Code Gallery. To download the sample code, on the resource home page, click the Downloads tab, and then click OpenSearch Location Builder Project.

Running the Sample

Use the following steps to build and run the sample by using Visual Studio.

  1. Open Windows Explorer, and then navigate to the directory that contains the OpenSearch Location Builder.sln file.

  2. Double-click OpenSearch Location Builder.sln to open it in Visual Studio.

    Important

    This sample was created by using Visual Studio 2008. If you are using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, you may need to run the Visual Studio Conversion Wizard when you open the solution file.

  3. In Visual Studio, on the Debug menu, click Start Without Debugging.

  4. Type a name for the OpenSearch location in the Name field.

  5. Type the URL for the SharePoint site in the SharePoint site URL field.

  6. To create the OpenSearch Descriptor (.osdx) file and register it with Windows Federated Search, click Install. To save a copy of the .osdx file without registering it, click Save OSDX.

Conclusion

This article describes the OpenSearch Location Builder Tool that you can use to create an OpenSearch Description (.osdx) file to connect Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 sites to the Windows Client via the OpenSearch protocol. OpenSearch enables users to search a remote data store and view results from within Windows Explorer.

Additional Resources

For more information, see the following resources: