Follow content in SharePoint
Learn about common programming tasks for following content (documents, sites, and tags) in SharePoint.
APIs for following content in SharePoint
When users follow documents, sites, or tags, status updates from documents, conversations on sites, and notifications of tag use show up in their newsfeed. The features related to following content can be seen on the Newsfeed and the Following content pages.
SharePoint provides the following APIs that you can use to programmatically follow content:
Client object models for managed code
.NET client object model
Silverlight client object model
Mobile client object model
JavaScript object model
Representational State Transfer (REST) service
Server object model
As a best practice in SharePoint development, use client APIs when you can. Client APIs include the client object models, a JavaScript object model, and a REST service. For more information about the APIs in SharePoint and when to use them, see Choose the right API set in SharePoint.
Each API includes a manager object that you use to perform core tasks for following content.
Note
The same APIs are used to follow people. See Follow people in SharePoint for an overview of Following People tasks.
Table 1 shows the manager and other key objects (or REST resources) in the APIs and the class library (or access point) where you can find them.
Note
The Silverlight and mobile client object models are not included in Table 1 or Table 2 because they provide the same core functionality as the .NET client object model and use the same signatures. The Silverlight client object model is defined in Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.UserProfiles.Silverlight.dll, and the mobile client object model is defined in Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.UserProfiles.Phone.dll.
Table 1. SharePoint APIs used for following content programmatically
| API | Key objects |
|---|---|
| .NET client object model See: How to: Follow documents and sites by using the .NET client object model in SharePoint |
Manager object: SocialFollowingManager Primary namespace: Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Social Other key objects: SocialActor , SocialActorInfo , SocialActorType , SocialActorTypes Class library: Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.UserProfiles.dll |
| JavaScript object model | Manager object: SocialFollowingManager Primary namespace: SP.Social Other key objects: SocialActor, SocialActorInfo, SocialActorType, SocialActorTypes Class library: SP.UserProfiles.js |
| REST service See How to: Follow documents, sites, and tags by using the REST service in SharePoint |
Manager resource: social.following Primary namespace (OData): sp.social.SocialRestFollowingManager Other key resources: SocialActor, SocialActorInfo, SocialActorType, SocialActorTypes Access point: <siteUri>/_api/social.following |
| Server object model | Manager object: SPSocialFollowingManager Primary namespace: Microsoft.Office.Server.Social Other key objects: SPSocialActor , SPSocialActorInfo , SPSocialActorType , SPSocialActorTypes Class library: Microsoft.Office.Server.UserProfiles.dll |
Common programming tasks for following content in SharePoint
Table 2 shows common programming tasks for following content and the members that you use to perform them. Members are from the .NET client object model (CSOM), JavaScript object model (JSOM), REST service, and server object model (SSOM).
Note
The same APIs are used to follow people. See Follow people in SharePoint for an overview of Following People tasks.
Table 2. API for common tasks for following content in SharePoint
| Task | Members |
|---|---|
| Create an instance of a manager object in the context of the current user | CSOM: SocialFollowingManager JSOM: SocialFollowingManager REST: <siteUri>/_api/social.following SSOM: SPSocialFollowingManager |
| Create an instance of a manager object in the context of a specified user | CSOM: not implemented JSOM: not implemented REST: not implemented SSOM: SPSocialFollowingManager (overloaded) |
| Have the current user start following (stop following) an item | CSOM: Follow ( StopFollowing ) JSOM: follow ( stopFollowing) REST: POST <siteUri>/_api/social.following/Follow ( <siteUri>/_api/social.following/StopFollowing) and pass the actor parameter in the request body SSOM: Follow ( StopFollowing ) |
| Find out whether the current user is following a particular item | CSOM: IsFollowed JSOM: isFollowed REST: POST <siteUri>/_api/social.following/IsFollowed and pass the actor parameter in the request body SSOM: IsFollowed |
| Get the documents, sites, and/or tags that the current user is following | CSOM: GetFollowed JSOM: getFollowed REST: GET <siteUri>/_api/social.following/my/Followed(types=2) (documents = 2, sites = 4, tags = 8.md) SSOM: GetFollowed |
| Get the count of documents, sites, and/or tags that the user is following | CSOM: GetFollowedCount JSOM: getFollowedCount REST: GET <siteUri>/_api/social.following/my/FollowedCount(types=2) (documents = 2, sites = 4, tags = 8.md) SSOM: GetFollowedCount |
| Get the URI of the site that lists the current user's followed documents | CSOM: FollowedDocumentsUri JSOM: followedDocumentsUri REST: GET <siteUri>/_api/social.following/my/FollowedDocumentsUri SSOM: FollowedDocumentsUri |
| Get the URI of the site that lists the current user's followed sites | CSOM: FollowedSitesUri JSOM: followedSitesUri REST: GET <siteUri>/_api/social.following/my/FollowedSitesUri SSOM: FollowedSitesUri |
Note
For examples that show how to use the REST service to follow content, see How to: Follow documents, sites, and tags by using the REST service in SharePoint.
How to get a tag's GUID based on the tag's name by using the JavaScript object model
To start and stop following a tag or to find out whether the current user is following it, you need to use the tag's GUID. The following code shows how to get the GUID based on the tag name.
Before you run the code, you need to add a reference to sp.taxonomy.js and change the placeholder tag name with the name of an existing tag.
function getTagGuid() {
var tagName = '#tally';
var clientContext = new SP.ClientContext.get_current();
var label = SP.Taxonomy.LabelMatchInformation.newObject(clientContext);
label.set_termLabel(tagName);
label.set_trimUnavailable(false);
var taxSession = SP.Taxonomy.TaxonomySession.getTaxonomySession(clientContext);
var termStore = taxSession.getDefaultKeywordsTermStore();
var termSet = termStore.get_hashTagsTermSet();
terms = termSet.getTerms(label);
clientContext.load(terms);
clientContext.executeQueryAsync(
function () {
var tag = terms.get_item(0);
if (tag !== null) {
var tagGuid = tag.get_id().toString();
if (!SP.ScriptUtility.isNullOrEmptyString(tagGuid)) {
alert(tagGuid);
}
}
},
function (sender, args) {
alert(args.get_message());
}
);
}