SharePoint Navigation Providers

I want to share with you all, about navigation features in both WSS3.0 and MOSS. SharePoint Navigation features called Navigation Providers are enabled in the root directory of webapplications’s web.config file to access widely. These named Navigation providers are added to the <SiteMap> element under <System.Web> Section.

Named Providers are defined under WSS3.0 are,

· SPNavigationProvider

· SPSiteMapProvider

· SPContentMapProvider

· SPXmlContentMapProvider

· SPXmlAdminContentMapProvider*

*This named procedure only available in Central Administration webapplication

All the above providers share the same namespace called Microsoft.SharePoint.Navigation

MOSS included some named providers in addition to the WSS3.0 named providers.

· AdministrationQuickLaunchProvider

· SharedServicesQuickLaunchProvider

· GlobalNavSiteMapProvider

· CombinedNavSiteMapProvider

· CurrentNavSiteMapProvider

· CurrentNavSiteMapProviderNoEncode

· MySiteMapProvider

· MySiteLeftNavProvider

· SiteDirectoryCategoryProvider

· UsagePagesSiteMapProvider

Provider Names:

AdministrationQuickLaunchProvider:

Assembly	Microsoft.Office.Server.UI
Namespace	Microsoft.Office.Server.UI
Class Name	Microsoft.Office.Server.Web. AdministrationQuickLaunchProvider
Description	QuickLaunch navigation provider for the central administration site
Assembly Path	GAC

SharedServicesQuickLaunchProvider:

Assembly	Microsoft.Office.Server.UI
Namespace	Microsoft.Office.Server.UI
Class Name	Microsoft.Office.Server.Web. SharedServicesQuickLaunchProvider
Description	QuickLaunch navigation provider for shared services administration sites
Assembly Path	GAC

PortalSiteMapProvider:

Assembly	Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing
Namespace	Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing.Navigation
Class Name	Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing.Navigation. PortalSiteMapProvider
Description	Provides PortalSiteMapNode objects that represent a merging of the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0SPNavigation store and dynamic site structure, including sites and pages. This Provider has four navigation providers to merge with WSS3.0 Providers.
Assembly Path	..\12\ISAPI\

*The each different value of NavigationType property in PortalSiteMapProvider object represents the following providers. There are Current, Global & Combined navigationtypes.

GlobalNavSiteMapProvider:

NavigationType: Global

Description: Include SPNavigationNodes from navigation in the TopNavigationBarcollection of Windows SharePoint Services; respect global inheritance and include or hide settings.

CombinedNavSiteMapProvider:

NavigationType: Combined

Description: This is attached to the global navigation or top navigation menu by default.

CurrentNavSiteMapProvider:

NavigationType: Current

Description: Gets the PortalSiteMapProvider object that is attached by default to the current navigation or Quick Launch, respect to current inheritance settings and include or hide settings.

CurrentNavSiteMapProviderNoEncode:

NavigationType: Current

EncodeOutput: false

Description: Gets the PortalSiteMapProvider object that is attached to the breadcrumb navigation by default.

*Gets or sets whether to HTML-encode the Title property of each PortalSiteMapNode object.

MySiteMapProvider:

Assembly	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal
Namespace	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal
Class Name	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal. MySiteMapProvider
Description	MySite provider that returns (MyProfile links) areas and based on the current user context.
Assembly Path	..\12\ISAPI\

MySiteLeftNavProvider:

Assembly	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal
Namespace	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal
Class Name	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal. MySiteLeftNavProvider
Description	MySite Left Nav provider that returns areas (Quick Launch) and based on the current user context.
Assembly Path	..\12\ISAPI\

SiteDirectoryCategoryProvider:

Assembly	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal
Namespace	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal.WebControls
Class Name	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal.WebControls. SiteDirectoryCategoryProvider
Description	SiteDirectory Category Provider returns the Category nodes present in the SiteDirectory Sites.
Assembly Path	..\12\ISAPI\

UsagePagesSiteMapProvider:

Assembly	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal
Namespace	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal.Analytics
Class Name	Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal.Analytics. UsagePagesSiteMapProvider
Description	Provider for navigation in Portal Usage pages
Assembly Path	..\12\ISAPI\

SPNavigationProvider:

Assembly	Microsoft.SharePoint
Namespace	Microsoft.SharePoint.Navigation
Class Name	Microsoft.SharePoint.Navigation. SPNavigationProvider
Description	Provides a base class for Windows SharePoint Services site-map providers that are specialized for SharePoint site navigation. Node “sid:1002” represents the QuickLaunchBar, Node “sid:1025” represents the TopNavigationBar
Assembly Path	..\12\ISAPI\

SPSiteMapProvider:

Assembly	Microsoft.SharePoint
Namespace	Microsoft.SharePoint.Navigation
Class Name	Microsoft.SharePoint.Navigation. SPSiteMapProvider
Description	Provides the SiteMapNode objects that constitute the global content breadcrumb, which represents objects in the site hierarchy above the current site.
Assembly Path	..\12\ISAPI\

SPContentMapProvider:

Assembly	Microsoft.SharePoint
Namespace	Microsoft.SharePoint.Navigation
Class Name	Microsoft.SharePoint.Navigation. SPContentMapProvider
Description	Provides methods and properties for implementing a site map provider for contents of a Windows SharePoint Services site. This class provides the SiteMapNode objects that constitute the content breadcrumb, where “content” referes to the lists, folders, items, and list forms composing the breadcrumb.
Assembly Path	..\12\ISAPI\

SPXmlContentMapProvider:

Assembly	Microsoft.SharePoint
Namespace	Microsoft.SharePoint.Navigation
Class Name	Microsoft.SharePoint.Navigation. SPXmlContentMapProvider
Description	Provides methods and properties for implementing a site map provider for contents of a Windows SharePoint Services site. This class provides the SiteMapNode objects that constitute the content breadcrumb, where “content” referes to the lists, folders, items, and list forms composing the breadcrumb.
Site-Map Path	../ApplicationRootDirectory/_app_bin/layouts.sitemap

SPXmlAdminContentMapProvider:

Available to only Central Administration application

Assembly	Microsoft.SharePoint
Namespace	Microsoft.SharePoint.Navigation
Class Name	Microsoft.SharePoint.Navigation. SPXmlContentMapProvider
Description	Provides methods and properties for implementing a site map provider for contents of a Windows SharePoint Services site. This class provides the SiteMapNode objects that constitute the content breadcrumb, where “content” referes to the lists, folders, items, and list forms composing the breadcrumb.
Site-Map Path	../CentralAdministrationRootDirectory/_app_bin/admin.sitemap

soon I will come with a deep details about each navigation Providers.