SharePoint integration endpoints for a SAPUI5-based PeopleFinder

SAPUI5 is a suitable framework to build responsive-design UIs that renders to the available screen estate of diverse device types: smartphone, tablet, and desktop. It is therefore a fit to deliver an alternative UI to SharePoint's PeopleFinder functionality, in case the out-of-the-box SharePoint UI (that is, with potentially the rendering still made company specific via customized Search Display Templates) for whatever reason does not qualify as sufficient fit. The basic requirement of a SAPUI5 mobile application is that it can consume data and functionality via OData REST services. The SharePoint platform supports such an architecture via the standard SharePoint REST services:

The integration surface for a peoplefinder functionality comprises 3 main elements:

1. To interactive present people suggestions to user while typing in characters of the people name ==> Get names list of matched users on search input
2. Get detailed list of matched users on search input
3. Get details for selected user

1. Get names list of matched users on search input

Best:

SharePoint end-point

https://<SharePoint root-url>/_api/search/query?querytext='preferredname:Jones*'''&selectproperties='PreferredName'&sourceid='B09A7990-05EA-4AF9-81EF-EDFAB16C4E31'&rowlimit=10

Alternative is to search in User Information List:

SharePoint end-point

https://<SharePoint root-url>/_vti_bin/listdata.svc/UserInformationList?$filter=((ContentType eq 'Person') and (substringof('Jones',LastName)))&$orderby=Name

but this has some disadvantages:

• Incomplete qua users: user is only added to UserInformationList on first visit to SharePoint site; users not visited yet, are not included
• Overcomplete: UserInformationList is never cleaned up, former colleagues remain in the list
• Incomplete qua search: UserInformation does not contain a full name field

2. Get detailed list of matched users on search input

Search in full content / all crawled people data fields:

SharePoint end-point

https:// <SharePoint root-url>/_api/search/query?querytext='Mobile*'&selectproperties='FirstName,LastName'&sourceid='B09A7990-05EA-4AF9-81EF-EDFAB16C4E31'&rowlimit=10

Search in identified property-field(s) only:

SharePoint end-point

https:// <SharePoint root-url>/_api/search/query?querytext='department:Mobile*'&selectproperties='FirstName,LastName'&sourceid='B09A7990-05EA-4AF9-81EF-EDFAB16C4E31'&rowlimit=10

3. Get details for selected user

Get all public properties:

SharePoint end-point

https:// <SharePoint root-url>/_api/SP.UserProfiles.PeopleManager/GetPropertiesFor(accountName=@v)?@v='<uname of user>'

Get one single identified user profile property only:

SharePoint end-point

https://<SharePoint root-url>/_api/SP.UserProfiles.PeopleManager/GetUserProfilePropertyFor(accountName=@v,propertyName='AboutMe')?@v='<uname of user>'