Try ShortPoint nowThis article demonstrates how you can use the Org News connection type, which allows you to connect ShortPoint Design Elements to news posts/links across all Site Collections.
NOTE: If you want to present news posts and news links within your site collection or a specific site collection within your organization’s tenancy, check out our article on Site News connection type. Or if you want to present news articles from site pages associated with a hub site, check out the article on Hub News connection type.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prerequisites
- You have the latest version of ShortPoint SPFx installed on your SharePoint environment.
- You are a ShortPoint Designer with an active license.
- You must have an existing ShortPoint Design Element you want to use to connect.
- You must have SharePoint News/Links on your organization’s Site Collections.
- You must have at least Read permissions to connect to your organization’s Site Collections. For more information, check our FAQ article: What permissions are required to be able to view news posts and links that are dynamically inserted using any of the ShortPoint News connection types?
Interactive Tutorial
Click Get Started to learn how to use the Org News connection type:
NOTE: To learn more about the Connect feature and Items Mapping, check out ShortPoint Connect: Basic Tutorial.
NOTE: Org News connection uses SharePoint Search and brings all news sources from across your organization's tenancy. News results may not always be updated in real-time as it is subjected to SharePoint Search Crawl.
NOTE: You can use any ShortPoint Design Element of your choice to establish the connection.
Step-by-step Tutorial
Follow the steps below for a detailed step-by-step guide on how to use the Org News connection type:
Step 1: Edit the ShortPoint web part
- Go to the SharePoint page where you want to use the Org News connection type and click Edit.
- Click the ShortPoint tag.
- Click the pencil icon.
Step 2: Switch to Grid Mode
- Click the Switch to Grid Mode icon.
NOTE: The ShortPoint Connect feature is currently only available in Grid Mode.
Step 3: Edit the Design Element
- Look for the Design Element you want to use to connect and click the cogwheel icon.
NOTE: You can use any ShortPoint Design Element of your choice to establish the connection.
Step 4: Connect using the Org News connection type
- Go to the Connect tab.
- Click Org News.
- (Optional) You can also modify the following fields:
 | Item Limit | allows you to modify the maximum number of news shown |
 | Select column to sort | allows you to quickly sort news Title, Date Created, Last Modified, and Author in ascending or descending order. |
 | Default Image | allows you to assign an image that will be displayed on your page when the news post or link you are pulling does not have an associated image. You can select from your image library or enter a URL. |
 | Date/Time Format | allows you to customize how the date and time of your news posts or links will be displayed. Check out How to Use Custom Date and Time Formats with ShortPoint Design Elements for more information. |
 | Use Cases | allows you to set up a Use Case, which is an automatic filter functionality that produces the most common outputs required by ShortPoint users. Check out Getting Started with Use Cases to learn more. |
NOTE: Some Use Cases may require additional Use Case Parameters. Default values will appear for the Use Case and the parameters will automatically be applied.
NOTE: You can use Placeholders as your Use Case Parameters. Check out our support article on How to Use Placeholders in Connections for more information.
- Click Connect to establish the connection.
NOTE: Org News connection uses SharePoint Search and brings all news sources from across your organization's tenancy. News results may not always be updated in real-time as it is subjected to SharePoint Search Crawl.
Step 5: Map Items to display
- Go to the Items tab.
- Delete all default content.
- Click the link icon for each field to choose the property you want to display.
- (Optional) Modify the Link Text, which is the text displayed inside the button.
- (Optional) Select a Linking Option:
- Lightbox - opens the link in a lightbox
- New Window - opens the link in a new window
- Dialog - opens the link in a dialog box
NOTE: Check out Types of Linking Options in Page Builder Elements for more information about Linking Options.
NOTE: To learn more about the Connect feature and Items Mapping, check out ShortPoint Connect: Basic Tutorial.
Step 6: Update and Save
- Click Preview to see how the Design Element will look on your page.
- Once satisfied, click Update.
- Then, click the eye icon to see how your page will look in real-time.
- Click Save to apply your changes.
Congratulations! You can now use the Org News connection type on your SharePoint pages. Enjoy displaying your organization’s latest news.
Related articles:
- Connection Type: Site News
- Connection Type: Hub News
- Getting Started with Use Cases
- How To Use Placeholders In ShortPoint Connections
- ShortPoint Connect: Basic Tutorial
- What permissions are required to be able to view news posts and links that are dynamically inserted using any of the ShortPoint News connection types?
