Resolving Lost Link Issue in SharePoint News Digest

In this blog post, the author, Ellen van Aken, narrates the engaging tale of "SharePoint Holmes and the Lost Link." The story derives from a real-life situation where SharePoint Holmes, a fictional persona signifying a seasoned SharePoint expert, had to investigate and solve a problem relating to sending out a News digest for a colleague's Christmas newsletter.

The person facing the issue couldn’t dispatch the News digest despite being guided by her colleague earlier, after which, she sought help from SharePoint Holmes. The specialist wasn't idle but was occupied during the closing period of the year; nevertheless, he willingly decided to assist the user.

The issue was analyzed by sharing screens and scrutinizing the site where the News was issued. The woman demonstrated the items listed in the Christmas News digest. Noticing a "See All" link at the top right, the web part was configured properly, and more than 5 items were published. However, where there should be “Manage Posts” and “Email a News digest” links, they shockingly were missing.

The specialist then compared her site with his own, scrutinizing if there were options to include News or other elements. A closer look at the Site Settings divulged only a minimal menu. Based on her access and limitations, it was deduced that she didn’t have the adequate rights to create a News digest.

The underlying issue was rectified by updating her user rights, transforming her status from being merely a Site Visitor to a Team Member. The resolution enabled her to manage the News digest; for more details click here.

Understanding SharePoint News Digest

SharePoint Online, a cloud-based service hosted by Microsoft, is essential for sharing and managing content, working together seamlessly, and engaging broadly across organizations. SharePoint News digest is a handy feature that facilitates managing posts and emails. However, to create a News digest, a user requires specific permissions. This includes the right to add a new Page to the Site Pages library and add images to the Assets library. Hence, a Site Visitor would face issues managing a News digest without proper rights, whereas a Team Member would handle it all seamlessly.

Read the full article SharePoint Holmes and the Lost Link (to the News digest)

Learn about SharePoint Holmes and the Lost Link (to the News digest)

In this post [https://mydigitalworkplace.files.wordpress.com/2022/12/xmassp-header-1.jpg?w=1015], we dive into a fascinating case of SharePoint Holmes, our digital hero, who once again came to the rescue. In this particular instance, he was called upon to address a conundrum involving the News digest functionality on SharePoint.

The scenario unfolded as an urgent request during a Teams call, where a misguided individual sought assistance in dispatching a Christmas Newsletter. Given the holiday period, traditional means of help were unavailable, leading the user to rely on SharePoint Holmes instead.

During the problem inspection, the pair started by analyzing the site where the news was published. The user shared the screen and pointed out the items that required inclusion in the Christmas digest. They observed a "See All" link reflecting at the top right of the site, suggesting the web part was configured correctly. But the trouble resided elsewhere, unseen yet disruptive.

On selecting the "See All" button, they found missing features on the landing page. Neither "Manage Posts" nor "Email a News digest" functionalities were visible, and refreshing the page didn't help.

They went back to the Homepage and clicked on the Gear Wheel. The dropdown, however, didn't offer diverse options. A comparison was made with one of SharePoint Holmes' sites, where he deduced that the problem was a permissions issue.

In his role as an administrator, SharePoint Holmes examined the permissions for the site, finding the user was a Site Visitor instead of a member. This was highlighted as the primary reason for limitations, preventing the creation of the News digest. It seems this information wasn't widely known, but rest assured it's a Microsoft-supported feature.

Due to this revelation, action was promptly taken. The user was made a "Member" and the Site Owner was informed about the changes. Following a page refresh, the permissions were updated correctly, allowing the user to create the News digest. Once again, SharePoint Holmes played the crucial role in saving the day, or in this case, Christmas!

As fascinating as this tale is, it's just one of many instances where digital detective SharePoint Holmes resolved an issue. We'll continue sharing more about SharePoint Holmes and his exploits in upcoming posts. Don't forget to tune back in to learn more about managing SharePoint from these enlightening real-world investigations.

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