10 SharePoint 2013 CSOM Interview Questions and Answers

SharePoint 2013 Client-Side Object Model (CSOM) is a powerful framework that allows developers to interact with SharePoint data from client-side applications. It provides a flexible and efficient way to perform operations such as CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) on SharePoint objects without needing server-side code. This makes it an essential tool for developers working on custom SharePoint solutions, especially in environments where server-side access is restricted.

This article offers a curated selection of interview questions designed to test your knowledge and proficiency with SharePoint 2013 CSOM. By reviewing these questions and their detailed answers, you will be better prepared to demonstrate your expertise and problem-solving abilities in a technical interview setting.

SharePoint 2013 CSOM Interview Questions and Answers

1. How do you initialize a ClientContext object to connect to a SharePoint site?

To initialize a ClientContext object for connecting to a SharePoint site, use the Microsoft.SharePoint.Client namespace. The ClientContext object facilitates operations against a SharePoint site from a client application.

Example:

using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;

string siteUrl = "https://yoursharepointsiteurl";
ClientContext context = new ClientContext(siteUrl);

Web web = context.Web;
context.Load(web);
context.ExecuteQuery();

Console.WriteLine("Title: " + web.Title);

In this example, the ClientContext is initialized with the SharePoint site URL and used to retrieve the site’s title.

2. Describe the steps to retrieve all lists from a SharePoint site using CSOM.

To retrieve all lists from a SharePoint site using CSOM:

• Establish a client context.
• Load the lists collection.
• Execute the query.

Example:

using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string siteUrl = "https://yoursharepointsite";
        ClientContext context = new ClientContext(siteUrl);

        Web web = context.Web;
        ListCollection lists = web.Lists;

        context.Load(lists);
        context.ExecuteQuery();

        foreach (List list in lists)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Title: " + list.Title);
        }
    }
}

Here, a ClientContext connects to the site, retrieves the Lists collection, and iterates through the lists to print their titles.

3. How would you retrieve specific items from a SharePoint list based on a query using CSOM?

To retrieve specific items from a SharePoint list using CSOM:

• Create a client context.
• Build a CAML query.
• Execute the query.
• Process the items.

Example:

using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;

ClientContext context = new ClientContext("http://yoursharepointsite");
List list = context.Web.Lists.GetByTitle("YourListName");

CamlQuery query = new CamlQuery();
query.ViewXml = "<View><Query><Where><Eq><FieldRef Name='Title'/><Value Type='Text'>SpecificValue</Value></Eq></Where></Query></View>";

ListItemCollection items = list.GetItems(query);
context.Load(items);
context.ExecuteQuery();

foreach (ListItem item in items)
{
    Console.WriteLine(item["Title"]);
}

This example uses a CamlQuery to retrieve items where the ‘Title’ field matches ‘SpecificValue’.

4. Explain how to update an existing item in a SharePoint list using CSOM.

To update an existing item in a SharePoint list using CSOM:

• Connect to the site.
• Access the list.
• Retrieve the item.
• Modify the item’s properties.
• Save the changes.

Example:

using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;

ClientContext context = new ClientContext("https://yoursharepointsite");
List list = context.Web.Lists.GetByTitle("YourListTitle");

ListItem item = list.GetItemById(1); // Assuming the item ID is 1
item["Title"] = "Updated Title";
item.Update();

context.ExecuteQuery();

Here, the item’s “Title” field is updated, and the changes are saved.

5. Describe the process of adding a new item to a SharePoint list using CSOM.

To add a new item to a SharePoint list using CSOM:

1. Establish a client context.
2. Retrieve the target list.
3. Create a new list item.
4. Set the item’s properties.
5. Add the item and commit the changes.

Example:

using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;

ClientContext context = new ClientContext("http://yoursharepointsite");
List list = context.Web.Lists.GetByTitle("Your List Name");

ListItemCreationInformation itemCreateInfo = new ListItemCreationInformation();
ListItem newItem = list.AddItem(itemCreateInfo);
newItem["Title"] = "New Item Title";
newItem["CustomField"] = "Custom Value";
newItem.Update();

context.ExecuteQuery();

This example demonstrates creating and adding a new list item.

6. How can you delete an item from a SharePoint list using CSOM?

To delete an item from a SharePoint list using CSOM:

1. Connect to the site.
2. Access the list.
3. Retrieve the item.
4. Delete the item and commit the changes.

Example:

using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string siteUrl = "https://yoursharepointsite";
        string listTitle = "YourListTitle";
        int itemId = 1; // ID of the item to delete

        ClientContext context = new ClientContext(siteUrl);
        List list = context.Web.Lists.GetByTitle(listTitle);
        ListItem item = list.GetItemById(itemId);

        item.DeleteObject();
        context.ExecuteQuery();
    }
}

This example shows how to delete an item by its ID.

7. How would you retrieve documents from a document library using CSOM?

To retrieve documents from a document library using CSOM:

1. Connect to the site.
2. Access the document library.
3. Retrieve the documents.

Example:

using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string siteUrl = "https://yoursharepointsite";
        string documentLibraryName = "Documents";

        ClientContext context = new ClientContext(siteUrl);
        Web web = context.Web;
        List documentLibrary = web.Lists.GetByTitle(documentLibraryName);

        CamlQuery query = CamlQuery.CreateAllItemsQuery();
        ListItemCollection items = documentLibrary.GetItems(query);

        context.Load(items);
        context.ExecuteQuery();

        foreach (ListItem item in items)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Document: " + item["FileLeafRef"]);
        }
    }
}

This example retrieves all items in a document library.

8. Describe the steps to upload a document to a SharePoint document library using CSOM.

To upload a document to a SharePoint document library using CSOM:

1. Authenticate and connect to the site.
2. Access the document library.
3. Upload the document.

Example:

using System;
using System.IO;
using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string siteUrl = "https://yoursharepointsite";
        string documentLibraryName = "Documents";
        string filePath = @"C:\path\to\your\file.txt";

        using (ClientContext context = new ClientContext(siteUrl))
        {
            context.Credentials = new SharePointOnlineCredentials("username", "password");

            Web web = context.Web;
            List documentLibrary = web.Lists.GetByTitle(documentLibraryName);

            FileCreationInformation newFile = new FileCreationInformation
            {
                Content = System.IO.File.ReadAllBytes(filePath),
                Url = Path.GetFileName(filePath),
                Overwrite = true
            };
            Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.File uploadFile = documentLibrary.RootFolder.Files.Add(newFile);
            context.Load(uploadFile);
            context.ExecuteQuery();
        }
    }
}

9. How would you handle large lists and implement pagination using CSOM?

Handling large lists in SharePoint 2013 involves implementing pagination to retrieve items in smaller batches due to performance considerations.

Example:

using (ClientContext context = new ClientContext("http://yoursharepointsite"))
{
    List list = context.Web.Lists.GetByTitle("YourListName");
    CamlQuery query = new CamlQuery();
    query.ViewXml = "<View><RowLimit>100</RowLimit></View>"; // Set the row limit for pagination

    ListItemCollection items;
    do
    {
        items = list.GetItems(query);
        context.Load(items);
        context.ExecuteQuery();

        foreach (ListItem listItem in items)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(listItem["Title"]);
        }

        query.ListItemCollectionPosition = items.ListItemCollectionPosition; // Get the position for the next batch
    }
    while (query.ListItemCollectionPosition != null); // Continue until all items are retrieved
}

10. How can you manage permissions on list items using CSOM?

Managing permissions on list items using CSOM involves breaking role inheritance and assigning specific permissions.

Example:

using Microsoft.SharePoint.Client;

ClientContext context = new ClientContext("https://yoursharepointsite");
List list = context.Web.Lists.GetByTitle("YourListTitle");
ListItem item = list.GetItemById(1);

context.Load(item);
context.ExecuteQuery();

// Break role inheritance
item.BreakRoleInheritance(false, true);

// Get the user or group
User user = context.Web.EnsureUser("domain\\username");
context.Load(user);
context.ExecuteQuery();

// Create a role definition binding collection
RoleDefinitionBindingCollection roleDefBinding = new RoleDefinitionBindingCollection(context);
roleDefBinding.Add(context.Web.RoleDefinitions.GetByType(RoleType.Contributor));

// Assign permissions
item.RoleAssignments.Add(user, roleDefBinding);
context.ExecuteQuery();

This example demonstrates breaking role inheritance and assigning the “Contributor” role to a user.