Looking Back at a Year of SPServices

Every once in a while, I’m sort of OK with blowing my own horn.  One year into the life of my jQuery Library for SharePoint Web Services, now usually known as SPServices, I’m feeling pretty good about it.  I first started writing the bits and pieces back in July, 2009 after reading a great blog post from Mike Oryszak (aka @next_connect – follow him!) called Using jQuery to Update an Item Without A Form.  My business partner at the time, Pete Sterpe, and I discussed whether "wrapping" a few SharePoint Web Services with jQuery would be fun, and the train left the station.  We though it would be a good little filler project so that I could learn a few things about jQuery and the Web Services, nothing more.

Along the way, I’ve gotten help and encouragement from a *lot* of people, some of whom are listed on the Credits page.  In particular, I’d like to thank Michael Greene (aka @webdes03 – follow him, too!) for stepping in when I’ve dared to take a vacation from things (but I find it hard to go too far afield these days) and for designing the great logos I’m using on the Codeplex site.

I know for a fact that SPServices is in use in some of the largest companies in the world from the email addresses of people who write me privately with questions.  I know that it is changing the way many people think about working with SharePoint between the UI and development with Visual Studio, or as I like to call it, the Middle Tier. I know that it is solving business problems every single day out there and helping to enhance users’ experiences with SharePoint, one form or page at a time.

I admit that I’ve been very busy with my work with my clients and at the USPJ Academy over the last few months, but at the same time, the downloads of SPServices keep growing, page views are up, and search engine referrals keep increasing.  (You can see the live versions of the data below on the Codeplex site’s Stats page.)

Another odd thing that I’ve been finding over the last few months is people writing blog posts about the SPServices functionality either as if they devised it (but pointing to the Codeplex site, so what’s the thinking there?) or writing their own documentation of the functions.  All of that is awesome in my book!

If you find SPServices helpful and are using it to solve interesting business problems, please let me know about it.  If you have ideas for new functions that you think you could use, let me know.  If you are interested in writing new functions for SPServices, by all means do, and pitch them back in for the better good.  If you just want to add more praise or encouragement, consider reviewing SPServices at SharePointReviews.com or on your blog. If you’ve used SPServices with SharePoint 2010 and can help with the certification process, let me know about that, too.

Here are a few of my favorite comments from the Wiki pages on the Codeplex site…

This is seriously good stuff.

you Rock man!!

wow!! wow!! wow!!! deserves a standing ovation..

There’s more to come, so stay tuned!