Retrieving and displaying custom list column names (which have spaces in them)

Question

I have been to Jan Tiernans blog, and figured out how to grab column names using Soap and jquery/jscript. I can't figure out how to grab custom columns with special chars though.

I have read about obtaining the internal field names (ie:DB%5fx0020%5fType for a column named 'DB Type'). However, when I use these in code, it does nothing.

I have no access to sharepoint designer, I am doing all of this out of a CEWP. This is what I have (which works wonderfully for any one word column ie - Title and ID):

<script type="text/javascript" src="path to..javascript/Scripts/jquery-1.3.2.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="path to..javascript/Scripts/jquery.listmenu-1.1.js"></script>

<script type="text/javascript">
    $(document).ready(function() {
        var soapEnv =
            "<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv='http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/'> \
                <soapenv:Body> \
                     <GetListItems xmlns='http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/'> \
                        <listName>supported_applications</listName> \
                        <viewFields> \
                            <ViewFields> \
                               <FieldRef Name='Title' /> \
                               <FieldRef Name='ID' /> \
                           </ViewFields> \
                        </viewFields> \
                    </GetListItems> \
                </soapenv:Body> \
            </soapenv:Envelope>";

        $.ajax({
            url: "path to.../_vti_bin/lists.asmx",
            type: "POST",
            dataType: "xml",
            data: soapEnv,
            complete: processResult,
            contentType: "text/xml; charset=\"utf-8\""
        });
    });

    function processResult(xData, status) {
        $(xData.responseXML).find("z\\:row").each(function() {
              // var liHtml = $(this).attr('ows_ID') +":   " +$(this).attr('ows_Title')+'<br>';
var liHtml = "<li><a href='path to.../Lists/applications/DispForm.aspx?ID=" + $(this).attr('ows_ID') + "'>" + $(this).attr('ows_Title') + "</a></li>";

            $("#tasksUL").append(liHtml);
        });
    //function appendAnchor(
    }
</script>

<ul id="tasksUL"/>

This all works beautifully, but once I sub an 'internal name' (which has special chars) for Title, nothing works

<FieldRef Name='ID' /> \
   ...
var liHtml = "<li><a href='path to.../Lists/applications/DispForm.aspx?ID=" + $(this).attr('ows_ID') + "'>" + $(this).attr('ows_Title') + "</a></li>";

becomes

 <FieldRef Name='DB%5fx0020%5fType' /> \
    ...
 var liHtml = "<li><a href='path to.../Lists/applications/DispForm.aspx?ID=" + $(this).attr('ows_ID') + "'>" + $(this).attr('ows_DB%5fx0020%5fType') + "</a></li>";

I believe from what I have read I must use the prefix 'ows' when reffering to these column names, however I have tried all sorts of different combos of names, nothing doing. What the heck am I doing wrong?

Answer 1

Why don't you use SPServices which does a very nice job for you? To get the "usual" attribute you can "unescape" in javascript:

unescape("ows_DB%5fx0020%5fType")

will be: "ows_DB_x0020_Type"

just an example of your code converted to SPServices:

$().SPServices({
    operation: "GetListItems",
    async: true,
    listName: "supported_applications",
    CAMLViewFields: "<ViewFields><FieldRef Name='ID' /><FieldRef Name='Title' /></ViewFields>",
    completefunc: function (xData, Status) {
        $(xData.responseXML).SPFilterNode("z:row").each(function() {
      var liHtml = "<li><a href='path to.../Lists/applications/DispForm.aspx?ID="
          +$(this).attr('ows_ID') + "'>" + $(this).attr('ows_Title') + "</a></li>";
            $("#tasksUL").append(liHtml);      
        });
    }
});