Office 365 > SharePoint Online 2013 > Unable to follow document using REST API

Question

I am trying to follow a document in SharePoint library using REST API here is my URL : _spPageContextInfo.webAbsoluteUrl + '/_api/social.following/follow'

But i getting this error in response text

{"error":{"code":"3, Microsoft.Office.Server.Social.SPSocialException","message":{"lang":"en-US","value":"The target of the operation was not found. Internal type name: Microsoft.Office.Server.UserProfiles.FollowedContentException. Internal error code: 12."}}} Error Code 3 : Internal Server error (Not sure exactly what it means)

Any idea on what needs to be corrected in order to follow a document ?

Edited:

@M.Qassas :- I am still getting the same error. Please find the screenshot below. We have not implemented SharePoint app. I am calling this rest endpoint from a js file which is located in Site Assets folder.

Answer 1

The Internal Server Error means The execution of the service failed in some way.

The common reasons for this error are

• Failed to get Connection properties.
• Failed to get Service properties.
• The maximum number of connections allowed for the service instance cannot be determined.
• There is an error in the endpoint URL.
• There is an error in the Ajax call (type, data).

---

Anyway, to follow a document by using the SharePoint REST service. try to use the following

// Replace the documentUrl placeholder value before you run the code.
var documentUrl = _spPageContextInfo.webAbsoluteUrl + "/Doc URL";
var followingManagerEndpoint;

// Get the SPAppWebUrl parameter from the query string and build
// the Following manager endpoint.
$(document).ready(function () {
    var appweburl;
    var params = document.URL.split("?")[1].split("&");
    for (var i = 0; i < params.length; i = i + 1) {
        var param = params[i].split("=");
        if (param[0] === "SPAppWebUrl") appweburl = param[1];
    }
    followingManagerEndpoint = decodeURIComponent(appweburl) + "/_api/social.following";
    isFollowed();
});

// Check whether the current user is already following the document.

function isFollowed() {
    $.ajax( {
        url: followingManagerEndpoint + "/isfollowed",
        type: "POST",
        data: JSON.stringify( { 
            "actor": {
                "__metadata": {
                    "type":"SP.Social.SocialActorInfo"
                },
                "ActorType":1,
                "ContentUri":documentUrl,
                "Id":null
            } 
        }),
        headers: { 
            "accept":"application/json;odata=verbose",
            "content-type":"application/json;odata=verbose",
            "X-RequestDigest":$("#__REQUESTDIGEST").val()
        },
        success: function (responseData) { 
            stringData = JSON.stringify(responseData);
            jsonObject = JSON.parse(stringData);
            if (jsonObject.d.IsFollowed === true ) {
                alert('The user is currently following the document.');
                stopFollowDocument();
            }
            else {
                alert('The user is currently NOT following the document.');
                followDocument();
            }
        },
        error: requestFailed
    });
}

// Make the current user start following a document.

function followDocument() {
    $.ajax( {
        url: followingManagerEndpoint + "/follow",
        type: "POST",
        data: JSON.stringify( { 
            "actor": {
                "__metadata": {
                    "type":"SP.Social.SocialActorInfo"
                },
                "ActorType":1,
                "ContentUri":documentUrl,
                "Id":null
            } 
        } ),
        headers: { 
            "accept":"application/json;odata=verbose",
            "content-type":"application/json;odata=verbose",
            "X-RequestDigest":$("#__REQUESTDIGEST").val()
        },
        success: function (responseData) { 
            stringData = JSON.stringify(responseData);
            jsonObject = JSON.parse(stringData);
            var statusMessage = {
                0 : 'The user has started following the document. ',
                1 : 'The user is already following the document. ',
                2 : 'An internal limit was reached. ',
                3 : 'An internal error occurred. '
            }
            alert(statusMessage[jsonObject.d.Follow] + 'Status code = ' + jsonObject.d.Follow);
        },
        error: requestFailed
    } );
}

Note: if you are using SharePoint APP, you should set the App permission properly as the following:

• Set Write permissions for the Tenant scope in the Content category.
• Set Read permissions for the User Profiles scope in the Social category.

For more details check Start following and stop following a document by using the SharePoint REST service

Answer 2

Check the js code below, please make sure the document url is right. And add the code into a script editor web part in a web part page.

    <script src="//code.jquery.com/jquery-1.11.3.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
$(function () {
    // begin work to call across network
    var requestUri = _spPageContextInfo.siteAbsoluteUrl+"/_api/social.following/follow";
    var documentUrl=_spPageContextInfo.siteAbsoluteUrl+"/Shared%20Documents/doc.docx";
    // execute AJAX request
    $.ajax({
        url: requestUri,
        type: "POST",
        data: JSON.stringify( { 
            "actor": {
                "__metadata": {
                    "type":"SP.Social.SocialActorInfo"
                },
                "ActorType":1,
                "ContentUri":documentUrl,
                "Id":null
            } 
        } ),
        headers: { 
            "accept":"application/json;odata=verbose",
            "content-type":"application/json;odata=verbose",
            "X-RequestDigest":$("#__REQUESTDIGEST").val()
        },
        success: function (responseData) { 
            stringData = JSON.stringify(responseData);
            jsonObject = JSON.parse(stringData);
            var statusMessage = {
                0 : 'The user has started following the document. ',
                1 : 'The user is already following the document. ',
                2 : 'An internal limit was reached. ',
                3 : 'An internal error occurred. '
            }
            alert(statusMessage[jsonObject.d.Follow] + 'Status code = ' + jsonObject.d.Follow);
        },
        error: requestFailed
    });
});
function requestFailed(xhr, ajaxOptions, thrownError) {
    alert('Error:\\n' + xhr.status + '\\n' + thrownError + '\\n' + xhr.responseText);
}
</script>

Answer 3

Thank you all for your responses. I am not sure why i was getting that error when i try to follow a document using REST api. I scrapped that approach and to my surprise I was able to perform all request (i.e. StartFollowing/StopFollowing/AlreadyFollowed a document) using JSOM. I know this doesn't answers initial question but still other approach works.