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I found how SharePoint shows the lync presence on SharePoint, the magic is in the communication between IE & name.dll ActiveX control (which comes with OCS or office). This is something a hidden communication/integration done by Microsoft. Can we interfere in this communication for our advantage or use it to integrate SharePoint pages with our custom control?

Or more precisely, how about if I have my own presence server and want sharepoint to use my server to display the presence in the same manner as it shows the lync presence. What should I do to support such implemention? Should I hook the name.dll call and inject my dll code to return the presence? Please suggest.

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Not all is handled by the name.dll SharePoint renders additional JavaScript code that interacts with the name.dll. The verification for the presence will be made with the email address of the user. I have never read that someone was able to hook in a custom presence information.

I also think it's not possible to use another, because it search for that specific, compiled by Microsoft name.dll to work.

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  • If I develop my own webpart then I can use name.dll to show lync presence on my webpart. But on SP sites, its the SP itself which interacts with name.dll to show the presence. So, I am just thinking if I hook the functions which SP uses for presence then may be I can modify the actual response. What I mean if I am correct its just a matter to redirect the SP communication to my DLL (which will talk to my presence server for showing the presence). – tropicaljava Jul 11 '12 at 14:31
  • Yes but there is no communication between SharePoint and the name.dll. What SharePoint simply does is to render javascript code and the name.dll interprets this as the presence information. What SharePoint only does is to check if the activeX is avaliable. If not the don't do anything. All that you see in the presence information is what the name.dll renders. This is all on the client side not on the SharePoint Server side. – Stefan Bauer Jul 11 '12 at 14:39
  • Sorry but I could not understand this part " What SharePoint simply does is to render javascript code and the name.dll interprets this as the presence information." Request you to please explain. – tropicaljava Jul 11 '12 at 15:00
  • SharePoint doesn't render any client presence information only the internet explorer render those information. What SharePoint does to tell the name.dll please render the information. ;) – Stefan Bauer Jul 11 '12 at 15:03
  • :) thanks, Correctly speaking IE doesn't render but the DLL which is loaded in IE process does it. And some JS script inside the SP asks the DLL to start this rendering process. I was talking about this communication i.e. the starting point. – tropicaljava Jul 11 '12 at 15:24

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