Accessing user profile information in WSS 3.0 with javascript

18.09.2011 I have posted a new solution which makes this one obsolete. You find the new one here

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09.09.2010 Updated the function “getUserInfo”. It no longer requires the list GUID for the user list to be specified in the script.

31.10.2009: Small update for default picture in the example CEWP.

This article describes how to access the “user profile” under WSS 3.0 via javascript. The method used is a query trough the webservice lists.asmx.

I use some code (“interaction.js” and stringBuffer.js”) created by Erucy and published on codeplex.

The jQuery-library is found here. The pictures and the sourcecode refers to jquery-1.3.2.min. If you download another version, be sure to update the script reference in the sourcecode.

As always we begin like this:
Create a document library to hold your scripts (or a folder on the root created in SharePoint Designer). In this example i have made a document library with a relative URL of “/test/English/Javascript” (a subsite named “test” with a subsite named “English” with a document library named “Javascript”):

You can call this script from any page. In this example i will place it on Default.aspx.

The sourcecode for the “AccessUserProfileInWSS.js” looks like this:

/* getUserInfo - Returns "user info" data from user list in WSS 3.0 (not MOSS user profile)
 * ---------------------------------------------
 * Created by Alexander Bautz
 * alexander.bautz@gmail.com
 * http://sharepointjavascript.wordpress.com
 * LastMod: 20.09.2009
 * ---------------------------------------------

Refer these scripts:
 interaction.js // Erucy - http://spjslib.codeplex.com
 stringBuffer.js // Erucy - http://spjslib.codeplex.com
 jQuery // http://jQuery.com

Use:
 var ui = getUserInfo(); // If UserId is not specified it assumes it's logged in user (_spUserId)
 alert(ui.Title);
*/

function getUserInfo(UserId){
wsBaseUrl = '/_vti_bin/';
var uiObj = {};
if(typeof(UserId)=="undefined" || UserId=='')UserId = _spUserId;
var arrOfFields = ['ID', 'Name', 'Title', 'EMail', 'Department', 'JobTitle', 'Notes', 'Picture',
'IsSiteAdmin', 'Created', 'Author', 'Modified', 'Editor', 'SipAddress', 'Deleted'];
var item = getItemById('UserInfo',UserId,arrOfFields);
    if(item != null){
	    for(i=0;i<arrOfFields.length;i++){
	    	if(item[arrOfFields[i]]!=null){
	    		uiObj[arrOfFields[i]] = item[arrOfFields[i]];
	    	}else{
	    		uiObj[arrOfFields[i]] = '';
	    	}
	    }
       	return uiObj;
    }else{
        for(i=0;i<arrOfFields.length;i++){
    		uiObj[arrOfFields[i]] = "User with id " + UserId + " not found.";
    	}
		return uiObj;
	}
}

Save this as a text file and rename to “AccessUserProfileInWSS.js”, then upload to the library as shown above.

You call the script from a standard CEWP like this:

Sourcecode for CEWP:

<script type="text/javascript" src="/test/English/Javascript/jquery-1.3.2.min.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/test/English/Javascript/interaction.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/test/English/Javascript/stringBuffer.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="/test/English/Javascript/AccessUserProfileInWSS.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">

var ui = getUserInfo(); // If UserId is not specified it assumes it's logged in user (_spUserId)
picSrc = '/_layouts/images/person.gif';
if(ui.Picture!=''){
picSrc = ui.Picture.split(', ')[0]
}
var str = '';
str += "Accountname: " + ui.Name + "<br>";
str += "Full name: " + ui.Title + "<br>";
str += "E-mail: " + ui.EMail + "<br>";
str += "Department: " + ui.Department + "<br>";
str += "<img alt='' src='" + picSrc + "' />";

document.write(str);
</script>

And you get a result like this:

I will follow up this article with an article describing how to hide or show form fields based on membership – or not membership – in a SharePoint group.

Alexander