Background: Special Character Restrictions in SharePoint

When integrating SimPRO with SharePoint, one of the challenges arises from SharePoint's strict limitations on the characters allowed in file and folder names. These limitations are enforced by SharePoint to ensure proper file system operations. Specifically, SharePoint does not allow certain special characters in file or folder names, including:

• Not Allowed: " * : < > ? / \ |



• Not Allowed: Leading or trailing spaces in file or folder names
  
  

• Not Allowed: Period (".") after a folder name
  
  

On the other hand, while SimPRO imposes restrictions on special characters in file names, it allows special characters in folder names. This means users can freely use characters like *, :, <, >, |, and others within folder names, jobs, quotes, sites, and customer names in SimPRO without any issues.

The Challenge

If a user not using the integration tries to upload a folder containing data from SimPRO to SharePoint by downloading and uploading it manually, SharePoint will reject it, if it contains restricted special characters. The user will need to rename the folder to successfully upload it.

How SyncEzy Handles Special Characters

To address this issue, SyncEzy has implemented a solution that automatically handles special characters during the syncing process. Instead of requiring users to manually rename their folders, SyncEzy takes care of this task in the background.

When syncing data from SimPRO to SharePoint, SyncEzy replaces any special characters that SharePoint does not allow with hyphens ("-"). This ensures that the files and folders can be synced successfully without any issues related to SharePoint’s restrictions.

How It Works

1. In the Details tab of your integration settings, you'll find a toggle button called "Rename special characters to '-'".
   
   

2. When this option is enabled, SyncEzy automatically converts any restricted characters into hyphens ("-") before syncing the data to SharePoint.

3. Syncing Behavior: With the option enabled, the system will sync the data seamlessly. The names in Simpro and SharePoint will have the special characters replaced with hyphens,  linked to the original data.
   
   
   
   

4. If Disabled: If the option is disabled, folder containing special characters that are not allowed by SharePoint will not sync. SharePoint will reject them, and the user will need to manually rename the files or folders.
   

5. Trailing Spaces : The system automatically detects the trailing spaces in folder and file names and remove them while syncing them to SharePoint.  

Benefits of SyncEzy's Solution

• No Manual Intervention: Users do not need to worry about renaming files or folders before syncing. SyncEzy handles it automatically.

• Seamless Syncing: Data can sync without errors, and files will be accessible in SharePoint.

• Efficiency: Users can save time and effort that would otherwise be spent managing file names manually.

SyncEzy has streamlined the process of syncing files and folders between Simpro and SharePoint, eliminating the worry of SharePoint’s special character restrictions. By automatically replacing restricted characters with hyphens, SyncEzy ensures that all data is synced smoothly, allowing users to focus on their work without unnecessary manual adjustments.