Tip 24: Save Typing For The Typists

This tip is for Windows SharePoint Services 2.0/3.0, SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and SharePoint Foundation 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010.

As a SharePoint administrator there will be many times that you will find youself running the SharePoint command line administration tool Stsadm.exe and other programs in the %CommonProgramFiles%Microsoft SharedWeb Server Extensions<version>BIN folder. Please, save your hands from RSI and update your PATH environment varible to include the location above. This will allow you to type just the command of Stsadm.exe from any location in a command prompt instead of typing out the change directory each time.

To update the PATH variable, go to Start->Run. Type sysdm.cpl. In the System Properties dialog click the Environment Variables… button. Under System variables, click PATH and then the Edit… button. If there is not a semi-colon at the end of the path enter one and then enter the path to the SharePoint BIN folder for the version of SharePoint installed on the server. For MOSS 2007 the path would look like the following:

%CommonProgramFiles%Microsoft SharedWeb Server Extensions12BIN

Now rejoice in your new found pain free SharePoint administration.