Method Element (View)

Used in batch processing to specify commands within the Batch element.

<Method ID="Text"
  Cmd = "Text"
  ID = "Text">
</Method>
Attributes
Attribute Description

Cmd

Optional Text. Used in Web services to specify the command to post to the server for updating list items. Possible values include the following:

  • Delete — Delete the specified item.

  • New — Create the specified item.

  • Update — Modify the specified item.

ID

Required Text. A freeform identification string that is not actually used by the server but that is returned to the client.
Child Elements

Field, SetList, SetVar
Parent Elements

Batch

Occurrences

Minimum: 1

Maximum: Unbounded
Remarks

The Method element is required for the Batch element, which is embedded within HTTP protocol and allows the client application to post more than one command at a time to the server.

In operations where the SetVar element is used within the Method element to post commands, the Cmd attribute can contain methods in the Windows SharePoint Services RPC Protocol protocol.

When used with the UpdateListItems method of the websvcLists Web service, each Method element contains Field elements that specify the column values for each item being updated.
Example

The following example uses the Method element to post the remote procedure call (RPC) ExportList command and return the schema of a specified list.

Xml 
<Batch OnError="Return">
  <Method ID="0,ExportList">
    <SetList Scope="Request">EF2F5A21-0FD0-4654-84ED-
        112B4F5A48F8</SetList>
    <SetVar Name="Cmd">ExportList</SetVar>
  </Method>
</Batch>
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Community Content

Lee Richardson
Field Element Link Incorrect
The Field element in the article incorrectly links to the list schema. It should link to the view schema here:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms459050.aspx
Tags : contentbug

_Clint
Duplicate attribute in example
It appears as though there are duplicate "ID" attribute values in the example.
Tags : contentbug

Ryan Steeno
Moderate Cmd - Undocumented
There appears to be an undocumented value for the cmd attribute. In addition to Delete, New and Update, there is a Moderate value available.

When you need to update the "Approval Status" of a list item using the Lists.asmx web service, the following Method element can be used to set the Approval Status of the list item to Approved:

<Method ID='1' Cmd='Moderate'>
<Field Name='ID'>1</Field>
<Field Name='_ModerationStatus'>0</Field>
</Method>

If you try to update the _ModerationStatus with the Update Cmd, the call will succeed, but will NOT update the Approval Status field.

Programmer Bill
Two dialects of "Method"
There appear to be 2 distinct dialects of <Method>. One for the list service, and another for ProcessBatchData. To insert new records in ProcessBatchData I've found <SetVar Name="Cmd">Save</SetVar> along with <SetVar Name="ID">New</SetVar> the only way I've been able to insert new records.
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