It’s been a while since I asked this, but I am really interesting to see what the new answers are. Office 365 if now becoming more prominent so am wondering if the tools we use to do our jobs are changing?
Can you let us know what tools, apps, add-ons do you use to work with SharePoint or Office 365. Are there any hidden gems we are missing? Also – let us know your role with SharePoint (e.g. Developer, Power User, End User, Admin, etc).
Please – no promo – I only want to hear real world experiences 🙂
The tool I have extensively used and consider as life changer is SharePoint Software Factory and of course Visual Studio SharePoint Debugging Assistant (I personally develop this one).VirtualBox from Oracle is nowadays a very good solution for VMs without any cost. MSOCAF was a very good buddy helping me to check the quality of my code until SPCAF came. Top class tool don’t miss it.
One of my two indispensable tools is a truly great forms designer called “Forms Designer” by Plumbsail. Why mess with SharePoint Designer when you can modify forms with this great product. The other if you can afford it, is Nintex Workflow. I just hope they move over to using the 2013 WF engine soon.Â
ps. i also love Balsamiq!
As an Administrator, any time you mention tools and resources you can’t forget the ULS Viewer.  Even though it has be removed from its previous link, Todd Klindt has created bringbackuslviewer.com which has a link to download still!
Being a developer my favorites are,
– Powershell
– SharePoint designer
– Role-Based Templates
Apart from these there are several add-ons to expand its usability, here is a bit I found http://www.networkworld.com/community/free-sharepoint-tools
