Packaging Your Advanced SharePoint Customizations

Neil Iversen

Inetium

http://justaddcode.com

Solution Basics

• At its core, a solution pushes files around● The File Bus of SharePoint

• ‘Farm Safe’ – Works across Front Ends

• Deployed to the Farm

Solution Life Cycle – High Level

Features

• Deployable unit of functionality

• Used to customize SharePoint

• Extensively used by SharePoint itself

• Stored in the Hive● 12\TEMPLATE\FEATURES● Each feature in its own directory

Feature Lifecycle

Types of Features

• Content Type• Custom Action• Delegate Controls• Events• Feature Stapling• Field• Lists (Templates and Instances)• Module• Workflow

Why do I need this fancy packaging?

• You need something that isn’t available in the OOB Features

• The OOB Features do/don’t do something you need

• You are deploying something outside of SharePoint

• And you still care about change control

Developer Alice

Developer Bob

Developer Charlie

Developer Merge

Stage Prod

Individual Developer Environments● Developers build functionality into

features/solutions

Feature Receivers

• Executes code when the state changes• Key to our ability to make drastic changes

● “If you can code it you can do it”• Allows for extremely powerful code to get added

● While still being easily deployable● Overrides

• FeatureInstalled, FeatureUninstalling• FeatureActivated, FeatureDeactivating

• Example● <Feature Id="0a7e1ca9-ee71-4407-80a0-b5b57f4f6f5d"

Title=“My Feature Reciever" Scope="Site" ReceiverAssembly=“MyAssembly, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=e35a4d2663eae0ae" ReceiverClass=“MyAssembly.MyFeatureReciever" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">

Feature Receivers – Getting Context

• Getting Context● Retrieving the Current Scoped Object

• SPFeatureReceiverProperties– SPFeatureReceiverProperties.Feature.Parent

• Cast to the appropriate type– Scope: Web

» SPWeb web = (SPWeb)properties.Feature.Parent;» SPSite site = (SPSite)properties.Feature.Parent

Scopes

• Farm

• Web App

• Site

• Web

WFE A Extranet WFE

http://sitecollection

http://sitecollection/deptA

http://sitecollection/deptB

WFE B

Indexer

http://external

http://external/clientA

Database

Demo: Our first Custom Feature

Feature Receivers - Debugging

• Based on Deployment/Activation Method• Stsadm

● Runs as currently logged in user● Debug/Console.WriteLine● System.Diagnostics.Debugger.Launch();

• Web Interface● Runs as App Pool user● Need to use logger (EventLog, or some Logging code)● Attach to w3wp.exe

• DLL Deployment● Overwrite Existing DLL● iisreset● stsadm –o activatefeature -force

Testing Your Code

• Unit Testing Features● Pretty straight forward if you Develop on a

SharePoint environment● Probably want to ignore your abstraction

violations (SharePoint mocks are tough)

• Always test Farm/Scope safety● Need a multi server environment● Can you make it part of your build?

Feature Object Model

• SPFarm.FeatureDefinitions

• SPSite.Features

• SPWeb.Features

• SPFeature● SPFeatureDefinition

Demo: Exploring the Feature OM

Feature Properties

• Configuration for your Feature• Allow different values for Dev/Test/Prod• Combine with scoped property bags to set

configurations• Example

<Properties><Property Key=“MyKey" Value=“123" /><Property Key=“DBServer" Value=“prodsql001" />

</Properties>

Demo: Working with Properties

Manually Activating Features

• Why?● Evade chaining restrictions (at your own peril)● Working with Hidden Features● Manage Stages of a Site with a Web Part● Creating a ‘Suicide Feature’

Manually Activating a Feature

• Get your Context● Ex: SPWeb

• Find the Feature Collection● Ex: SPWeb.Features

• Find the Feature’s Guid● Ex: Guid featureGuid = new Guid(“0a7e1ca9-ee71-

4407-80a0-b5b57f4f6f5d”)• Activate!

● Ex: SPWeb.Features.Add(featureGuid)

Demo: Manually Activating Features

Feature Properties

• Configuration for your Feature• Allow different values for Dev/Test/Prod• Combine with scoped property bags to set

configurations• Example

<Properties><Property Key=“MyKey" Value=“123" /><Property Key=“DBServer" Value=“prodsql001" />

</Properties>

Demo: Working with Properties

Dependencies and Features

• Your Feature might need to assume another feature is already active

• Make several smaller features, then wrap them into a single feature that is dependant on them

• Dependencies can only be one level deep• Example

● <ActivationDependencies> <ActivationDependency FeatureId="52890518-

036f- 4027-babd-f4c7df3ee429" /> <ActivationDependency FeatureId="6d276cfc-

1c84- 46cc-8566-500e66213e06 " /></ActivationDependencies>

Dependency Limitations

• Feature Chains● Limited to one visible feature

• Dependencies can’t be triggered at a higher scope● Ex: Farm Feature can’t depend on a Web

Feature

• Features can’t be automatically activated at different scopes● Ex: Web Feature can’t activate a Farm

Feature

Feature Dependency

Web Site App Farm

Web

Site

App

Farm

ParentDependant

Hidden Feature

Hidden Feature – Activate Child

1.

2.

Hidden Feature - Deactivate

2.

1.

Hidden Feature - Deactivate

3.

1. 2.

Demo: Dependencies are Tasty!

Putting it Together

• Problem: Modifying the web.config in a Farm Safe manner

• Solution: SPWebConfigModification and Features● SPWebConfigModification is Farm Safe● Scoping does become an issuee

• Not for the faint of heart!

Demo: Farm Safe Web.config

Getting a little crazy

• What about non-SharePoint assets?● Databases, other web sites, …

• Is there an advantage?● Depends on reason for creating the Feature● Most common is Devs can’t touch Prod

Other Interesting Approaches

• Manually Deploy across a Farm● Create your own Timer Jobs● Manually add them to the different WFEs

• PowerShell ‘Feature’● Execute PowerShell via a Feature

• PowerShell v2 Scripts● Has ability to execute remote commands

Demo: Deploying SQL Components

Your Feedback is Important

Please fill out a session evaluation form and either put them in the basket near the exit

or drop them off at the conference registration desk.

Thank you!

Questions?

Thanks!

Neil Iversen

Inetium

http://justaddcode.com