This document provides an overview of developing solutions and solution packages in SharePoint using Visual Studio. It discusses: - Solution packages allow the systematic deployment and retraction of SharePoint assets across load balanced servers. They are CAB files with a WSP extension. - Features are units of functionality in SharePoint that become available when activated. They have a scope such as site, web, etc. and can trigger event receivers on installation, activation, etc. - Solution manifests and feature manifests define where files are deployed and what a feature contains. Visual Studio 2010 includes templates to simplify creation of SharePoint projects, features, workflows and other items.

1. Becky Bertram
SharePoint MVP
http://blog.beckybertram.com
@beckybertram

2. VS 2008 with SP2010
VS 2010 with SPS 2010
 Solution Package framework has not changed from
SharePoint 2007 to SharePoint 2010
 You can develop a SharePoint 2010 solution package
with Visual Studio 2008, it’s just a lot more work.
 You can develop a SharePoint 2007 solution package
with Visual Studio 2010, but you won’t be using the
built-in tools. You’d use the same manual techniques
you would in VS 2008.

3. SP Dev 101: Solutions and Solution Packages
 SharePoint has some assets which reside in the
database, other assets on the file system (XML files,
ASPX pages, DLL’s, etc.)
 SharePoint is scalable, which means it has load
balanced servers.
 Assets that were deployed to one server need to be
deployed to all load balanced servers.
 Solution packages allow the systematic deployment
and retraction of assets.
 Solution packages are simply CAB files with a WSP
extension.

4. SP Dev 101: Solution Package Events
 Solution Packages must first be added to the Solution
Store so that SharePoint knows they’re available.
 This can only be done via PowerShell.
 You can add a solution package using the stsadm –o
addsolution command.
 From there, you can deploy a Solution Package, either
through the browser or through PowerShell.
 Packages are deployed globally (which means they are
available in the whole farm) or to one or more Web
applications.
 Packages can be retracted, and then removed.

5. SP Dev 101: Solution Manifest
 The Solution Manifest file is an XML file that tells
SharePoint where to place files on the file system.
 Whether assemblies should go in the bin directory in
the web application folder or in the GAC.
 If certain DLL’s should be declared “safe” so that
SharePoint will permit their execution in the browser.
 Where assets should be placed in the “14 hive”.
 Which features are being deployed as a part of the
Solution.
 Whether the Web server should be reset when the
package is installed.

6. SP Dev 101: Sample Manifest
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Solution xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/" SolutionId="c155b5f5-94cb-4044-9944-
95e504c15b99" SharePointProductVersion="14.0">
<Assemblies>
<Assembly Location="MyFirstFeature.dll" DeploymentTarget="GlobalAssemblyCache">
<SafeControls>
<SafeControl Assembly="MyFirstFeature, Version=1.0.0.0,
Culture=neutral,
PublicKeyToken=51d041b4f66380dc“
Namespace="MyFirstFeature.MyFirstWebPart"
TypeName="*" />
</SafeControls>
</Assembly>
</Assemblies>
<TemplateFiles>
<TemplateFile
Location="CONTROLTEMPLATESMyFirstFeatureMyFirstWebPartMyFirstUserControl.ascx" />
</TemplateFiles>
<FeatureManifests>
<FeatureManifest Location="MyFirstFeature_MyFirstFeatureFeature.xml" />
</FeatureManifests>
</Solution>

7. Farm vs. Sandboxed Solutions
 Farm Features can only be deployed by an
administrator. Farm features generally run in the IIS
worker process (w3wp.exe)
 Sandboxed solutions can be uploaded and deployed by
a Site Collection administrator. These solutions can
use a limited API that prevents access of objects above
the Site Collection level. Sandboxed solutions run in
their own process (SPUCWorkerProcess.exe)

8. SP Dev 101: Features
 A Feature is a unit of functionality in SharePoint.
 The set of functionality contained in the feature
becomes available when it’s activated.
 Features can be activated in the browser or using
PowerShell.
 Features have a particular scope (Farm, Web
application, Site Collection, or Web site) and can be
reused in that scope.
 Features can have dependencies on other Features.

9. SP Dev 101: Feature Event Receivers
 Events are fired for the following 5 events in a Feature’s
“life”:
 Installed
 Activated
 Uninstalling
 Deactivating
 Upgrading
 Each of these has a corresponding event receiver.
 The “-ing” receivers hand the event before the event,
and the “-ed” receivers hand the event after the event.

10. Feature Upgrading
 New to SharePoint 2010, you can tell SharePoint to
carry out certain actions when upgrading a Feature to a
newer version of that Feature.
 Includes adding additional fields to a Content Type
 Executing particular code (making note of the fact that
the code will execute as the SharePoint System account.)

11. SP Dev 101: Feature Manifest
 The Feature Manifest is an XML file that tells
SharePoint which files on the file system are a part of
the Feature, as well as information about the Feature
itself, such as:
 Name
 Scope
 Activation Dependencies
 Upgrade actions
 Feature Event Receiver assembly and class
 Language Resource Files

12. SP Dev 101: Sample Feature Manifest
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Feature xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/"
Title="My First Feature"
Description="This Feature deploys a Web Part to the Web Part Gallery."
Id="f6e83dea-5146-43c3-af18-d9aecb9f4a7c"
Scope="Site">
<ElementManifests>
<ElementManifest Location="MyFirstWebPartElements.xml" />
<ElementFile Location="MyFirstWebPartMyFirstWebPart.webpart" />
</ElementManifests>
</Feature>

13. SP Dev 101: Declarative vs. Imperative Programming
 Declarative: using XML configuration files to tell
SharePoint what to provision
 Field, Content Type, List Definition, List Instance,
Module, etc.
 Imperative: using the SharePoint API to execute
commands at a given point in time
 SPField, SPContentType, SPList, SPListItem, etc.

14. VS 2010: Microsoft SharePoint
Development Tools
Included with
Visual Studio 2010

15. VS 2010 Project Item Templates
 Web Part
 Sequential Workflow
 State Machine Workflow
 Business Data Connectivity Model
 Application Page
 Event Receiver
 List Definition
 List Definition from Content Type
 List Instance
 Content Type
 Module
 Empty Element
 User Control
 Import Reusable Workflow
 Import SharePoint Solution Package

16. VS 2010 Project Item Templates

17. Demo: Creating a Feature and
Solution Package using Visual
Studio 2010