Solution Development

If you want to deploy a lot of features as a single unit at the same time or you want to deploy something other than features, you are going to step away from feature activation and feature installation and move to solution development.

Required Tools:

• Visual Studio 2005 and extensions for .net 3 for workflow


• or Visual Studio 2008


• Install MOSS SDK which includes WSS 3.0 SDK


• Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007


• Version Control


• SQL Server 2005
  

Other Tools:

• Visual Studio Tools for Office


• Visual Studio Extensions for WSS 3.0 1.1


• WSPBuilder


• eLumenotion SharePoint Skinner


• SharePoint explorer


• SharePoint spy


• Application pool manager

Web Solution Packages:

• The mechanism for robust production deployment


• Cabinet File
  
  
  
  • Package of files, folders, and assemblies
  
  
  • Defined by a Diamond Directive File - DDF


• Create with makecab.exe


• WSP extension by convention


• Contain manifest.xml

Solution Manifest:

• XML Defines:
  
• Files


• Assemblies


• Code access security


• Web parts


• Features


• Site Definitions


• Resources
  

Solution Schema:

• Manifest.xml: must be named manifest.xml


• Specifies destination of each file in WSP


• FeatureManifests element
  
  
  
  • Feature.xml locations
  
  
  • Relative to 12\Template\Features


• Assemblies element
  
  
  
  • GAC
  
  
  • Web Application (bin)
  
  
  • SafeControls


• Resources element
  
  
  
  • Relative to 12\Template\Features


• CodeAccessSecurity element
  
• Policies that determine assembly access rights


• RootFiles element


• Relative to 12


• TemplateFiles element
  
  
  
  • Relative to 12\Template


• See WSS 3.0 SDK for more

Feature ElementFile Element:

• Include files in the solution manifest via feature.xml


• Modular feature