The anatomy of SharePoint deployments

This is a list of files and their settings that SharePoint uses for its solution deployment process. This process is managed by a number of tools on the market but it is always good to understand what the tools are doing under the covers.

 

Feature File – Feature.xml
<?xml version=“1.0“ encoding=“utf-8“?>
<Feature  Id=“2D866096-5784-11DC-B668-185D55D89593“
          Title=“CJ Corporate Directory Feature“
          Description=“Feature that allows users to find peeople in the Corporate Directory“
          Version=“1.0.0.0“
          Hidden=“FALSE“
          Scope=“Web“
          xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/“>
  <ElementManifests>
    <ElementManifest Location=“element.xml“ />
  </ElementManifests>
</Feature>

Feature Manifest File – element.xml
This is where the real work for the Feature takes place. Each Feature will have its own element manifest file and is the glue for the Feature. This places the Feature files into locations inside SharePoint.

<Elements xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/“>
      <Module Name=“CJOrgChart“ RootWebOnly=“TRUE“ Path=“OrgChartXMLTree“ Url=“_catalogs/masterpage/CJCorporateDirectory“>
            <File Url=“CJTree.aspx“ IgnoreIfAlreadyExists=“TRUE“ Type=“GhostableInLibrary“ />
            <File Url=“tree.xslt“ IgnoreIfAlreadyExists=“TRUE“ Type=“GhostableInLibrary“ />
      </Module>
    <Module Name=“CJImages“ RootWebOnly=“TRUE“ Path=“OrgChartImages“ Url=“_catalogs/masterpage/CJCorporateDirectory“>
            <File Url=“shim.gif“ Name=“shim.gif“ IgnoreIfAlreadyExists=“TRUE“ Type=“GhostableInLibrary“ />
      </Module>
      <Module Name=“CJStyles“ RootWebOnly=“TRUE“ Path=“Styles“ Url=“Style Library/CJ“>
            <File Url=“CJStyles.css“ IgnoreIfAlreadyExists=“TRUE“ Type=“GhostableInLibrary“ />
            <File Url=“CJIntranetstyles.css“ IgnoreIfAlreadyExists=“TRUE“ Type=“GhostableInLibrary“ />
      </Module>
</Elements>

Module
Path: This relates to the physical location relative to the Feature being installed. OrgChart is pointing to OrgChartXMLTree so in the feature CorporateDirectory there is a folder OrgChart with a sub folder XMLTree.
Url: This is the virtual path for the physical files. The physical files will be located in sub folders in the FEATURESCorporateDirectory feature.

File
Url: This relates to the virtual file.

Solution Manifest File – Manifest.xml
This file points to the Feature definition and identifies the physical location of the deployed files and allows GAC/Bin deployment with SafeControl entries.

TemplateFile Location
The Location attribute must create the directories and copy the file into these directories. It is relative to the /TEMPLATE folder. I thought that this should all be handled in the Feature but it wasn’t the case. I tested this by removing the shim.gif and the feature failed on activation Failed to instantiate file “shim.gif” from module “CJImages”: Source path “OrgChartImagesshim.gif” not found. And there was no images directory under my FeatureOrgChart directory.

 

<?xml version=“1.0“ encoding=“utf-8“ ?>
<Solution xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/“ SolutionId=“{93D784D4-A5C1-4ee0-84C2-F6E3894FA45E}” DeploymentServerType=“WebFrontEnd” ResetWebServer=“TRUE“ >
  <FeatureManifests>
    <FeatureManifest Location=“CJCorporateDirectoryfeature.xml“ />
  </FeatureManifests>
  <TemplateFiles>
    <TemplateFile Location=“LAYOUTSCJCorporateDirectoryPersonalSkillsPicker.aspx“/>
    <TemplateFile Location=“LAYOUTSCJCorporateDirectorySkillsPicker.aspx“/>
    <TemplateFile Location=“FEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryOrgChartXMLTreeCJTree.aspx“ />
    <TemplateFile Location=“FEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryOrgChartXMLTreetree.xslt“ />
    <TemplateFile Location=“FEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryOrgChartImagesshim.gif“ />
    <TemplateFile Location=“FEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryStylesCJIntranetstyles.css“ />
    <TemplateFile Location=“FEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryStylesCJStyles.css“ />
  </TemplateFiles>
  <Assemblies>
    <Assembly DeploymentTarget=“WebApplication“ Location=“”>
            <SafeControls>
                    <SafeControl Assembly=“” Namespace=“” TypeName=“” Safe=“TRUE“/>
            </SafeControls>
        </Assembly>
    <Assembly DeploymentTarget=“GlobalAssemblyCache“ Location=“CJ.SharePoint.Intranet.CorporateDirectory.UI.dll“ />
  </Assemblies>
</Solution>

Directive Definition File – wsp_structure.ddf
;
;
.OPTION EXPLICIT     ; Generate errors
.Set CabinetNameTemplate=CJ.SharePoint.Intranet.CorporateDirectory.UI.wsp
.set DiskDirectoryTemplate=CDROM ; All cabinets go in a single directory
.Set CompressionType=MSZIP;** All files are compressed in cabinet files
.Set UniqueFiles=”ON”
.Set Cabinet=on
.Set DiskDirectory1=Package
“manifest.xml”  manifest.xml
“..TEMPLATEFEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryfeature.xml” CJCorporateDirectoryfeature.xml
“..TEMPLATEFEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryelement.xml” CJCorporateDirectoryelement.xml
“..TEMPLATEFEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryOrgChartXMLTreeCJTree.aspx” FEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryOrgChartXMLTreeCJTree.aspx
“..TEMPLATEFEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryOrgChartXMLTreetree.xslt” FEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryOrgChartXMLTreetree.xslt
“..TEMPLATEFEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryOrgChartImagesshim.gif” FEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryOrgChartImagesshim.gif
“..TEMPLATEFEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryStylesCJIntranetstyles.css” FEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryStylesCJIntranetstyles.css
“..TEMPLATEFEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryStylesCJStyles.css” FEATURESCJCorporateDirectoryStylesCJStyles.css
“..TEMPLATELAYOUTSCJCorporateDirectoryPersonalSkillsPicker.aspx” LAYOUTSCJCorporateDirectoryPersonalSkillsPicker.aspx
“..TEMPLATELAYOUTSCJCorporateDirectorySkillsPicker.aspx” LAYOUTSCJCorporateDirectorySkillsPicker.aspx
“..bindebugCJ.SharePoint.Intranet.CorporateDirectory.UI.dll”      CJ.SharePoint.Intranet.CorporateDirectory.UI.dll 

Create Solution – .wsp
This command creates the .wsp file for deployment.
set MakeCabTool=c:Program FilesMicrosoft Visual Studio 8SmartDevicesSDKSDKToolsmakecab.exe
“%MakeCabTool%” -f wsp_structure.DDF

Install Solution – wsp_install.bat
Deploying it using a .bat file. Need to include the activate feature command as this is not automated when deploying solutions.

set SPAdminTool=%CommonProgramFiles%Microsoft Sharedweb server extensions12BINstsadm.exe
echo installing the CJ.SharePoint.Intranet.CorporateDirectory.UI Solution…

“%SPAdminTool%” -o addsolution -filename PackageCJ.SharePoint.Intranet.CorporateDirectory.UI.wsp
“%SPAdminTool%” -o deploysolution -immediate -allowGacDeployment -name CJ.SharePoint.Intranet.CorporateDirectory.UI.wsp
“%SPAdminTool%” -o execadmsvcjobs

“%SPAdminTool%” -o activatefeature -filename CorporateDirectoryfeature.xml -url http://intranet -force

echo Doing an iisreset…
popd
iisreset

 

Project Structure
This was all created manually.

 

Deployment Structure

 

Problems
One thing that I haven’t found is a way to automatically activate a feature when deploying a solution. Yes it can be completed using stsadm but if I give a .wsp file to the admin team to install/update feature then this needs to be a two step process.

1/ Deploy .wsp
2/ Deactivate/Reactivate Feature

This has caused me headaches as modified files do not get updated until you go through a manual process and activate the feature or use stsadm.