4 Ways to deploy a webpart on Sharepoint 2010

Different ways to deploy a webpart on Sharepoint 2010

11.14.2012  C#, Custom Web Parts, Programming, SharePoint  9 comments

When you are done developing a WebPart, you need to deploy it to the SharePoint server. However, depending on your server setup, you may have to use specific deployment methodology and that is why it is important to know your options. This post describes different ways to achieve this goal.

Basic understanding

Whatever method you use to develop your WebPart, you will always end up with a WebPart DLL and in some cases you will have WSP file (both of these files are in debug folder of your project). It is the DLL file that plays a key role in getting your WebPart inside SharePoint server.

Ways to deploy a WebPart

There are four ways we can deploy a WebPart on SharePoint server that I will cover in this post:

1. Using Visual Studio to deploy the solution
2. Manually moving the DLL to the server
3. Uploading WSP to SharePoint server
4. Deploying through command prompt

Pre-Requisites

I am assuming that you are all done with the development and are now ready to deploy. In these examples I have a project name "FeedbackWP" that I need to deploy.

Deploying through Visual Studio

Once the coding is complete, click on build > deploy

In the output window you should see the deployment success status.

For next steps please look at "After you webpart is deployed" section at the end of this post.

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 Deploying by manually moving the DLL

Build the solution

If no error returned by the compiler, copy the DLL from your project bin > Debug directory to the bin directory of your WSS site (C:\Inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\80\bin).

Go to (C:\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\80\) and modify the Web.Config file for the WSS site to declare the custom web part as a safe control by adding the following code within the <SafeControls> tag.

<SafeControl Assembly="DLL-Name-Here" Namespace="DLL-Name . NameSpaceHere" TypeName="*" Safe="True" />

In my case my dll name is feedBackWP and the namespace of my webpart is InputForm; so my SafeControl entry looks like:

<SafeControl Assembly="feedBackWP" Namespace="feedBackWP.InputForm" TypeName="*" Safe="True" />

And my webconfig looks like the image below:

Now we need to add this webpart to our Sharepoint gallery.

Click on Site Actions -> Site Settings -> Web Parts.

From Web Parts page click on Documents > New Document

New Document will bring up a pop-up window. This window should have your new web part listed. Select your webpart from the list and click on Populate Gallery.

If the import is successful, you will see the web part in Web part gallery list.

For next steps please look at "After you webpart is deployed" section at the end of this post.

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Deploying by uploading WSP to SharePoint server

Build the solution

If no error returned by the compiler, you will have WSP file in your project bin > Debug.

  Open Sharepoint and click on Site Actions -> Site Settings -> solutions.

  

From solutions page click on solutions on top and after clicking it, you should see upload solution tab.

Click on upload solution and it will bring up a popoup to upload your webpart.

Upload your WSP file.

If uploading is successfull, you should see the webpart appear in the solutions list.

Activate the solution and thats it.

For next steps please look at "After you webpart is deployed" section at the end of this post.

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Deploying through command prompt

Build the solution

If no error returned by the compiler, you will have WSP file in your project bin > Debug.

Copy the wsp file on the server and open up a command line and navigate to the 12-hive bin folder.

(my 12-hive bin folder is C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\14\BIN) 

Enter the following commands :

stsadm -o addsolution -filename WSP FILE NAME WITH LOCATION

stsadm -o deploysolution -name WSP FILE NAME -immediate -allowGacDeployment -url  SITEURL   

So in my case these commands become:

stsadm -o addsolution -filename c:/feedBackWP.wsp

stsadm -o deploysolution -name feedBackWP.wsp -immediate -allowGacDeployment -url ht
tp://bk-laptop-hp/

  

For next steps please look at "After you webpart is deployed" section.

After your Webpart is deployed

Go to the SharePoint site and click on Site Action > New Page.

From new page click on Insert and then on WebPart.

From WebPart list click on custom (NOTE: In some cases this is miscellaneous instead of custom). This should bring up our WebPart on the right hand side.

With the WebPart selected click on the add button.

Event Receivers:

Step 5:

In the event receiver class of list , add the below mentioned code. This is just a simple example to change the title to current date.

public override void ItemAdded(SPItemEventProperties properties)
{
base.ItemAdded(properties);
SPListItem _currentItem = properties.ListItem;
_currentItem["Title"] = DateTime.Now.ToString();
_currentItem.Update();
}

Step 6:

Now build and deploy the project to the SharePoint

Step 7:

In SharePoint Site click Site Actions => Site Settings => Galleries =>Solution and verify that your solution is now deployed to the site.

Explain the Share Point Architecture:

                                                                        Having 3 layers, like 3 tire architecture
1. WFE (Front End Web Server>) 2. Application Layer  3. Data base Layer

1.Front End WEB Server - 

Here we have share point Installed.

We have 12-hive structure & virtual drives.

Here IIS web sites are hosted.

Here servers are clustered on & are in synch.

2. Application Layer: -

SharePoint provides different services.

This layer provides those services, like my site hosting, user profile & searching etc.

One server can be dedicated to particular service depend upon the scalability.

3. Data Base Layer: -

Here we have SQL server installed.

Here content DB is hosted.

For moss 2007, it is SQL server 2005. For Share Point 2010, it is SQL server 2008.

Here servers are clustered on & are in synch.

SharePoint  Server 2010 Web Services

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Web Service	Description
WebSvcOrganizationProfileService	Provides an interface for remote clients to read and create organization profiles.
WebSvcPublishedLinksService	Provides a published links interface for remote clients to read and create published links.
WebSvcSearch	Provides methods that can be used to remotely query SharePoint  Server search.
WebSvcSocialDataService	Provides an interface for remote clients to read, create, and manipulate social data.
WebSvcUserProfileChangeService	Provides a user profile interface for remote clients to read and create user profiles.
WebSvcUserProfileService	Provides a user profile interface for remote clients to read and create user profiles.

Difference between Stored Procedure and Function?

• Function are compiled and executed at run time.
• Stored Procedure are stored in parsed and compiled format in the database.
• Function cannot affect the state of the database which means we cannot perform CRUD operation on the database.
• Stored Procedure can affect the state of the database by using CRUD operations.
• Store Procedure can return zero or n values whereas Function can return only one value.
• Store Procedure can have input, output parameters for it whereas functions can have only input parameters.
• Function can be called from Stored Procedure whereas Stored Procedure cannot be called from Function.