Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Development with Visual Studio 2010 Expert Cookbook

Table of Contents

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Development with Visual Studio 2010: Expert Cookbook

Credits

About the Author

Acknowledgement

About the Reviewers

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Preface

What this book covers

What you need for this book

Who this book is for

Conventions

Reader feedback

Customer support

Downloading the example code for this book

Errata

Piracy

Questions

1. Lists and Event Receivers

Introduction

Validating data when an item is added to a list

Getting ready

How to do it…

How it works...

There's more...

More information – Event Receivers base class

Debugging Event Receivers

Developer Dashboard

See also

Adding a custom error message to the Event Receiver

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

More information – How to get field names

See also

Adding an Application Page to an Event Receiver

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Working with List Event Receiver

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Deploying Event Receivers

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Creating a Feature Receiver

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Debugging a Feature Receiver

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Debugging Feature Installed Events

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

2. Workflows

Introduction

Creating a sequential workflow

Getting ready

How to do it…

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Creating a site workflow with an initiation form

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Deploying an InfoPath form with the workflow

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Creating a task from the workflow

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Creating a custom task form

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Task delete

See also

3. Advanced Workflows

Introduction

Creating a custom activity

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Workflow security

Sandboxed activities

See also

Creating a custom activity for a sandboxed solution

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Creating a state machine workflow

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Adding a custom workflow status

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Creating a pluggable workflow service

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

4. List Definitions and Content Types

Introduction

Creating a site column

Getting ready

How to do it…

How it works...

There's more...

Deleting the site columns on deactivation of the feature

See also

Extending an existing content type

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Deployment of previous solution

Inherits attribute in content type

See also

Creating custom content type using an object model

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Associating a document template with the content type

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Associating a workflow to a content type

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Creating an external content type

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Create, update, and delete methods

Connection strings

See also

Creating a list definition

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

5. Web Parts

Introduction

Creating a visual web part

Getting ready

How to do it…

How it works...

There's more...

Visual web parts and sandboxed solution

Web Parts Gallery

See also

Creating a code-only web part (sandboxed solution)

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Deployment of web parts

Versioning of web parts

See also

Creating AJAX enabled web parts

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Adding configuration properties to web parts

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Creating connectable web parts

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Creating a Silverlight web part

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

6. Web Services and REST

Introduction

Getting data through REST

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Filtering list data

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Fiddling with Fiddler

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Creating a REST consumer

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Inserting new contacts through REST

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Creating a custom SharePoint WCF service

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

Creating a client application to consume the custom WCF service

See also

7. Working with Client Object Model

Introduction

Creating a list using a Managed OM

Getting ready

How to do it…

How it works...

There's more...

Impersonation

See also

Handling exceptions

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Calling Object Model asynchronously

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

See also

Using JavaScript Object Model

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Using a Silverlight Object Model

Getting ready

How to do it...

How it works...

There's more...

See also

Index

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Development with Visual Studio 2010: Expert Cookbook

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Development with Visual Studio 2010: Expert Cookbook

Copyright © 2011 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

First published: September 2011

Production Reference: 1190911

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

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ISBN 978-1-84968-458-3

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Cover Image by Sandeep Babu (<sandyjb@gmail.com>)

Credits

Author

Balaji Kithiganahalli

Reviewers

Wei Chung Low

Michael Nemtsev

Doug Ortiz

Acquisition Editor

Dhwani Devater

Development Editor

Hithesh Uchil

Technical Editor

Prashant Macha

Project Coordinator

Shubhanjan Chatterjee

Proofreader

Lisa Brady

Indexer

Tejal Daruwale

Graphics

Nilesh Mohite

Production Coordinator

Melwyn Dsa

Cover Work

Melwyn Dsa

About the Author

Balaji Kithiganahalli has been a computer nerd since 1995. He has a Master's degree in Systems Engineering and is currently serving as CEO and partner for Integrate, LLC. His company specializes in systems integration and custom software development. He has over 15 years of software development and architectural experience. He has consulted with several government and multi-national clients.

He is a technology agnostic who used to mainly work on J2EE related technologies. Since 2003, he is mainly involved in implementing SharePoint and .NET technologies. He is currently architecting SharePoint 2010 implementation for a very large government organization in Atlanta, GA.

When not working, he enjoys going for bike rides with his kids and reading books about other technologies. He currently lives in Atlanta, GA with his beautiful wife and two kids.

Acknowledgement

Every journey begins with a first step; this is true in my case as it is my first book. This journey of mine would not have been successful if it was not for the support of my family and many of my friends. I am truly blessed with such wonderful family and friends.

First and foremost, I'd like to thank my mom, dad, and brother for their wonderful support and encouragement in every step of the way and providing moral support when needed. I would also like to thank my lovely wife Vanishree and kids Veda and Amit for their patience, support, and understanding without which I would have never been able to complete this book. Next, I would like to thank my technical reviewers. You guys did an awesome job. Your insight and input has increased the overall value of this book.

I would also like to thank my publisher Packt Publishing, and the many fine people such as Dhwani, Shubhanjan, Hithesh, and Prashant for their valuable input and patience. You guys ROCK! I guess I owe you guys a beer when you are here in Atlanta.

Writing a book is a lot of work and is time-consuming. Even though I am the only author on this book, there are many people who are involved in making this book a finished product for the readers. While I may not come in contact with many of these folks, I would like to thank them and certainly appreciate their work and effort.

About the Reviewers

Wei Chung, Low a Technical Lead in BizTalk and .NET and a MCT, MCPD, MCITP, MCTS, MCSD.NET, works with ResMed (NYSE: RMD), at its Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia campus. He is also a member of PMI, certified as a PMP. He started working on Microsoft .NET in his early career and has been involved in development, consultation, and corporate training in the area here of business intelligence, system integration, and virtualization. He previously worked for the Bursa Malaysia (formerly Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange) and Shell IT International, which provided him with rich integration experience across different platforms.

He strongly believes that great system implementation delivers precious value to business, and the integration of various systems across different platforms shall always be a part of it. Just like how people from different cultures and diversities are used to living together in most of the major cities, in harmony.

Doug Ortiz is an independent consultant whose skillset encompasses multiple platforms such as .Net, SharePoint, Office, and SQL server.

He possesses a Master's degree in Relational Databases and has over 20 years of experience in Information Technology. Of those years of experience, half are within .Net and SharePoint. His roles have ranged from Architecture, Implementation, Administration, Disaster Recovery, Migrations, Development, and Automation of Information Systems; in and outside of SharePoint.

He is the founder of Illustris, LLC and can be reached at: <dougortiz@illustris.org>.

Interesting aspects of his profession:

Doug has experience in integrating multiple platforms and products with the purpose of sharing data.

He has improved, salvaged, and architected projects by utilizing unique and innovative techniques.

His hobbies include Yoga and Scuba Diving.

I would like to thank my wonderful wife Mila for all her help and support as well as Maria and Nikolay.

I would also like to thank everyone at Packt Publishing for their encouragement and guidance.

Michael Nemtsev is an ex-Microsoft MVP in .NET/C# and SharePoint Server 2010 and has held that status between the years 2005 and 2011.

Michael's expertize are in Enterprise Integration and Platform and Collaboration areas and currently he is working as a Senior Consultant at Microsoft in Sydney, Australia helping clients to improve business collaboration with SharePoint 2010 and Office365.

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Preface

Microsoft SharePoint 2010 is the best-in-class platform for content management and collaboration. With Visual Studio, developers have an end-to-end business solutions development IDE. To leverage this powerful combination of tools it is necessary to understand the different building blocks of SharePoint. This book will provide necessary concepts and present ways to develop complex business solutions and take them further.

SharePoint 2010 Development with Visual Studio 2010 Expert Cookbook is an instructional guide for developing, debugging and deploying applications for SharePoint 2010 environment using Visual Studio 2010. The cookbook approach helps you to dip into any recipe that interests you or you can also read it from cover to cover if you want to get hands on with the complete application development cycle.

With this book you will learn to develop event handlers, workflows, content types, web parts, client object model applications, and web services for SharePoint 2010 in an instructional manner. You will discover the less known facts behind debugging feature receivers, deployment of web parts, utilizing free toolkits to enhance the development and debugging experience.

You will learn the newer development approach called Visual Web Parts and how to develop and deploy Silverlight applications that can be used with Silverlight web parts. You will also explore the SandBoxed deployment model and its usage. You will create your own web services for SharePoint and learn more about the Client Object Model introduced in SharePoint 2010. All in all, you will develop SharePoint solutions in an instructional manner that eases the learning process.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, List and Event Receivers: Event Receivers are used for responding to events raised by SharePoint on lists, features, list items, and so on. This chapter not only provides an overview of the event receivers that can be developed using Visual Studio 2010, but also guides you through the step-by-step process of creating them and applying them to real world scenarios.

Chapter 2, Workflows: In this chapter, you will learn about sequential workflows, site workflows, and deploying custom initiation forms with workflows using ASPX pages and InfoPath forms. You will also learn to create custom InfoPath task forms with the workflows.

Chapter 3, Advanced Workflows: In this chapter, you will learn Advanced Workflow topics such as creating custom activity for both sandboxed and non-sandboxed environments. You will not only learn how to create state machine workflows but also to model them. This chapter also guides you through the process of creating a Pluggable workflow service. Last but not least, this chapter also guides you through the process of changing workflow statuses.

Chapter 4, List Definitions and Content Types: In this chapter, we will discover the world of content types. We will use object models to create content types, add new columns, document templates, and workflows to content types using Visual Studio 2010. This chapter also guides you through the process of creating external content types that are linked to external data source such as the SQL Server database. In the end of the chapter, we will also learn how to create list definitions using Visual Studio.

Chapter 5, Web Parts: In this chapter, we will discover visual web parts, code-only web parts, AJAX enabled web parts, and Silverlight web parts. The chapter also provides details on connectable web parts and adding configuration properties to web parts. This chapter also provides detailed information on versioning and deployment of web parts.

Chapter 6, Web Services and REST: In this chapter, we will learn about using REST services to extract data from SharePoint. We will create client applications that make use of REST to extract data from SharePoint. We will also learn to create custom SharePoint WCF web services.

Chapter 7, Working with Client Object Model: SharePoint 2010 introduced the new Client Object Model which can be used to create client applications that use SharePoint as a backend data store. In this chapter, we will learn all the three client object models such as the managed object model, the JavaScript object model, and the Silverlight object model. We will also learn the exception handling techniques and asynchronous calling of these object models.

What you need for this book

This book presents a series of projects that demonstrates the features of SharePoint 2010 and Visual Studio 2010. In order to gain hands on experience of these features, it is recommended that you have a 64-bit Windows development machine with lots of memory. Chapter 1, List and Event Receivers of this book provides the list of software and links that you can refer to set up your development environment. If you do not have a license for this software, you can always get the trial version from the Microsoft website.

Alternatively, you can read through this book without working through the projects. There are plenty of screenshots that provide a good sense of how these solutions work. This is not a suitable approach for beginner programmers.

Who this book is for

This book is for .NET developers to understand the building blocks of SharePoint 2010. Although the book can be used by beginners, it is recommended that the readers have an understanding of the previous versions of SharePoint. Developing SharePoint solutions requires solid understanding of ASP.NET architecture. The book assumes that the reader is familiar with ASP.NET technology and development concepts.

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private string GetInitiationData()

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Enable-SPFeature FeatureFolderName -Url

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