PCT403 – SharePoint and WSS: Allowing Your Code to Work with Both

1. PCT403 – SharePoint and WSS: Allowing Your Code to Work with Both Eugene Rosenfeld Black Blade Associates erosenfeld@blackbladeinc.com

2. Overview • This session will focus on creating applications, web parts, and server controls that function in both a portal, WSS within portal, and WSS only environments. • Topics will include • Distinguishing between portal areas and WSS sites • The use of reflection to dynamically load portal-specific assemblies when present • Correctly handling the differing security models of the three scenarios. Application elements such as site navigation will be specifically targeted.

3. The Similarities • Sites • Lists • Libraries

4. The Differences • Object types • Portal has many more object types than WSS • Navigation • Sub Areas vs. Sub Sites • Area hierarchy is virtualized; sites hierarchy is physical • Hidden Areas • Explicit order vs. Alphabetical order • Container Sites • Sites Directory • Security • Sites support list level security; areas do not • Audiences for web parts • Portal Listings • Portal Assemblies

5. Programming Frameworks • SharePoint object model • SharePoint web services • Regardless of which framework we are using, we need to answer: • Is the code accessing a server with SPS or just WSS? • Is the site the code is accessing a site or an area?

6. SharePoint object model • Distinguishing between portal areas and WSS sites • Early binding to both WSS and SPS assemblies but detecting assembly load errors on SPS assembly • Early binding to both WSS but late binding to SPS assemblies • Using conditional compilation to create separate WSS and SPS version of the assembly

7. Assemblies – Early Binding • Conditional compilation directives • Pros: • Compile time error checking • Cons: • Two different version of each assembly • More complex deployment – deploy correct assembly for correct environment • May need to deploy different assembly if environment changes • More testing • Code must run from a server in the farm • Can only work against one server farm at a time

8. Early Binding - Code private void button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { System.Reflection.Assembly asmWSS; try { //try to load the assembly asmWSS = System.Reflection.Assembly.Load("Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=11.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"); } catch(Exception ex) { //the assembly could not load. we assume there is no WSS on this computer asmWSS = null; System.Diagnostics.Trace.WriteLine("Error detected: " + ex.Message + "\r\n" + ex.StackTrace, ex.GetType().Name); } if(asmWSS != null) UseWSS(); } private void UseWSS() { //we have a strong reference to an SPSite object Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSite site = new Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSite("http://localhost"); MessageBox.Show(site.GetType().Name.ToString(), "SPSite object created"); }

9. Assemblies – Late Binding • Late Binding Through Reflection • Pros: • Single assembly for WSS or Portal • Cons: • Minimal compile time error checking • More code to manage • Code must run from a server in the farm • Can only work against one server farm at a time

10. Late Binding - Code System.Reflection.Assembly asmWSS; try { //try to load the assembly asmWSS = System.Reflection.Assembly.Load("Microsoft.SharePoint, Version=11.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c"); } catch(Exception ex) { //the assembly could not load. we assume there is no WSS on this computer asmWSS = null; System.Diagnostics.Trace.WriteLine("Error detected: " + ex.Message + "\r\n" + ex.StackTrace, ex.GetType().Name); } if(asmWSS != null) { //the assembly has loaded //get a late bound reference to the SPSite type Type typSPSite = asmWSS.GetType("Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSite"); //get a reference to the constructor for SPSite that has this signature: // new Microsoft.SharePoint.SPSite("http://localhost") // and invoke the constructor object objSPSite = typSPSite.GetConstructor(new Type[]{ typeof(string) }).Invoke(new object[]{ "http://localhost" }); //we now have a late bound object reference to a SPSite object MessageBox.Show(objSPSite.GetType().Name.ToString(), "SPSite object created"); }

11. Unified Web Services • Pros: • Easily decide if connecting to Portal or WSS • Connect to remote server farms from any client • Cons: • May not work properly when using client PKI certificates for authentication

12. Unified Web Services – Code // set up the web service calls SiteDataWS.SiteData siteDataWS = new WindowsApplication1.SiteDataWS.SiteData(); siteDataWS.Url = this.txtURL.Text + (this.txtURL.Text.EndsWith("/") ? "" : "/") + "_vti_bin/sitedata.asmx"; siteDataWS.Credentials = System.Net.CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials; siteDataWS.PreAuthenticate = true; AreaWS.AreaService areaWS = new AreaWS.AreaService(); areaWS.Url = this.txtURL.Text + (this.txtURL.Text.EndsWith("/") ? "" : "/") + "_vti_bin/areaservice.asmx"; areaWS.Credentials = System.Net.CredentialCache.DefaultCredentials; areaWS.PreAuthenticate = true; // set up the returns for the web methods SiteDataWS._sWebMetadata sWebMetadata; SiteDataWS._sWebWithTime[] sWebWithTime; SiteDataWS._sListWithTime[] sListWithTime; SiteDataWS._sFPUrl[] sFPUrl; string strRoles; string[] strvRoleUsers; string[] strvRoleGroups; // get the web meta data information for the site uint intRet = siteDataWS.GetWeb(out sWebMetadata, out sWebWithTime, out sListWithTime, out sFPUrl, out strRoles, out strvRoleUsers, out strvRoleGroups); AreaWS.AreaData adArea; try { // get the area information for the web id adArea = areaWS.GetAreaData(new Guid(sWebMetadata.WebID)); } catch { // we were unable to execute the area service. assume WSS only MessageBox.Show(this.txtURL.Text + " is a site. The server has WSS, not SPS."); return; } if(adArea.WebUrl == null) // a null web url means the web id does not correspond to an area MessageBox.Show(this.txtURL.Text + " is a site. The server has both WSS and SPS"); else // a valid web url means the web id does correspond to an area MessageBox.Show(this.txtURL.Text + " is an area.");

13. Questions Eugene Rosenfeld Black Blade Associates erosenfeld@blackbladeinc.com http://www.blackbladeinc.com