Transitioning to SharePoint App Development

TRANSITIONING TO SHAREPOINT APP DEVELOPMENT

Simon Rennocks

Principal Consultant

Microsoft Certified Master - SharePoint

ProSource Solutions LLC

ProSource Solutions, LLC. | www.prosourcesolutionsllc.com

SPEAKER BACKGROUND

Expertise

Principal Consultant

Microsoft Certified Master - SharePoint

ProSource Solutions LLC

18+ Years of Experience

Email [email protected]

Blog rennocks.wordpress.com

Twitter @simonrennocks


SESSION GOALS

• Understand why apps will replace full trust code

• Know how to create an on premise development environment for building apps

• Be able to create SharePoint apps on premise and in Office 365

• Know how to publish apps both on premise and to Office 365

• Follow the best practices for developing updates for apps


AGENDA

Building Apps

App Publishing

Updating Apps

Moving From Full Trust

Code

Getting Started with

Apps


MOVING FROM FULL TRUST CODE


CODE DIFFERENCES

Full Trust

Feature Receivers

Web Parts

Application Pages

Server-Side Code

Apps

App Event Receiver

App Parts

App Pages

Remote Server-side Code


OPERATIONAL COMPARSION

Full Trust

User Only Security

Elevated Permissions

Apps

User & App Security

Use “App Only”

Break Inheritance Request Permissions

No Resource Monitoring Resource Monitoring


DEPLOYMENT CHANGES

Full Trust

To Farm

Files in Hive

Assemblies in GAC

WSP Deployment

Apps

To Site Collection

Everything in Content DB

Assemblies Remote

.App Publishing


What challenges do full trust solutions pose?


WEB PART REFACTORING

Use client side code

Separate out

SharePoint code

Use REST endpoints


2010 CHALLENGES

Server-side Code

Full Permissions

Not following Best Practices

Performance and Errors

Unhandled Errors & Crashes

Slow Sites

Development Cycle

Long approval times

Cross Solution Testing


CROSS PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT

• Languages and technologies

• Lower entry bar

• MVC and MVVP support

• Expanded object model


How are apps different?


EVOLUTION OF OBJECT MODEL

SharePoint 2010SharePoint 2007SharePoint 2013


WHY APPS SHOULD BE USED

• Familiar programming model

• Multiple hosting options

• Flexible web experience

• Integrates with Office apps

• App available to users via–Office Store

– App Catalog


WHEN TO USE APPS

• Using SharePoint in Office 365

– Apps required

• If On-Premise

– Meets business requirements

• In the Cloud and On-Premise

– Best to use apps


WHAT HAVE WE COVERED?

ComparisonFull Trust

ChallengesHow Apps Can Help


GETTING STARTED WITH APPS


WHAT ARE APPS

• Lightweight web applications– Apps parts hosted in IFrame

• Web scoped–Own isolated app web

• Tenant “shared” scoped– Shared app web across multiple site collections

• Different authentication options– Azure ACS for low trust – on premise or O365

– Digital certificates for high trust – on premise only


TYPES OF APP

Immersive Full Page

App Part

UI Custom Action

NOT TENANT SCOPED


App Web

SHAREPOINT-HOSTED APP

1. Isolated app web

2. SharePoint Access

3. Cross-domain library

4. Tenant scope access

Host Web

1

3

JSOM

2

Other Site Collections

4JSOM REST

REST


PROVIDER-HOSTED APP

1. Client-side object model

2. App Web optional

3. Provide tenant isolation

4. Tenet Scope access

App Web

Host Web

Remote Web

1 2 3

Other Site Collections

1 4

32

REST

SCOM,REST, JSOM


What’s needed before we can create apps?


APP PREREQUISITES

On Premise Office 365


ON PREMISE SETUP

Create Development Farm

Provision Services

User Profile

App Management

Subscription Service

Create Isolated Domain

Configure Settings

App Domain

App Prefix


CREATING CERTIFICATES

• Create self-signed cert

• Create folder for certs

• Export certs to folder

• Give app pools access

• Register .cer with SP

• Project uses .pfx cert

• App uses .cer cert

IIS Project

AppRegister Cert

.cer.pfx.pfx

Folder


DEVELOPER TOOLS

• Office 365 developer subscription–Or use a site with developer template

– Develop using “Napa”

• Visual Studio– Professional or higher

– 2012 or 2013 plus latest updates

• Extensions required–Microsoft Office Developer Tools

– NuGet Package installer


APP INFRASTRUCTURE OVERVIEW

Where Stage RequirementSharePoint

HostedProvider Hosted

Setup

Provision app farm services

Create Isolated app domain Optional

Create certificates & configure trust High Trust

Configure access to Azure AD ACS Low Trust

Setup

Development site collection

Visual Studio 2012 or 2013

Create App catalog


Lets look at how to do this


DEMO

• Configuring a developer farm to support apps


WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

What are Apps

App Prerequisites

On Premise Setup


BUILDING APPS


APP PROJECT SETUP

• SharePoint location

• Specify hosting model


PROVIDER-HOSTED OPTIONS

• Choose web app type

• Choose authentication


SharePoint-Hosted

Provider-Hosted

APP PROJECT STRUCTURE


CLIENT WEB PART

Properties passed in query string

Properties Defined in here

Reference to web page

Default app part dimensions


JSOM PATTERN

• Get SharePoint context using app web url

• Define objects to get

• Execute to get objects

• Result sent to async event


CSOM PATTERN

• Pass in HttpContext to return SP context

• Create user context from the SP context

• Determine what we need

• Group as much in each Load as possible

• Execute to get the data

• Use the data returned


CROSS DOMAIN

• Get the app web and host web url’s

• Load the cross domain library from the host web

• Specify callback event to access host web objects


CROSS DOMAIN

• Get the app web context

• AppContextSite used to access host web

• Specify permissions need in AppManifest


HOST WEB PERMISSIONS

<AppPermissionRequests>

<AppPermissionRequest

Scope="http://sharepoint/content/sitecollection/web"

Right="Manage"

/>

</AppPermissionRequests>

AllowAppOnlyPolicy="true" >


How do we deploy app components?


APP COMPONENTS

• Type of app assets– SharePoint lists, document libraries

– Images, css and javascript files

• Deploy from app–When app first accessed

– Required host web manage rights

• Deploy using app event receiver– Receiver added to remote web

– Use azure web sites


ASSET DEPLOYMENT

• To app web– If isolation required

– Need to sell app

• To host web– Easier user access

– Shared app access


APP EVENT RECEIVERS

• From app project– Enable property pane

– Service endpoint added to AppManifest

• In web project– Receiver service code class

• Debugging possible– Requires azure service bus reference


Lets create some Apps


DEMO

• Create a Provider-hosted app–Office 365

– App event receiver for components

Alt


THE APP BUILT AND PUBLISHED

Creating an App

App Components

Demo App


APP PUBLISHING


APP REGISTRATION – HIGH TRUST

• Provider-hosted apps– Use AppRegNew.aspx Same as Client Id

Hosting url

Required only for apps launched from outside of SharePoint

Not used in high trust apps


HIGH TRUST SETUP

• Create web site– In web.config add


How do we publish low trust apps?


APP REGISTRATION – LOW TRUST

• Provider-hosted apps– Use AppRegNew.aspx Same as Client Id

Hosting url

Required only for apps launched from outside of SharePoint

Same as Client Secret


AZURE WEB SITES

Add client Id & secret to app settings

Download Publishing Profile

Create web site


APP DEPLOYMENT – LOW TRUST

App project

Client Id and secret

Publish app

Add to app

catalog

Web project

Add publishing

profile

Publish web to azure


Lets publish our App


DEMO

• Publish a low trust app to Office 365


THE APP IS PUBLISHED

High Trust Apps

Low Trust O365 Apps

Publishing Demo


UPDATING APPS


UPDATE BETTER THAN REPLACING

Update due to

• Required for store apps

• Data preserved

Replace will not work

• No control on what users do with App


KEY POINTS

• Users may not update app–One app version

– Same version after update

– Update logic relies on version number

• Rolls back on error– All components

–App data not lost–Mostly automatic except for custom logic

– Errors reported to UI


EDGE CASE RISKS

• Installing too little– User using version 1 of app

–Missed going to version 2

– Updates to version 3

– Update logic fails to add version 2 list

– App fails on displaying version 2 list

• Installing too much– User updates from version 2 to 3

– Update logic tries to re-add version 2 list

– Update fails due to existing list


How should we update Apps?


Previous updates in version range

Current update

<EndRange = 2.0.0.0>

1.000 - 1.999 For version 1

APP PROJECT PATTERNS

• App web project feature– Use same version as app

• Feature upgrade actions– Never use “Begin Range”

– “End Range” exclusive

• Client web part– Always change name

– Removes old versions

<EndRange = 3.0.0.0>

2.000 - 2.999 For version 1 & 2


PROVIDER-HOSTED VERSIONING

Pass In App Version

Page V 1

Page V 3Page V 3

App V 1 App V 1

App V 3

?


UPDATE LOGIC

• Same as app feature pattern

• Add logic to install receiver without checks


ROLL BACK ON ERROR


TELL SHAREPOINT

• Result is an SPRemoteEventResult object


Finally, lets update an app


DEMO

• Updating our App


THE APP IS UPDATED

The shift to Updating

How to Update

Demo


SUMMARY

Building Apps

App Publishing

Updating Apps

Moving From Full Trust

Code

Getting Started with

Apps


CALL TO ACTION

• Get an O365 Developer License

• Join the PnP Yammer Group

• Visit the PnP GitHub


FINAL COMMENT

• Now we have a tools and the understanding to create apps and move away from full trust code

• Thank you for listening


QUESTIONS?

[email protected]


Established in 2009

Offices in Richfield, OH + Atlanta, GA

Areas of Expertise:• Application Development Consulting

• Cloud Consulting

• Core Infrastructure Consulting

• Managed Services

• Staffing Services

COMPANY OVERVIEW


MICROSOFT PARTNERSHIP

Awards & Recognition• Microsoft 2014 Partner of the Year,

U.S. Enterprise Services

• Microsoft 2013 Partner of the Year, U.S. Enterprise Services, Commercial Sector

• Microsoft 2012 Partner of the Year, U.S. Enterprise Services, Commercial Sector

• Microsoft 2011 Partner of the Year, U.S. Enterprise Services


OUR VALUES: THE FOUNDATION

QUALITYWe’re about getting the job done right, developing supportable solutions that perform to our client’s requirements.

VALUEWorking with us will yield excellent value for our client’s investment.

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TRUSTWe partner with our clients to deliver on- time, within budget, with our long-term success a top priority.


OUR AREAS OF EXPERTISEWhere we SHINE and do AMAZING work!


We enhance and extend current product functionality or develop new software applications and capabilities. We ensure that your applications support your immediate and future business needs. We also help leverage and integrate into your existing systems and devices, enabling you to take better advantage of your investments.

APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT


We help you leverage your existing investments, infrastructure and skill sets to build the right cloud solution for your business—one that will scale securely and work for you today and in the future.

CLOUD


We bring proven methodologies, tools and processes to enable easier manageability, monitoring, implementations, migrations and updates to key infrastructure technologies. This also includes adoption of cloud solutions when it is appropriate for your business.

CORE INFRASTRUCTURE


We enable you to optimize and reduce the cost of key business systems by managing your Windows ™ infrastructure – servers and software – by providing remote technical support assistance. Our best in class tools and resources provide peace of mind when tackling the challenges of managing your infrastructure, freeing you up to focus on strategic business needs.

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We pair the right technologist with the right company – whether it’s for a short-term engagement or long-term employment. We access the needs, goals and personalities to make the right fit.

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INDUSTRIES WE SERVE

Technology

Transitioning to SharePoint App Development