to uninstall feature

To deactivate the Feature, run the following command at a command prompt.

stsadm –o deactivatefeature –filename "ctypesWidget\feature.xml" -url "http:\\localhost"

To uninstall the Feature so that its definition is no longer available within a server farm, run the following command.

stsadm -o uninstallfeature -filename "ctypesWidget

webparts in MOSS

http://www.wssdemo.com/Pages/webparts.aspx

rounded global nav

http://www.thesug.org/Blogs/kyles/archive/2009/04/17/MOSS_Navigation_Rounded_Corners.aspx.aspx

http://rameshch.wordpress.com/2008/12/23/css-and-round-corners-making-accessible-menu-tabs-moss-2007/

About IIS

WSS integrates with IIS and ASP.NET

IIS automatically creates and configures an IIS website named default web site.

IIS web site provides an entry point into IIS web server infrastructure.

IIS web site is configured to map a root directory, which is a physical directory on the file system of the hosting web server. (eg., C:\Inetpub\wwwroot.

IIS web site controls whether incoming requests require authentication and if so which authentication protocols to use. (basic authentication, anonymous etc.,)

IIS supports the creation and configuration of virtual directories.

IIS provides IIS Manager which allows to create and configure IIS websites and virtual directories on current machine.

IIS tracks information about IIS web sites and virtual directories in a repository known as IIS Metabase.

process of creating and configuring IIS web sites and virtual directories can be automated by writing scripts or by writing managed code that programs against the IIS object model.

IIS supports ISAPI (internet server aplication programming interface) programming model which allows configure IIS web site or virtual directory so that incoming requests trigger the execution of custom code on the web server.

Application pool is a configuarable entity that allows to control how IIS maps IIS websites and virtual directories to instances of IIS worker process.

The routing architecture of IIS is controlled by a Kernal- level device driver named http-sys

Each IIS web site and virtual directory can be configured to run in its own isolated application pool.Conversly, many different IIS web sites and virtual directories can be configured to run in the same application pool for greater effeciency.

you can restart all the processes associated with IIS by runnning the following command IISRESET or you can alternatively restart just the process associated with the specific application pool by running a vbscript macro iisapp.vbs. This script is run by a scripting host such as cscript.exe
cscript.exe c:\windows\system32\iisapp.vbs /a "DefaultAppPool"

WSS Decoder Ring

Terminology between WSS and its older version STS.

WSS TFS

Site collection Site
Site web
Top- Level Site Root web

Most of the commands still use older version's terminology.

Reference: "Inside Microsoft Windows Sharepoint Services 3.0" -Ted Pattson, Daniel Larson, Microsoft Press

Features in Sharepoint and their creation

Features provide a mechanism for defining site elements and adding them to a target site or site collection through a process known as "Feature Activation".

The element types that can be defined by a feature include menu commands, link commands, page templates, page instances, list definitions, list instances, event handlers, and workflows.

At a physical level, Feature has a directory within filesystem of each front-end web server.

The directory has one or more xml files that contain CAML and a manifest file named feature.xml that defines high level attributes of feature(ID, Title..)and additional xml files (elements.xml) that contain actual elements that make up a feature and other file types/resources like css, js, graphics.

With Moss, there will be more than 100 default Features.

To create a hello world feature.. which is a very popular way to begin composing features....:

go to
c:\program files\common files\ microsoft shared\web server extensions\12\template\features


create a visual studio project and make a folder "heallo world" or create a new folder in Features directory and create the below xml files in it.

feature.xml
Title="Hello World Feature"
Description= "This is my very first custom feature"
Scope='web"
Hidden="False"
ImageUrl="menuprofile.gif"
xmlns = "http://schemes.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">





Element Manifest file:elements.xml


Id="SiteActionsToolbar"
GroupId="SiteActions"
Location="Microsoft.Sharepoint.StandardMenu"
Sequence="100"
Title="Hello world"
Description="A custom menu item added using a feature"
ImageUrl="_layouts/images/menuprofile.gif"/>



go to command prompt and then to the folder Features

C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\FEATURES>

and execute this command
..\..\BIN\STSADM.exe -o InstallFeature -filename Helloworld\feature.xml -force
or
%STSADM% -o InstallFeature -filename helloworld\feature.xml -force

and reset the IIS
at command prompt: IISRESET


Once the feature has been properly installed, it can be activated within the context of the site,

site settings--> site features--> shows list of features .
click "Activate" for Helloworld feature.

check the site Actions menu, a new CustomAction element called "hello world " is added to it.


Reference: "Inside Microsoft Windows Sharepoint Services 3.0" -Ted Pattson, Daniel Larson, Microsoft Press

Increase the size limit of site template

STSADM –o setproperty –pn max-template-document-size –pv 524288000

The –pv value is the value, in Bytes, that you wish to set the limit to.
The maximum value that can be set is 500 MB or 524288000 Bytes.

Sharepoint Saturday

I came across this cool site Sharepoint Saturday. Its a very informative get together for Sharepoint devotees. I myself will be joining them in Jan'10. Waiting for more Saturdays with experts.

Creating custom master page

To create a custom masterpage, you can either copy the default.master and rename it and work backwords or you can create it from scratch using a basic/minimal masterpage.

The publishing masterpage's that I came across are from Heather Solomon blog and the other which I follow is from microsoft.

Both of them have default content placeholders. Either hide or use them in the masterpage

Mirosoft's minimal master page
Heather Solomon's base master page

Webparts with rounded bottom - using tables

.tdTopLeft{

background-image:url('/sitecollectionimages/TopCorner_Left.png');

background-repeat:no-repeat;

width:10px;

}

.tdTop{

border-top: thin #d6d6d6 solid;

}

.tdTopRight{

background-image:url('/sitecollectionimages/TopCorner-Right.png');

background-repeat:no-repeat;

width:10px;

}

.tdMiddle{

border-right:thin #d6d6d6 solid;

border-left:thin #d6d6d6 solid;

border-top:0;

border-bottom:0;

padding:0;

}

.tdLeft{

border-left:thin #d6d6d6 solid;

}

.tdRight{

border-right:thin #d6d6d6 solid;

}

.tdBottomLeft{

border-style: none;

border-color: inherit;

border-width: 0;

background-image:url('/SiteCollectionImages/BottomCorner-Left.png');

background-position: right bottom;

background-repeat:no-repeat;

}

.tdBottom{

border-bottom:thin #d6d6d6 solid;

border-top:0;

}

.tdBottomRight{

border-style: none;

border-color: inherit;

border-width: 0;

background-image:url('/SiteCollectionImages/BottomCorner-Right.png');

background-repeat:no-repeat;

background-position: left bottom;

}

.trTopfont{

font-size:xx-small;

}

.trBottomfont{

font-size:xx-small;

}

/* tables with no rounded tops - only rounded bottom */

.tdTopLeftPlain{

border-left:thin #d6d6d6 solid;

border-top:thin #d6d6d6 solid;

width: 5px;

}

.tdTopRightPlain{

width:7px;

border-right:thin #d6d6d6 solid;

border-top:thin #d6d6d6 solid;

}

.tdBottomLeftPlain{

background-image:url('/SiteCollectionImages/BottomCorner-Left.png');

background-repeat:no-repeat;

background-position: right bottom;

}

.tdBottomRightPlain{

background-image:url('/SiteCollectionImages/BottomCorner-Right.png');

background-repeat:no-repeat;

background-position: left bottom;

}

Rounded Webpart Corners

.ms-WPHeader td {

background-image:url('/sitecollectionimages/wp_right2.png');

background-repeat:no-repeat;

background-position:right top;

background-color: #e2e3e1;

border:0px;

}

.ms-WPHeader TD h3 {

background-image:url('/sitecollectionimages/wp_left2.png');

background-repeat:no-repeat;

background-position:left top;

background-color: #e2e3e1;

font-size:small;

color: #224175;

padding-left: 20px;

}

.ms-WPHeader TD h3 a:link, .ms-WPHeader TD h3 a:visited {

color: black;

}

.ms-WPTitle

{

font-weight:bold !important;

font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;

color:#4c4c4c;

padding-left:3px;

padding-right:7px;

padding-top:2px;

padding-bottom:2px;

font-size:10pt!important;

}