MOSS

SharePoint Guidance: Released

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Microsoft patterns & practices SharePoint Guidance has been released to MSDN!

http://www.microsoft.com/spg

Updated: SharePoint Guidance 1.0 – Nov 2008

Here are a few of the topics you will find inside:

  • Architectural decisions about patterns, feature factoring, and packaging
  • Design tradeoffs for decisions many developers encounter, such as whether to use SharePoint lists or a database to store information
  • Implementation examples that are demonstrated in the Training Management application and in the QuickStarts
  • How to design a SharePoint application for testability, create unit tests, and run continuous integration
  • How to set up different environments including the development, build, test, staging, and production environments
  • How to manage the application life cycle through development, test, deployment, and upgrading
  • Team-based intranet application development

    • You might also see my name, along with the names of a couple of others from Avanade, in the Authors and Contributors section. (Updated to refer to SharePoint Guidance 1.0 – Nov 2008)

    MCTS: WSS 3.0 – Application Development

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    Last Saturday I was able to pass the 70-541 exam to earn the MCTS: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0: Application Development certification. Not only will I be working on my MCPD certification this year, but also the WSS/MOSS certifications. Check my About page to see a list of my current certifications.

    SharePoint Guidance: Second Release

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    The second release of SharePoint Guidance from the Microsoft Patterns & Practices SharePoint Guidance team is now published on Codeplex at http://www.codeplex.com/spg.

    Updates included in this release:

    • Refactor code to leverage MVP pattern where applicable.
    • Refactor SPList-related SharePoint code with the Repository Pattern.
    • Unit tests for manager and presenter classes using TypeMock.
    • And much more…
    Disclaimer: This will evolve (and change) significantly. At this stage the RI provides a basic set of WSS features with accompanying guidance. This is not a CTP or a BETA.

    Stay tuned for new releases about every two weeks or so.

    SharePoint Guidance: First Release

    Standard

    The first release of SharePoint Guidance from the Microsoft Patterns & Practices SharePoint Guidance team is now published on Codeplex at http://www.codeplex.com/spg.

    Disclaimer: This will evolve (and change) significantly. At this stage the RI provides a basic set of WSS features with accompanying guidance. This is not a CTP or a BETA.

    Stay tuned for new releases about every two weeks or so.

    SharePoint Guidance: Intro

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    Microsoft Patterns & Practices

    Recently I started a new project with one of the teams in the Microsoft Patterns & Practices group in Redmond, Wa. For this project our team will provide guidance materials and a reference implementation. We are aiming to help SharePoint developers overcome some of the more difficult aspects of SharePoint development as well as help new developers with the initial 0 to 60 learning experience.

    Already we have started to look at development environments and team development scenarios as they related to SharePoint development. Watch for thoughts on those and more subjects here soon.

    Although we are a small team, we have built quite an elaborate build process for out team. Our current configuration includes developer/tester workstations running Windows Server, a continuous integration (CI) and build verification test (BVT) server running Team Foundation Server, as well as test, staging, and production servers. Look for a CodePlex site soon with some guidance on team-based SharePoint development utilizing a build server, which has turned out to be quite a challenge.

    This is how my Avanade laptop is currently configured for MOSS development:

    “On The Bench”

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    This is what Avanade calls your time between projects. Last week I rolled off my first major project and started my bench time. This time is meant for training and getting certified. So I did just that.

    The first four days of this week I spent training on Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 where I utilized independent study materials that I obtained through Avanade’s internal training department.

    Friday was spent craming for Exam 70–528: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 – Web-Based Client Development, which I ended up passing on Saturday. This was my second Microsoft exam but my first with Avanade. As part of being a Solution Developer at Avanade you are required to become a Microsoft Certified Professional Developer. This was the first of five exams that make up the MCPD certification. And with five exams, I thought I should better get crackin’.