How to deploy a SharePoint web part to bin

As I was learning how to deploy my web parts as features in a solution package .wsp (I used WSPBuilder to create the .wsp), I realized I needed to make sure they were deployed not to the GAC (which is the default), but rather to the web application's /bin folder (under the web application in IIS). Bin is preferred over GAC because of security reasons: deploying to GAC unnecessarily exposes the web part's assembly .dll to every application on the server.

This post will show you how to deploy a web part to the /bin folder (using WSPBuilder) AND how to configure it using CAS (Code Access Security) so your web part can actually run from that folder too! I kept finding articles that discuss one or the other, but not both. Those articles that did help me quite a bit have been referenced in the last part of this post.

So, from the top, when you create a web part in Visual Studio 2008 and hit F5, the web part will deploy to the site you selected (right-click Project's Properties, click Debug, then whatever site you typed in Start browser with URL). In your Solution Explorer, you will notice a folder called /bin with another folder called /debug under that, and the compiled code will sit under there. This means its being deployed into the GAC.

At a high level, there's really two steps we must do to get our web part to run from the web application's (your SharePoint site's) /bin folder. (You can get to /bin either by going into IIS and choosing the web application you want it deployed to, or by going to c:\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\<web application>\bin.)

The first step is actually deploying to the above-mentioned location. Once this is done, sure, the web part is right where you want it to be, but it won't run until we do step two, which involves setting the proper permissions to allow it to run from that spot. This second step involves modifying the web.config to look at a custom policy file where we will make changes to the CAS policies.

First, deploy the web part assembly to the /bin:

1. In Solution Explorer, delete the /bin folder. It will reappear in a few seconds with a Debug subfolder, but it will be empty other than that.

2. In Solution Explorer, create a folder called 80, and under that, create a folder called bin. So you will have /80/bin.

3. Right-click the project in Solution Explorer, and on the Compile tab, change Build Output Path from bin\Debug\ to 80\bin\.

4. In Solution Explorer, in AssemblyInfo.vb, you must add two lines:
a. below the other Imports statements, add the following:

Imports System.Security

(Note: this will be a Using statement if you are doing C#)

b. Below one of the other Assembly statements, add the following:

<assembly: AllowPartiallyTrustedCallers()>

(Note: This step doesn't affect the deployment of the web part, but comes into play when you try to actually use the web part on a page after its been deployed to /bin.)

5. Now, when you compile the application you will notice the assembly (the dll) appears in /80/bin instead of where it was being put before, /bin/debug. If you hit F5 to deploy it, you will notice all the other deployment files Visual Studio creates is also placed in this folder. This leads me to my next point.

Visual Studio creating deployment files automatically is no good. Sure, it will get everything up and running on the server, but maybe not the way you want. For instance, even though I have created a /12/TEMPLATE/FEATURES/AddContactFromAD folder structure in my Solution Explorer, and put in my feature.xml, elements.xml (mine is actually called AddContactFromAD.xml), and a web part definitions file AddContactFromAD.webpart, Visual Studio generates its own feature.xml (which doesn't have my pretty description I put in the real feature.xml). It also tends to write its own manifest.xml, wanting to deploy to GAC! So, let's deploy a much better way, using WSPBuilder! You can download WSPBuilder here. Once installed, it will be added to Visual Studio's Tools menu.

6. Assuming you have the above-mentioned 12 hive folder structure with a folder for each web part under FEATURES, and with that, a feature.xml, elements.xml, and .webpart file under each web part's folder, you can simply click Tools -> WSPBuilder -> Build WSP. WSP Builder will create the resulting .wsp and drop it in your project folder. Renaming it to .cab and opening it you will see each web part's feature.xml, elements.xml, .webpart, plus the assembly .dll and an autogenerated manifest.xml. Looking inside the manifest.xml will reveal two things: 1. the DeploymentTarget is WebApplication (no longer GlobalAssemblyCache as it was before), and 2. CAS policy permissions were added.

7. Ok, so let's deploy this bad boy. To do this, I add the solution, deploy the solution, then activate the features (1 feature per web part). Below is my own batch file add.bat:

stsadm -o addsolution -filename contactuswebpart.wsp

stsadm -o deploysolution -name contactuswebpart.wsp -url http://sharepoint2007:1001/ -immediate -allowCasPolicies

stsadm -o activatefeature -name contactlist -url http://sharepoint2007:1001

stsadm -o activatefeature -name emailcontact -url http://sharepoint2007:1001

stsadm -o activatefeature -name addcontactfromad -url http://sharepoint2007:1001

Also, my remove.bat comes in handy when testing:

stsadm -o deactivatefeature -name contactlist -url http://sharepoint2007:1001

stsadm -o deactivatefeature -name emailcontact -url http://sharepoint2007:1001

stsadm -o deactivatefeature -name addcontactfromad -url http://sharepoint2007:1001

stsadm -o retractsolution -name contactuswebpart.wsp -url http://sharepoint2007:1001/ -immediate

stsadm -o deletesolution -name contactuswebpart.wsp

At this point, if you check your web application's /bin, you should see the assembly .dll there. If you go to the Web Part Gallery and click the web part, or if you attempt to add the web part to a page, you will get an error. This is because we still need to do Part 2 of this grand adventure: modify the permissions.

For the second and final step, set the CAS policy permissions to enable the web part to run from /bin:

1. We are going to copy the existing wss_minimaltrust.config, rename it, then make our policy changes in that file. Go to c:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\CONFIG, copy wss_minimaltrust.config and rename it wss_webpartbintrust.config.


2. In our new CAS policy file, wss_webpartbintrust.config, we have three changes.

a. First, add a reference to SharePointPermission in the <SecurityClasses> section. Add the following:

<SecurityClass Name="SharePointPermission" Description="Microsoft.SharePoint.Security.SharePointPermission, Microsoft.SharePoint.Security, Version=12.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=71e9bce111e9429c" />

b. Next, add a new custom permission set. Find the NamedPermissionSet that is named SPRestricted and copy and paste this below it:

<PermissionSet class="NamedPermissionSet" version="1" Name="WebPartBinTrust">
<IPermission class="AspNetHostingPermission" version="1" Level="Minimal" />
<IPermission class="SecurityPermission" version="1" Flags="Execution" />
<IPermission class="WebPartPermission" version="1" Connections="True" />
<IPermission class="SharePointPermission" version="1" ObjectModel="True" />
</PermissionSet>

c. Finally, add the code group. This will indicate when the permissions are to be set. It should be noted this can be done one of two ways, either using a strong name membership (assuming your assembly has been strongnamed) or a url membership, which would give you the option of having the permissions apply to all assemblies in the specified bin or the specific assembly itself.

Under <CodeGroup class="FirstMatchCodeGroup"...> you will see several <CodeGroup class="UnionCodeGroup"...> tags. Place the following code as the first one of these.

<CodeGroup class="UnionCodeGroup" version="1" PermissionSetName="WebPartBinTrust">
<IMembershipCondition class="StrongNameMembershipCondition" version="1" PublicKeyBlob="00240000048000009400000006020000002400005253413100040000010001000DAF8ED8D945CD2ABB2EE7953A6039B791A725F11B4588AC6D70B3E0648F955E9ED4C3C43CB044B8B0E8A6FF4D4FFBE9E3B9297D45F688A7264534E12414E17539305207EC961DA94DF294E7722CCD9BDBFC95A896E996F57156705D281EC39280BD604E87724556AF5807D146963F19F5B43DB69E1F22695463153A553260D2" Name="ContactUsWebPart" />
</CodeGroup>

(Note: The PublicKeyBlob must be the public key blob of your assembly. You may see the PublicKeyBlob in another tag referencing your assembly, in which case, just copy and paste it. Otherwise, you will need to run the command: secutil -hex -s contactuswebpart.dll > publickeyblob.txt, then copy and paste it from the output file publickeyblob.txt.)


3. Almost there... Just two more changes, but this time in your site's web.config. Go to c:\inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\<your site>\web.config.

a. In the SecurityPolicy tag, make sure there is an entry for a custom TrustLevel that points to the policy file we just edited:

<trustLevel name="WSS_Custom" policyFile="C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\config\wss_webpartbintrust.config" />

b. Scroll down a bit and make sure the trust level is set like this:

<trust level="WSS_Custom" originUrl="" />

That's it! Restart IIS and have fun!


Some good pages that helped me figure this all out:

WSPBuilder - Walkthrough of the Visual Studio Add-in

MOSS 2007 and Code Access Security

Gaurav Taneja article on bin and GAC deployment

Deploy dlls to the webApplications bin rather than GAC

Code Access Security in SharePoint 2007 for Administrators

How to create connected web parts: Part 2

Here in Part 2, you will find my tutorial on how to create Contact List/Email Contact connected web parts, along with entire code to be copy and pasted. I recommend following the tutorial, the at the end I will describe what's happening with respect to the transfer of a selected person from one web part to the other.

At a high level:

In the following project, we will create two web parts, a web part called Contact List that will display data from a custom list also called Contact List; and another web part called Email Contact, which will 1. save the message a user types into its form to a custom list called Sent Emails, then 2. email that message to the selected contact person. When a user clicks a contact in the Contact List web part, the person will then appear at the top of the Email Contact web part above the form the user can enter a message into. This transfer of a selected person from the Contact List web part to the Email Contact web part is what requires the web parts to be connected web parts. This connected web part setup also allows us the flexibility of displaying the Contact List by itself, or pairing it with other consumer web parts we develop down the road.

In summary:

1. Contact List web part requires a custom list called Contact List. Contact List web part will be the provider web part, providing a person to a consumer web part, in this example it will be the Email Contact web part.
   
2. Email Contact web part requires a custom list called Sent Emails. Email Contact web part will be the consumer, consuming a person from a provider web part, in this example it will be the Contact List web part.
3. The two web parts will both use the same interface, we'll call it IContact.
4. Once both web parts are built and deployed, they can then be individually added to a page on your SharePoint site, then you will connect them by clicking either web part -> Modify Shared Web Part -> Connections

Ok, so that was the all the high-level stuff. Let's do this step by step from the beginning. All you have to do is click along and paste code.

I. First, the easy part - we have to create the two custom lists Contact List
and Sent Emails in your SharePoint site.

1. In your SharePoint site, click Site Actions -> Create -> Custom List
2. for Name, type Contact List
3. click Create
4. click Contact List in the left menu
   
5. click Settings -> List Settings
6. click Title column, rename to Contact Name, click OK
7. click Create Column, for Column name type Job Title, click OK
8. click Create Column, for Column name type Email Address, click OK
9. click Create Column, for Column name type Phone, click OK
10. click Create Column, for Column name type Fax, click OK
11. Now that you have created the contact list, enter in 2 or 3 contacts by clicking Contact List, then New -> New Item, then fill out ALL the fields (including the phone and fax) and click OK (I still need to add error handling on the web part if a value is empty)
    
12. In your SharePoint site, click Site Actions -> Create -> Custom List
13. for Name, type Sent Emails
    
14. click Create
15. click Sent Emails in the left menu
    
16. click Settings -> List Settings
17. click Title column, and rename to Message Subject, click OK
18. click Create Column, for Column name type Submitter Name, click OK
19. click Create Column, for Column name type Submitter Email, click OK
20. click Create Column, for Column name type Message, click OK
21. click Create Column, for Column name type Contact Email, click OK

II. Now, we create the interface and web parts in Visual Studio 2008.

1. load Visual Studio 2008
2. File -> New -> Project -> Visual Basic -> SharePoint -> Web Part
3. for Name and Solution Name, type: ContactUs
4. Click OK
5. In Solution Explorer, right-click the project name ContactUs, then click Properties
6. Click the Debug tab and in "Start browser with URL:", type the SharePoint site you want these web parts to be deployed to
7. Click X to close out of Properties
8. In Solution Explorer, right-click WebPart1 and click Delete, then OK
9. In Solution Explorer, right-click project ContactUs, then click Add -> New Item -> SharePoint -> Web Part and for the name type ContactList, then click Add
10. In Solution Explorer, right-click project ContactUs, then click Add -> New Item -> SharePoint -> Web Part and for the name type ContactList, then click Add
11. In Solution Explorer, right-click project ContactUs, then click Add -> New Item -> Code -> Interface and for the name type IContact.vb, then click Add
12. In IContact.vb, copy and paste the following code:
    

    
    Property ContactName() As String
    Property JobTitle() As String
    Property EmailAddress() As String
    Property Phone() As String
    Property Fax() As String
    

    
    
13. In Solution Explorer, right-click References, then click Add Reference; in the .NET tab, select System.Drawing and click OK
    
14. In ContactList.vb, comment out the first two lines, Option Explicit On and Option Strict On
    
15. In ContactList.vb, add the following code directly below Public Class ContactList (delete the other pre-generated code within the class):
    

    
            Inherits System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart
    Implements IContact
    
    WithEvents oContactNameLink As LinkButton
    Private ContactNameToEmail As String = String.Empty
    Private JobTitleToEmail As String = String.Empty
    Private EmailAddressToEmail As String = String.Empty
    Private PhoneToEmail As String = String.Empty
    Private FaxToEmail As String = String.Empty
    
    
    Dim strContactListDataSource As String = ""
    
    <WebBrowsable(True), Personalizable(True), FriendlyName("Contact List Data Source"), SPWebCategoryName("Data")> _
    Property ContactListDataSource() As String
    Get
        Return strContactListDataSource
    End Get
    Set(ByVal value As String)
        strContactListDataSource = value
    End Set
    End Property
    
    
    Public Sub New()
    End Sub
    
    
    <Personalizable()> _
    Public Property ContactName() As String _
    Implements IContact.ContactName
    
    Get
        Return ContactNameToEmail
    End Get
    Set(ByVal value As String)
        ContactNameToEmail = value
    End Set
    End Property
    
    
    <Personalizable()> _
    Public Property JobTitle() As String _
    Implements IContact.JobTitle
    
    Get
        Return JobTitleToEmail
    End Get
    Set(ByVal value As String)
        JobTitleToEmail = value
    End Set
    End Property
    
    
    <Personalizable()> _
    Public Property EmailAddress() As String _
    Implements IContact.EmailAddress
    
    Get
        Return EmailAddressToEmail
    End Get
    Set(ByVal value As String)
        EmailAddressToEmail = value
    End Set
    End Property
    
    
    <Personalizable()> _
    Public Property Phone() As String _
    Implements IContact.Phone
    
    Get
        Return PhoneToEmail
    End Get
    Set(ByVal value As String)
        PhoneToEmail = value
    End Set
    End Property
    
    
    <Personalizable()> _
    Public Property Fax() As String _
    Implements IContact.Fax
    
    Get
        Return FaxToEmail
    End Get
    Set(ByVal value As String)
        FaxToEmail = value
    End Set
    End Property
    
    
    
    ' This is the callback method that returns the provider.
    <ConnectionProvider("Contact Provider", "ContactProvider")> _
    Public Function ProvideIContact() As IContact
    Return Me
    End Function
    
    
    Protected Overrides Sub CreateChildControls()
    MyBase.CreateChildControls()
    
    
    'if ContactListSource is a valid list, display controls
    If ContactListIsValid() Then
    
        Try
            'get the site the web part is running on
            Dim oWeb As SPWeb
            oWeb = Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls.SPControl.GetContextWeb(Context)
    
            'get the list we are going to work with
            Dim oList As SPList
            oList = oWeb.Lists(ContactListDataSource)
    
    
            'create table object
            Dim oTable As New Table
            'oTable.Width = 100
            oTable.CellPadding = 0
            oTable.CellSpacing = 0
    
    
            'add the table row
            Dim oRow As New TableRow
            oTable.Rows.Add(oRow)
    
    
            'add the cells
            Dim oCellHeaderName As New TableCell
            oCellHeaderName.Width = 180
            oCellHeaderName.Text = "Name"
            oRow.Cells.Add(oCellHeaderName)
    
            Dim oCellHeaderJobTitle As New TableCell
            oCellHeaderJobTitle.Width = 180
            oCellHeaderJobTitle.Text = "Job Title"
            oRow.Cells.Add(oCellHeaderJobTitle)
    
            Dim oCellHeaderEmail As New TableCell
            oCellHeaderEmail.Width = 180
            oCellHeaderEmail.Text = "Email Address"
            oRow.Cells.Add(oCellHeaderEmail)
    
            Dim oCellHeaderPhone As New TableCell
            oCellHeaderPhone.Width = 100
            oCellHeaderPhone.Text = "Phone"
            oRow.Cells.Add(oCellHeaderPhone)
    
            Dim oCellHeaderFax As New TableCell
            oCellHeaderFax.Width = 100
            oCellHeaderFax.Text = "Fax"
            oRow.Cells.Add(oCellHeaderFax)
    
    
            'for all rows in list, display them
            For Each oContactListItem As SPListItem In oList.Items
                'add the table row for the new list item
                Dim oContactRow As New TableRow
                oTable.Rows.Add(oContactRow)
    
    
                Dim strPhone As String = ""
                If Not oContactListItem.Item("Phone") Is Nothing Then
                    strPhone = oContactListItem.Item("Phone").ToString
                End If
    
                Dim strFax As String = ""
                If Not oContactListItem.Item("Phone") Is Nothing Then
                    strFax = oContactListItem.Item("Fax").ToString
                End If
    
    
    
                'add the cells
                Dim oCellName As New TableCell
                oContactNameLink = New LinkButton
                oContactNameLink.Text = oContactListItem.Item("Contact Name").ToString
                oContactNameLink.CommandArgument = oContactListItem.Item("Job Title").ToString & "|" & _
                                             oContactListItem.Item("Email Address").ToString & "|" & _
                                             strPhone & "|" & _
                                             strFax & "|"
                AddHandler oContactNameLink.Click, AddressOf ContactSelected
                oCellName.Controls.Add(oContactNameLink)
                oContactRow.Cells.Add(oCellName)
    
    
                Dim oCellJobTitle As New TableCell
                oCellJobTitle.Text = oContactListItem.Item("Job Title").ToString
                oContactRow.Cells.Add(oCellJobTitle)
    
                Dim oCellEmailAddress As New TableCell
                oCellEmailAddress.Text = oContactListItem.Item("Email Address").ToString
                oContactRow.Cells.Add(oCellEmailAddress)
    
                Dim oCellPhone As New TableCell
                If Not oContactListItem.Item("Phone") Is Nothing Then
                    oCellPhone.Text = oContactListItem.Item("Phone").ToString
                Else
                    oCellPhone.Text = ""
                End If
                oContactRow.Cells.Add(oCellPhone)
    
                Dim oCellFax As New TableCell
                If Not oContactListItem.Item("Fax") Is Nothing Then
                    oCellFax.Text = oContactListItem.Item("Fax").ToString
                Else
                    oCellFax.Text = ""
                End If
    
                oContactRow.Cells.Add(oCellFax)
    
            Next
    
            'add the table to the web part controls collection
            Controls.Add(oTable)
    
        Catch ex As Exception
            Dim lblErrorMessage As New Label
            lblErrorMessage.ForeColor = Drawing.Color.Red
            lblErrorMessage.Text = "Error: " & ex.Message & _
                      "<BR><BR>" & "Details: " & ex.ToString
            Controls.Add(lblErrorMessage)
    
        End Try
    
    Else
        'else display message telling user they must configure the ContactListDataSource property
        Dim lblConfigureMessage As New Label
        lblConfigureMessage.ForeColor = Drawing.Color.Red
        lblConfigureMessage.Text = "<BR><BR>" & "You must configure the Contact List Data Source property. " & _
                                   "<BR><BR>" & "Please click Modify Shared Web Part -> Data -> Contact List Data Source " & _
                                                "and set it to a list based on the ContactListTemplate list template."
        Controls.Add(lblConfigureMessage)
    End If
    
    End Sub
    
    
    Private Sub ContactSelected(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles oContactNameLink.Click
       'when a contact is selected, assign their info to local variables
    
       Dim ContactFields As String
       Dim ContactFieldsArray(4) As String
    
       'assign person's name to local variable ContactNameToEmail
       ContactNameToEmail = CType(sender, LinkButton).Text
    
       'pull contact fields from button's CommandArgument property
       ContactFields = CType(sender, LinkButton).CommandArgument
    
       'split contact fields into an array
       ContactFieldsArray = ContactFields.Split("|")
    
       'assign contact fields to local variables
       JobTitleToEmail = ContactFieldsArray(0)
       EmailAddressToEmail = ContactFieldsArray(1)
       PhoneToEmail = ContactFieldsArray(2)
       FaxToEmail = ContactFieldsArray(3)
    
    End Sub
    
    
    Private Function ContactListIsValid() As Boolean
    'PURPOSE: returns true if specified contact list is valid for the web part
    
    Try
        'get the site the web part is running on
        Dim oWeb As SPWeb
        oWeb = Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls.SPControl.GetContextWeb(Context)
    
        'get the list specified by user in property, if list is not found in site, flow will hit Catch
        Dim oList As SPList
        oList = oWeb.Lists(ContactListDataSource)
    
    
        'check if fields exist in list
    
        Dim blnContactNameFound As Boolean = False
        Dim blnJobTitleFound As Boolean = False
        Dim blnEmailAddressFound As Boolean = False
        Dim blnPhoneFound As Boolean = False
        Dim blnFaxFound As Boolean = False
    
        'loop through the fields in the list and check to see if all the required fields are in the list
        For Each oField As SPField In oList.Fields
            If Not oField.Hidden And Not oField.ReadOnlyField And oField.Type <> SPFieldType.Attachments Then
    
                If oField.Title = "Contact Name" Then
                    blnContactNameFound = True
                End If
    
                If oField.Title = "Job Title" Then
                    blnJobTitleFound = True
                End If
    
                If oField.Title = "Email Address" Then
                    blnEmailAddressFound = True
                End If
    
                If oField.Title = "Phone" Then
                    blnPhoneFound = True
                End If
    
                If oField.Title = "Fax" Then
                    blnFaxFound = True
                End If
    
            End If
        Next
    
        'if all fields were found, return true
        If blnContactNameFound And blnJobTitleFound And blnEmailAddressFound And blnPhoneFound And blnFaxFound Then
            Return True
        Else
            Return False
        End If
    
    Catch ex As Exception
        Return False
    
    End Try
    
    End Function

    
    
16. In EmailContact.vb, add the following code below the Imports statements at the top of the file:
    

    
    Imports System.Net.Mail
    

    
    
17. In EmailContact.vb, add the following code below Public Class EmailContact (delete the other pre-generated code within the class):
    

    
            Inherits System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart
    
    Private _provider As IContact
    Private _contactName As String
    Private _jobTitle As String
    Private _emailAddress As String
    Private _phone As String
    Private _fax As String
    
    Private lblContactNameValue As Label
    Private lblJobTitleValue As Label
    Private lblEmailAddressValue As Label
    Private lblPhoneValue As Label
    Private lblFaxValue As Label
    
    Dim oMessageSubject As TextBox
    Dim oSubmitterName As TextBox
    Dim oSubmitterEmail As TextBox
    Dim oMessage As TextBox
    
    Dim lblStatusMessage As New Label
    
    WithEvents btnSave As New Button
    
    
    Dim strEmailContactDestination As String = ""
    
    <WebBrowsable(True), Personalizable(True), FriendlyName("Email Contact Destination"), SPWebCategoryName("Data")> _
    Property EmailContactDestination() As String
       Get
           Return strEmailContactDestination
       End Get
       Set(ByVal value As String)
           strEmailContactDestination = value
       End Set
    End Property
    
    
    Dim strSMTPMailHost As String = ""
    
    <WebBrowsable(True), Personalizable(True), FriendlyName("SMTP Mail Host"), SPWebCategoryName("Data")> _
    Property SMTPMailHost() As String
       Get
           Return strSMTPMailHost
       End Get
       Set(ByVal value As String)
           strSMTPMailHost = value
       End Set
    End Property
    
    
    'Public Sub New()
    'End Sub
    
    
    ' This method is identified by the ConnectionConsumer
    ' attribute, and is the mechanism for connecting with
    ' the provider.
    <ConnectionConsumer("Contact Consumer", "ContactConsumer")> _
    Public Sub GetIContact(ByVal Provider As IContact)
       _provider = Provider
    End Sub
    
    
    Protected Overrides Sub CreateChildControls()
       MyBase.CreateChildControls()
    
       'if EmailContactDestination is a valid list, display controls
       If EmailContactDestinationIsValid() Then
           If SMTPMailHostIsValid() Then
               'create table object
               Dim oTable As New Table
               oTable.CellPadding = 0
               oTable.CellSpacing = 0
    
               'create a row
               Dim oContactNameRow As New TableRow
               oTable.Rows.Add(oContactNameRow)
    
               'create the cells and add them to the row
               Dim oContactNameLabelCell As New TableCell
               oContactNameRow.Cells.Add(oContactNameLabelCell)
               Dim oContactNameValueCell As New TableCell
               oContactNameRow.Cells.Add(oContactNameValueCell)
    
               oContactNameLabelCell.Width = 125
               oContactNameValueCell.Width = 350
    
               'create label objects for field name and field value
               Dim lblContactNameHeader As New Label
               lblContactNameHeader.Text = "Contact Name"
               lblContactNameValue = New Label
               lblContactNameValue.Text = ""
    
               'add the controls to the cells
               oContactNameLabelCell.Controls.Add(lblContactNameHeader)
               oContactNameValueCell.Controls.Add(lblContactNameValue)
    
    
    
               'create a row
               Dim oJobTitleRow As New TableRow
               oTable.Rows.Add(oJobTitleRow)
    
               'create the cells and add them to the row
               Dim oJobTitleLabelCell As New TableCell
               oJobTitleRow.Cells.Add(oJobTitleLabelCell)
               Dim oJobTitleValueCell As New TableCell
               oJobTitleRow.Cells.Add(oJobTitleValueCell)
    
               'create label objects for field name and field value
               Dim lblJobTitleHeader As New Label
               lblJobTitleHeader.Text = "Job Title"
               lblJobTitleValue = New Label
               lblJobTitleValue.Text = ""
    
               'add the controls to the cells
               oJobTitleLabelCell.Controls.Add(lblJobTitleHeader)
               oJobTitleValueCell.Controls.Add(lblJobTitleValue)
    
    
    
               'create a row
               Dim oEmailAddressRow As New TableRow
               oTable.Rows.Add(oEmailAddressRow)
    
               'create the cells and add them to the row
               Dim oEmailAddressLabelCell As New TableCell
               oEmailAddressRow.Cells.Add(oEmailAddressLabelCell)
               Dim oEmailAddressValueCell As New TableCell
               oEmailAddressRow.Cells.Add(oEmailAddressValueCell)
    
               'create label objects for field name and field value
               Dim lblEmailAddressHeader As New Label
               lblEmailAddressHeader.Text = "Email Address"
               lblEmailAddressValue = New Label
               lblEmailAddressValue.Text = ""
    
               'add the controls to the cells
               oEmailAddressLabelCell.Controls.Add(lblEmailAddressHeader)
               oEmailAddressValueCell.Controls.Add(lblEmailAddressValue)
    
    
    
               'create a row
               Dim oPhoneRow As New TableRow
               oTable.Rows.Add(oPhoneRow)
    
               'create the cells and add them to the row
               Dim oPhoneLabelCell As New TableCell
               oPhoneRow.Cells.Add(oPhoneLabelCell)
               Dim oPhoneValueCell As New TableCell
               oPhoneRow.Cells.Add(oPhoneValueCell)
    
               'create label objects for field name and field value
               Dim lblPhoneHeader As New Label
               lblPhoneHeader.Text = "Phone"
               lblPhoneValue = New Label
               lblPhoneValue.Text = ""
    
               'add the controls to the cells
               oPhoneLabelCell.Controls.Add(lblPhoneHeader)
               oPhoneValueCell.Controls.Add(lblPhoneValue)
    
    
    
               'create a row
               Dim oFaxRow As New TableRow
               oTable.Rows.Add(oFaxRow)
    
               'create the cells and add them to the row
               Dim oFaxLabelCell As New TableCell
               oFaxRow.Cells.Add(oFaxLabelCell)
               Dim oFaxValueCell As New TableCell
               oFaxRow.Cells.Add(oFaxValueCell)
    
               'create label objects for field name and field value
               Dim lblFaxHeader As New Label
               lblFaxHeader.Text = "Fax"
               lblFaxValue = New Label
               lblFaxValue.Text = ""
    
               'add the controls to the cells
               oFaxLabelCell.Controls.Add(lblFaxHeader)
               oFaxValueCell.Controls.Add(lblFaxValue)
    
    
    
               'build form to allow user to submit comments and have them emailed to selected contact
    
               'create a row
               Dim oMessageSubjectRow As New TableRow
               oTable.Rows.Add(oMessageSubjectRow)
    
               'create the cells and add them to the row
               Dim oMessageSubjectLabelCell As New TableCell
               oMessageSubjectRow.Cells.Add(oMessageSubjectLabelCell)
               Dim oMessageSubjectValueCell As New TableCell
               oMessageSubjectRow.Cells.Add(oMessageSubjectValueCell)
    
               'create the field label control
               Dim lblMessageSubject As New Label
               lblMessageSubject.Text = "Message Subject"
    
               'create the form field control
               oMessageSubject = New TextBox
               oMessageSubject.Width = 300
    
               'create validator
               Dim oMessageSubjectRequired As New RequiredFieldValidator
    
               'add controls to the cells
               oMessageSubjectLabelCell.Controls.Add(lblMessageSubject)
               oMessageSubjectValueCell.Controls.Add(oMessageSubject)
               oMessageSubjectValueCell.Controls.Add(oMessageSubjectRequired)
    
               'configure validator
               oMessageSubjectRequired.ErrorMessage = " * required"
               oMessageSubject.ID = "oMessageSubject"
               oMessageSubjectRequired.Display = ValidatorDisplay.Dynamic
               oMessageSubjectRequired.ControlToValidate = oMessageSubject.ID
               oMessageSubjectRequired.ValidationGroup = "EmailContactValidationGroup"
    
    
    
    
    
               'create a row
               Dim oSubmitterNameRow As New TableRow
               oTable.Rows.Add(oSubmitterNameRow)
    
               'create the cells and add them to the row
               Dim oSubmitterNameLabelCell As New TableCell
               oSubmitterNameRow.Cells.Add(oSubmitterNameLabelCell)
               Dim oSubmitterNameValueCell As New TableCell
               oSubmitterNameRow.Cells.Add(oSubmitterNameValueCell)
    
               'create the field label control
               Dim lblSubmitterName As New Label
               lblSubmitterName.Text = "Submitter Name"
    
               'create the form field control
               oSubmitterName = New TextBox
               oSubmitterName.Width = 300
    
               'create validator
               Dim oSubmitterNameRequired As New RequiredFieldValidator
    
               'add controls to the cells
               oSubmitterNameLabelCell.Controls.Add(lblSubmitterName)
               oSubmitterNameValueCell.Controls.Add(oSubmitterName)
               oSubmitterNameValueCell.Controls.Add(oSubmitterNameRequired)
    
               'configure validator
               oSubmitterNameRequired.ErrorMessage = " * required"
               oSubmitterName.ID = "oSubmitterName"
               oSubmitterNameRequired.Display = ValidatorDisplay.Dynamic
               oSubmitterNameRequired.ControlToValidate = oSubmitterName.ID
               oSubmitterNameRequired.ValidationGroup = "EmailContactValidationGroup"
    
    
    
    
    
               'create a row
               Dim oSubmitterEmailRow As New TableRow
               oTable.Rows.Add(oSubmitterEmailRow)
    
               'create the cells and add them to the row
               Dim oSubmitterEmailLabelCell As New TableCell
               oSubmitterEmailRow.Cells.Add(oSubmitterEmailLabelCell)
               Dim oSubmitterEmailValueCell As New TableCell
               oSubmitterEmailRow.Cells.Add(oSubmitterEmailValueCell)
    
               'create the field label control
               Dim lblSubmitterEmail As New Label
               lblSubmitterEmail.Text = "Submitter Email"
    
               'create the form field control
               oSubmitterEmail = New TextBox
               oSubmitterEmail.Width = 300
    
               'create validator
               Dim oSubmitterEmailRequired As New RequiredFieldValidator
               Dim oSubmitterEmailValid As New RegularExpressionValidator
    
               'add controls to the cells
               oSubmitterEmailLabelCell.Controls.Add(lblSubmitterEmail)
               oSubmitterEmailValueCell.Controls.Add(oSubmitterEmail)
               oSubmitterEmailValueCell.Controls.Add(oSubmitterEmailRequired)
               oSubmitterEmailValueCell.Controls.Add(oSubmitterEmailValid)
    
               'configure validator
               oSubmitterEmailRequired.ErrorMessage = " * required"
               oSubmitterEmail.ID = "oSubmitterEmail"
               oSubmitterEmailRequired.Display = ValidatorDisplay.Dynamic
               oSubmitterEmailRequired.ControlToValidate = oSubmitterEmail.ID
               oSubmitterEmailRequired.ValidationGroup = "EmailContactValidationGroup"
    
               'configure validator
               oSubmitterEmailValid.ErrorMessage = " * Not a valid email address"
               oSubmitterEmailValid.ControlToValidate = oSubmitterEmail.ID
               oSubmitterEmailValid.Display = ValidatorDisplay.Dynamic
               oSubmitterEmailValid.ValidationExpression = "\w+\w*\@\w+\w+\w*\.(com|edu|org|gov|net|corp)"
               oSubmitterEmailValid.ValidationGroup = "EmailContactValidationGroup"
    
    
    
    
               'create a row
               Dim oMessageRow As New TableRow
               oTable.Rows.Add(oMessageRow)
    
               'create the cells and add them to the row
               Dim oMessageLabelCell As New TableCell
               oMessageRow.Cells.Add(oMessageLabelCell)
               Dim oMessageValueCell As New TableCell
               oMessageRow.Cells.Add(oMessageValueCell)
    
               'create the field label control
               Dim lblMessage As New Label
               lblMessage.Text = "Message"
    
               'create the form field control
               oMessage = New TextBox
               oMessage.Width = 300
               oMessage.TextMode = TextBoxMode.MultiLine
               oMessage.Rows = 4
    
               'create validator
               Dim oMessageRequired As New RequiredFieldValidator
    
               'add controls to the cells
               oMessageLabelCell.Controls.Add(lblMessage)
               oMessageValueCell.Controls.Add(oMessage)
               oMessageValueCell.Controls.Add(oMessageRequired)
    
               'configure validator
               oMessageRequired.ErrorMessage = " * required"
               oMessage.ID = "oMessage"
               oMessageRequired.Display = ValidatorDisplay.Dynamic
               oMessageRequired.ControlToValidate = oMessage.ID
               oMessageRequired.ValidationGroup = "EmailContactValidationGroup"
    
    
    
    
               'set the text for the save button
               btnSave.Text = "Send"
               btnSave.Enabled = False
               btnSave.ValidationGroup = "EmailContactValidationGroup"
    
               'create the row for the save button
               Dim oRowButton As New TableRow
               oTable.Rows.Add(oRowButton)
    
               'create the cell for the save button
               Dim oCellButton As New TableCell
               oCellButton.ColumnSpan = 2
               oCellButton.HorizontalAlign = Web.UI.WebControls.HorizontalAlign.Right
               oRowButton.Cells.Add(oCellButton)
    
               'add save button to cell
               oCellButton.Controls.Add(btnSave)
    
    
    
               'create the row for the status message
               Dim oRowStatus As New TableRow
               oTable.Rows.Add(oRowStatus)
    
               'create the cell for the status message
               Dim oCellStatus As New TableCell
               oCellStatus.ColumnSpan = 2
               oCellStatus.HorizontalAlign = Web.UI.WebControls.HorizontalAlign.Center
               oRowStatus.Cells.Add(oCellStatus)
    
               'add status message to cell
               lblStatusMessage.ForeColor = Drawing.Color.Green
               oCellStatus.Controls.Add(lblStatusMessage)
    
    
    
               'add the table to the web part controls collection
               Controls.Add(oTable)
           Else
               'else display message telling user they must configure the SMTPMailHost property
               Dim lblConfigureMessage As New Label
               lblConfigureMessage.ForeColor = Drawing.Color.Red
               lblConfigureMessage.Text = "<BR><BR>" & "You must configure the SMTP Mail Host property. " & _
                                          "<BR><BR>" & "Please click Modify Shared Web Part -> Data -> SMTP Mail Host " & _
                                                       "and set it to a valid SMTP mail host."
               Controls.Add(lblConfigureMessage)
           End If
    
       Else
           'else display message telling user they must configure the EmailContactDestination property
           Dim lblConfigureMessage As New Label
           lblConfigureMessage.ForeColor = Drawing.Color.Red
           lblConfigureMessage.Text = "<BR><BR>" & "You must configure the Email Contact Destination property. " & _
                                      "<BR><BR>" & "Please click Modify Shared Web Part -> Data -> Email Contact Destination " & _
                                                   "and set it to a list based on the SentEmailsTemplate list template."
           Controls.Add(lblConfigureMessage)
       End If
    
    End Sub
    
    
    Protected Overrides Sub OnPreRender(ByVal e As EventArgs)
       EnsureChildControls()
    
       If Not (Me._provider Is Nothing) Then
           'assign contact values to local variables
           _contactName = _provider.ContactName.Trim()
           _jobTitle = _provider.JobTitle.Trim()
           _emailAddress = _provider.EmailAddress.Trim()
           _phone = _provider.Phone.Trim()
           _fax = _provider.Fax.Trim()
    
           'assign contact values to labels on form
           If _contactName <> "" Then
               lblContactNameValue.Text = _contactName
           End If
    
           If _jobTitle <> "" Then
               lblJobTitleValue.Text = _jobTitle
           End If
    
           If _emailAddress <> "" Then
               lblEmailAddressValue.Text = _emailAddress
           End If
    
           If _phone <> "" Then
               lblPhoneValue.Text = _phone
           End If
    
           If _fax <> "" Then
               lblFaxValue.Text = _fax
           End If
    
    
           'enable save button if there is a value passed in otherwise disable button
           If _contactName = "" Then
               btnSave.Enabled = False
    
               'clear form
               ClearForm()
           Else
               btnSave.Enabled = True
    
               'clear status message
               lblStatusMessage.Text = ""
           End If
    
       End If
    
    End Sub 'OnPreRender
    
    
    Sub SaveAndEmail() Handles btnSave.Click
       'save message to the specified list library
       SaveMessage()
    
    End Sub
    
    
    Private Sub SaveMessage()
       'PURPOSE: save values from form into list library ContactUs
    
       Try
           'get the site the web part is running on
           Dim oWeb As SPWeb
           oWeb = Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls.SPControl.GetContextWeb(Context)
    
           'get the list where we want to save the form values to
           Dim oList As SPList
           oList = oWeb.Lists(EmailContactDestination)
    
           'create a new list item
           Dim oNewItem As SPListItem
           oNewItem = oList.Items.Add()
    
           'populate the new list item with values from the form
           oNewItem.Item("Message Subject") = oMessageSubject.Text
           oNewItem.Item("Submitter Name") = oSubmitterName.Text
           oNewItem.Item("Submitter Email") = oSubmitterEmail.Text
           oNewItem.Item("Message") = oMessage.Text
           oNewItem.Item("Contact Email") = lblEmailAddressValue.Text
    
           'update the list with the new item
           oNewItem.Update()
    
           'email the message to the designated contact
           EmailMessage()
    
       Catch ex As Exception
           Dim lblErrorMessage As New Label
           lblErrorMessage.ForeColor = Drawing.Color.Red
           lblErrorMessage.Text = "Error: " & ex.Message & _
                     "<BR><BR>" & "Details: " & ex.ToString
           Controls.Add(lblErrorMessage)
    
       End Try
    
    End Sub
    
    
    Private Sub EmailMessage()
       'PURPOSE: email the contact that was selected
    
       Dim strFromName As String = oSubmitterName.Text
       Dim strFromEmail As String = oSubmitterEmail.Text
       Dim strSubject As String = oMessageSubject.Text
       Dim strMessage As String = oMessage.Text
       Dim strToName As String = lblContactNameValue.Text
       Dim strToEmail As String = lblEmailAddressValue.Text
    
       Try
           'build from email address and to email address
           Dim FromEmailAddress As New Net.Mail.MailAddress(strFromEmail, strFromName)
           Dim ToEmailAddress As New Net.Mail.MailAddress(strToEmail, strToName)
    
           'create email and assign its subject and body
           Dim MailMsg As New MailMessage(FromEmailAddress, ToEmailAddress)
           MailMsg.Subject = strSubject
           MailMsg.Body = strMessage
    
           'create smtp email object
           Dim smtpmail As New SmtpClient
    
           'set email's smtp server
           smtpmail.Host = SMTPMailHost
    
           'send email
           smtpmail.Send(MailMsg)
    
           'clear form
           ClearForm()
    
           'display success message
           lblStatusMessage.Text = "Message Sent Successfully!"
    
       Catch ex As Exception
           Dim lblErrorMessage As New Label
           lblErrorMessage.ForeColor = Drawing.Color.Red
           lblErrorMessage.Text = "Error: " & ex.Message & _
                     "<BR><BR>" & "Details: " & ex.ToString
           Controls.Add(lblErrorMessage)
    
       End Try
    End Sub
    
    
    Private Sub ClearForm()
       'PURPOSE: clear form of all values
    
       'clear selected contact person's info
       lblContactNameValue.Text = ""
       lblJobTitleValue.Text = ""
       lblEmailAddressValue.Text = ""
       lblPhoneValue.Text = ""
       lblFaxValue.Text = ""
    
       'clear form fields
       oMessageSubject.Text = ""
       oSubmitterName.Text = ""
       oSubmitterEmail.Text = ""
       oMessage.Text = ""
    
    End Sub
    
    
    Private Function EmailContactDestinationIsValid() As Boolean
       'PURPOSE: returns true if specified email list is valid for the web part
    
       Try
           'get the site the web part is running on
           Dim oWeb As SPWeb
           oWeb = Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls.SPControl.GetContextWeb(Context)
    
           'get the list specified by user in property, if list is not found in site, flow will hit Catch
           Dim oList As SPList
           oList = oWeb.Lists(EmailContactDestination)
    
    
           'check if fields exist in list
    
           Dim blnMessageSubjectFound As Boolean = False
           Dim blnSubmitterName As Boolean = False
           Dim blnSubmitterEmail As Boolean = False
           Dim blnMessage As Boolean = False
           Dim blnContactEmail As Boolean = False
    
           'loop through the fields in the list and check to see if all the required fields are in the list
           For Each oField As SPField In oList.Fields
               If Not oField.Hidden And Not oField.ReadOnlyField And oField.Type <> SPFieldType.Attachments Then
    
                   If oField.Title = "Message Subject" Then
                       blnMessageSubjectFound = True
                   End If
    
                   If oField.Title = "Submitter Name" Then
                       blnSubmitterName = True
                   End If
    
                   If oField.Title = "Submitter Email" Then
                       blnSubmitterEmail = True
                   End If
    
                   If oField.Title = "Message" Then
                       blnMessage = True
                   End If
    
                   If oField.Title = "Contact Email" Then
                       blnContactEmail = True
                   End If
    
               End If
           Next
    
           'if all fields were found, return true
           If blnMessageSubjectFound And blnSubmitterName And blnSubmitterEmail And blnMessage And blnContactEmail Then
               Return True
           Else
               Return False
           End If
    
       Catch ex As Exception
           Return False
    
       End Try
    
    End Function
    
    
    Private Function SMTPMailHostIsValid() As Boolean
       'PURPOSE: returns true if SMTP Mail Host is valid
    
       Try
           If SMTPMailHost <> "" Then
               Return True
           Else
               Return False
           End If
    
       Catch ex As Exception
           Return False
    
       End Try
    
    End Function
    

    
    

III. Finally, we deploy the web parts to the SharePoint site, add them to a page, configure them, connect them to each other, then test them!

1. in Visual Studio 2008, hit F5 (this should build and deploy the web parts to your site)
2. in your SharePoint site, select the page you want the web parts on, then click Site Actions -> Edit Page
3. click Add A Web Part
4. scroll down to the Miscellaneous section, select ContactList web part and EmailContact web part, then click Add
5. In the ContactList Web Part, click Edit -> Modify Shared Web Part -> Data, and in Contact List Data Source, type our custom contact list we created, Contact List and hit OK. You should see the people you entered into the list appear in the web part.
6. In the EmailContact Web Part, click Edit -> Modify Shared Web Part -> Data, and in Email Contact Destination, type our custom email list we created, Sent Emails and hit OK. Next, enter your SMTP Mail Host in the next textbox. If you don't have your server configured for this, just type anything as the validation function in the code just expects any value. If you put in something that isn't your host, the web part just won't be able to email. You can customize the validation code yourself to indicate what you expect the user to enter.
   
7. click the Email Contact web part and click edit -> Connections -> Get Contact Consumer From -> Contact List (you could also have set the connection up from the Contact List web part as well)
   
8. Click Exit Edit Mode
9. Test the connected web parts by clicking a person in the Contact List and watching them appear in the Email Contact web part! In the Email Contact web part, enter in values and hit Send. This will save the message in the Sent Emails list. If you set up the SMTP mail host properly and the selected person has a proper email address, then that person will also be emailed the message you entered.

So there you have it! Now, exactly what is happening? In the ContactList web part, we created properties that implemented the interface IContact. The ConnectionProvider function ProvideIContact is what returns the interface. Originally, all the properties are empty, so this function won't have any values. When a contact is clicked, the ContactSelected routine fires off and populates the properties, so now ProvideIContact can return something. Now, the EmailContact web part has a ConnectionConsumer routine GetIContact that gets the values from ProvideIContact. Essentially, when we created a connection between the two web parts on step 7 above, we created a bridge between them via ContactList's ProvideIContact and EmailContact's GetIContact. As a side note, there is an interface called IWebPartRow, and I believe there would be a way to use that instead of the individual properties I created in IContact, but I went with the properties in IContact because it seemed easier at the time. Well, I hope this worked well. If you followed along and it didn't work, let me know in case I forgot something. However, I am pretty sure this should work 100%!

Getting a web part's title and description (in .webpart) to update in the SharePoint site's Web Part Gallery

Here's one of those fun times with SharePoint, you know, where something simple doesn't work and you have to do backflips to get it to do what you want it to do. Now, to be fair, SharePoint has come a really long way, but there's still some quirky stuff we run into from time to time.

I developed a web part in Visual Studio 2008 and was getting ready to bundle it up for deployment using WSPBuilder. I then realized that I had not changed its default title and description. This information is set in the web part's .webpart file. In my case, its in AddContactFromAD.webpart. Upon deployment, you can see this information in the Web Part Gallery (Site Actions -> Site Settings -> Web Parts (under Galleries). If you click the Edit icon next to your web part, you see the Title and Description fields containing what was set in the .webpart file. When a user goes to add a web part to a page (Site Actions -> Edit Page -> click Add a Web Part), they see this title and description.

So I thought, no biggie, I'll just update the title and description in the .webpart file and redeploy and everything should be updated like usual, right? Wrong! I went back to the Web Part Gallery and the title and description hasn't changed a bit.

So an hour or two later, and after coming across another issue while trying to solve this issue, I finally came up with the solution.

1. In Visual Studio, make your .webpart file's title and description the way you want them
2. Delete the web part from the Web Part Gallery - a. Click Site Actions -> Site Settings -> Web Parts (may need to click "Go to top level site settings" for Web Parts to show up; b. Click the Edit icon of the web part; c. Click Delete Item
3. Deactivate the web part - a. In Site Actions -> Site Settings -> Site Collection Features; b. click Deactivate next to web part
4. In Central Administration -> Operations -> Solution Management, click web part's solution .wsp file, click Retract Solution and OK, and after its Status has changed to Not Deployed, click the .wsp file again and click Remove Solution
5. Close out of Visual Studio. This was the other issue I referred to above: at this point, if you attempt to deploy the web part without closing out Visual Studio and reloading it, you will get the error "The language-neutral solution package was not found"
6. After reloading Visual Studio, redeploy the web part!