Walkthrough: Creating a Site Column Project Item with a Project Template, Part 1

Article
04/28/2015

SharePoint projects are containers for one or more SharePoint project items. You can extend the SharePoint project system in Visual Studio by creating your own SharePoint project item types and then associating them with a project template. In this walkthrough, you will define a project item type for creating a site column, and then you will create a project template that can be used to create a new project that contains a site column project item.

This walkthrough demonstrates the following tasks:

Creating a Visual Studio extension that defines a new type of SharePoint project item for a site column. The project item type includes a simple custom property that appears in the Properties window.
Creating a Visual Studio project template for the project item.
Building a Visual Studio Extension (VSIX) package to deploy the project template and the extension assembly.
Debugging and testing the project item.

This is a stand-alone walkthrough. After you complete this walkthrough, you can enhance the project item by adding a wizard to the project template. For more information, see Walkthrough: Creating a Site Column Project Item with a Project Template, Part 2.

Note

You can download a sample that contains the completed projects, code, and other files for this walkthrough from the following location: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=191369.

Prerequisites

You need the following components on the development computer to complete this walkthrough:

Supported editions of Microsoft Windows, SharePoint and Visual Studio. For more information, see Requirements for Developing SharePoint Solutions.
The Visual Studio SDK. This walkthrough uses the VSIX Project template in the SDK to create a VSIX package to deploy the project item. For more information, see Extending the SharePoint Tools in Visual Studio.

Knowledge of the following concept is helpful, but not required, to complete the walkthrough:

Site columns in SharePoint. For more information, see Columns.
Project templates in Visual Studio. For more information, see Creating Templates for Projects and Items in Visual Studio.

Creating the Projects

To complete this walkthrough, you need to create three projects:

A VSIX project. This project creates the VSIX package to deploy the site column project item and the project template.
A project template project. This project creates a project template that can be used to create a new SharePoint project that contains the site column project item.
A class library project. This project that implements a Visual Studio extension that defines the behavior of the site column project item.

Start the walkthrough by creating the projects.

To create the VSIX project

Start Visual Studio.
On the menu bar, choose File, New, Project.
At the top of the New Project dialog box, make sure that .NET Framework 4.5 is chosen in the list of versions of the .NET Framework.
Expand the Visual Basic or Visual C# nodes, and then choose the Extensibility node.

Note

The Extensibility node is available only if you install the Visual Studio SDK. For more information, see the prerequisites section earlier in this topic.
In the list of project templates, choose VSIX Project.
In the Name box, enter SiteColumnProjectItem, and then choose the OK button.

Visual Studio adds the SiteColumnProjectItem project to Solution Explorer.

To create the project template project

In Solution Explorer, open the shortcut menu for the solution node, choose Add, and then choose New Project.

Note

In Visual Basic projects, the solution node appears in Solution Explorer only when the Always show solution check box is selected in the General, Projects and Solutions, Options Dialog Box.
At the top of the New Project dialog box, make sure that .NET Framework 4.5 is chosen in the list of versions of the .NET Framework.
Expand the Visual C# or Visual Basic node, and then choose the Extensibility node.
In the list of project templates, choose the C# Project Template or Visual Basic Project Template template.
In the Name box, enter SiteColumnProjectTemplate, and then choose the OK button.

Visual Studio adds the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project to the solution.
Delete the Class1 code file from the project.
If you created a Visual Basic project, also delete the following files from the project:
- MyApplication.Designer.vb
- MyApplication.myapp
- Resources.Designer.vb
- Resources.resx
- Settings.Designer.vb
- Settings.settings

To create the extension project

In Solution Explorer, open the shortcut menu for the solution node, choose Add, and then choose New Project.
At the top of the New Project dialog box, make sure that .NET Framework 4.5 is chosen in the list of versions of the .NET Framework.
Expand the Visual C# or Visual Basic nodes, choose the Windows node, and then choose the Class Library template.
In the Name box, enter ProjectItemTypeDefinition and then choose the OK button.

Visual Studio adds the ProjectItemTypeDefinition project to the solution and opens the default Class1 code file.
Delete the Class1 code file from the project.

Configuring the Extension Project

Add code files and assembly references to configure the extension project.

To configure the project

In the ProjectItemTypeDefinition project, add a code file that's named SiteColumnProjectItemTypeProvider.
On the menu bar, choose Project, Add Reference.
In the Reference Manager - ProjectItemTypeDefinition dialog box, expand the Assemblies node, choose the Framework node, and then select the System.ComponentModel.Composition check box.
Choose the Extensions node, select the check box next to the Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint assembly, and then choose the OK button.

Defining the New SharePoint Project Item Type

Create a class that implements the ISharePointProjectItemTypeProvider interface to define the behavior of the new project item type. Implement this interface whenever you want to define a new type of project item.

To define the new SharePoint project item type

In the SiteColumnProjectItemTypeProvider code file, replace the default code with the following code, and then save the file.

Imports System
Imports System.Diagnostics
Imports System.ComponentModel
Imports System.ComponentModel.Composition
Imports Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint

Namespace Contoso.SharePointProjectItems.SiteColumn

    ' Export attribute: Enables Visual Studio to discover and load this extension. 
    ' SharePointProjectItemType attribute: Specifies the ID for the new project item type. This string must match the value of the  
    '     Type attribute of the ProjectItem element in the .spdata file for the project item. 
    ' SiteColumnProjectItemTypeProvider class: Defines a new type of project item.
    <Export(GetType(ISharePointProjectItemTypeProvider))> _
    <SharePointProjectItemType("Contoso.SiteColumn")> _
    Partial Friend Class SiteColumnProjectItemTypeProvider
        Implements ISharePointProjectItemTypeProvider

        Private WithEvents projectItemTypeDefinition As ISharePointProjectItemTypeDefinition

        ' Configures the behavior of the project item type. 
        Private Sub InitializeType(ByVal projectItemTypeDefinition As ISharePointProjectItemTypeDefinition) _
            Implements ISharePointProjectItemTypeProvider.InitializeType

            projectItemTypeDefinition.SupportedDeploymentScopes = _
                SupportedDeploymentScopes.Site Or SupportedDeploymentScopes.Web
            projectItemTypeDefinition.SupportedTrustLevels = SupportedTrustLevels.All
            Me.projectItemTypeDefinition = projectItemTypeDefinition
        End Sub 

        ' Creates a custom property for this project item. 
        Private Sub ProjectItemPropertiesRequested(ByVal Sender As Object,
            ByVal e As SharePointProjectItemPropertiesRequestedEventArgs) _
            Handles projectItemTypeDefinition.ProjectItemPropertiesRequested

            Dim properties As SiteColumnProperties = Nothing 

            ' If the properties object already exists, get it from the project item's annotations. 
            If False = e.ProjectItem.Annotations.TryGetValue(properties) Then 
                ' Otherwise, create a new properties object and add it to the annotations.
                properties = New SiteColumnProperties(e.ProjectItem)
                e.ProjectItem.Annotations.Add(properties)
            End If
            e.PropertySources.Add(properties)
        End Sub 
    End Class 

    Friend Class SiteColumnProperties
        Private projectItem As ISharePointProjectItem
        Private Const TestPropertyId As String = "Contoso.SiteColumnProperty" 
        Private Const PropertyDefaultValue As String = "Default custom property value." 

        Friend Sub New(ByVal projectItem As ISharePointProjectItem)
            Me.projectItem = projectItem
        End Sub 

        'The property gets or sets a simple string value. 
        <DisplayName("Example Property")> _
        <DescriptionAttribute("This is an example property for site column project items.")> _
        <DefaultValue(PropertyDefaultValue)> _
        Public Property ExampleProperty As String 
            Get 
                Dim propertyValue As String = Nothing 

                ' Get the current property value if it already exists; otherwise, return a default value. 
                If False = projectItem.ExtensionData.TryGetValue(TestPropertyId, propertyValue) Then
                    propertyValue = PropertyDefaultValue
                End If 
                Return propertyValue
            End Get 
            Set(ByVal value As String)
                If value <> PropertyDefaultValue Then 
                    ' Store the property value in the ExtensionData property of the project item. 
                    ' Data in the ExtensionData property persists when the project is closed.
                    projectItem.ExtensionData(TestPropertyId) = value
                Else 
                    ' Do not save the default value.
                    projectItem.ExtensionData.Remove(TestPropertyId)
                End If 
            End Set 
        End Property 
    End Class 
End Namespace

using System;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.ComponentModel.Composition;
using Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint;

namespace Contoso.SharePointProjectItems.SiteColumn
{
    // Enables Visual Studio to discover and load this extension.
    [Export(typeof(ISharePointProjectItemTypeProvider))]

    // Specifies the ID for the new project item type. This string must match the value of the  
    // Type attribute of the ProjectItem element in the .spdata file for the project item.
    [SharePointProjectItemType("Contoso.SiteColumn")]

    // Defines a new type of project item. 
    internal class SiteColumnProjectItemTypeProvider : ISharePointProjectItemTypeProvider
    {
        // Implements IProjectItemTypeProvider.InitializeType. Configures the behavior of the project item type. 
        public void InitializeType(ISharePointProjectItemTypeDefinition projectItemTypeDefinition)
        {
            projectItemTypeDefinition.SupportedDeploymentScopes =
               SupportedDeploymentScopes.Site | SupportedDeploymentScopes.Web;
            projectItemTypeDefinition.SupportedTrustLevels = SupportedTrustLevels.All;

            // Handle event to create a custom property for this project item.
            projectItemTypeDefinition.ProjectItemPropertiesRequested +=
                projectItemTypeDefinition_ProjectItemPropertiesRequested;
        }

        // Creates a custom property for this project item. 
        void projectItemTypeDefinition_ProjectItemPropertiesRequested(object sender,
            SharePointProjectItemPropertiesRequestedEventArgs e)
        {
            SiteColumnProperties properties = null;

            // If the Properties object already exists, get it from the project item's annotations. 
            if (!e.ProjectItem.Annotations.TryGetValue(out properties))
            {
                // Otherwise, create a new Properties object and add it to the annotations.
                properties = new SiteColumnProperties(e.ProjectItem);
                e.ProjectItem.Annotations.Add(properties);
            }

            e.PropertySources.Add(properties);
        }
    }

    internal class SiteColumnProperties
    {
        // This class defines the property behavior. 
        private ISharePointProjectItem projectItem;
        private const string propertyId = "Contoso.SiteColumnProperty";
        private const string propertyDefaultValue = "Default custom property value.";

        internal SiteColumnProperties(ISharePointProjectItem projectItem)
        {
            this.projectItem = projectItem;
        }

        // The property gets or sets a simple string value. 
        [DisplayName("Example Property")]
        [DescriptionAttribute("This is an example property for site column project items.")]
        [DefaultValue(propertyDefaultValue)]
        public string ExampleProperty
        {
            get
            {
                string propertyValue;

                // Get the current property value if it already exists; otherwise, return a default value. 
                if (!projectItem.ExtensionData.TryGetValue(propertyId, out propertyValue))
                {
                    propertyValue = propertyDefaultValue;
                }
                return propertyValue;
            }
            set
            {
                if (value != propertyDefaultValue)
                {
                    // Store the property value in the ExtensionData property of the project item.  
                    // Data in the ExtensionData property persists when the project is closed.
                    projectItem.ExtensionData[propertyId] = value;
                }
                else
                {
                    // Do not save the default value.
                    projectItem.ExtensionData.Remove(propertyId);
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Creating a Visual Studio Project Template

By creating a project template, you enable other developers to create SharePoint projects that contain site column project items. A SharePoint project template includes files that are required for all projects in Visual Studio, such as .csproj or .vbproj and .vstemplate files, and files that are specific to SharePoint projects. For more information, see Creating Item Templates and Project Templates for SharePoint Project Items.

In this procedure, you create an empty SharePoint project to generate the files that are specific to SharePoint projects. You then add these files to the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project so that they're included in the template that's generated from this project. You also configure the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project file to specify where the project template appears in the New Project dialog box.

To create the files for the project template

Start a second instance of Visual Studio with administrative credentials.
Create a SharePoint 2010 project that's named BaseSharePointProject.

Important

In the SharePoint Customization Wizard, don't select the Deploy as a farm solution option button.
Add an Empty Element item to the project, and then name the item Field1.
Save the project, and then close the second instance of Visual Studio.
In the instance of Visual Studio that has the SiteColumnProjectItem solution open, in Solution Explorer, open the shortcut menu for the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project node, choose Add, and then choose Existing Item.
In the Add Existing Item dialog box, open the list of file extensions, and then choose All Files (*.*).
In the directory that contains the BaseSharePointProject project, select the key.snk file, and then choose the Add button.

Note

In this walkthrough, the project template that you create uses the same key.snk file to sign each project that's created by using the template. To learn how to expand this sample to create a different key.snk file for each project instance, see Walkthrough: Creating a Site Column Project Item with a Project Template, Part 2.
Repeat steps 5-8 to add the following files from the specified subfolders in the BaseSharePointProject directory:
- \Field1\Elements.xml
- \Field1\SharePointProjectItem.spdata
- \Features\Feature1\Feature1.feature
- \Features\Feature1\Feature1.Template.xml
- \Package\Package.package
- \Package\Package.Template.xml
Add these files directly to the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project; don't recreate the Field1, Features, or Package subfolders in the project. For more information about these files, see Creating Item Templates and Project Templates for SharePoint Project Items.

To configure how developers discover the project template in the New Project dialog box

In Solution Explorer, open the shortcut menu for the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project node, and then choose Unload Project. If you are prompted to save changes to any files, choose the Yes button.
Open the shortcut menu for the SiteColumnProjectTemplate node again, and then choose Edit SiteColumnProjectTemplate.csproj or Edit SiteColumnProjectTemplate.vbproj.

In the project file, locate the following VSTemplate element.

<VSTemplate Include="SiteColumnProjectTemplate.vstemplate">

Replace this element with the following XML.
```
<VSTemplate Include="SiteColumnProjectTemplate.vstemplate">
  <OutputSubPath>SharePoint\SharePoint14</OutputSubPath>
</VSTemplate>
```
The OutputSubPath element specifies additional folders in the path under which the project template is created when you build the project. The folders specified here ensure that the project template will be available only when customers open the New Project dialog box, expand the SharePoint node, and then choose the 2010 node.
Save and close the file.
In Solution Explorer, open the shortcut menu for the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project, and then choose Reload Project.

Editing the Project Template Files

In the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project, edit the following files to define the behavior of the project template:

AssemblyInfo.cs or AssemblyInfo.vb
Elements.xml
SharePointProjectItem.spdata
Feature1.feature
Package.package
SiteColumnProjectTemplate.vstemplate
ProjectTemplate.csproj or ProjectTemplate.vbproj

In the following procedures, you'll add replaceable parameters to some of these files. A replaceable parameter is a token that starts and ends with the dollar sign ($) character. When a user uses this project template to create a project, Visual Studio automatically replaces these parameters in the new project with specific values. For more information, see Replaceable Parameters.

To edit the AssemblyInfo.cs or AssemblyInfo.vb file

In the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project, open the AssemblyInfo.cs or AssemblyInfo.vb file, and then add the following statement to the top of it:
```
Imports System.Security
```
```
using System.Security;
```
When the Sandboxed Solution property of a SharePoint project is set to True, Visual Studio adds the AllowPartiallyTrustedCallersAttribute to the AssemblyInfo code file. However, the AssemblyInfo code file in the project template doesn't import the System.Security namespace by default. You must add this using or Imports statement to prevent compile errors.
Save and close the file.

To edit the Elements.xml file

In the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project, replace the contents of the Elements.xml file with the following XML.
```
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Elements xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">
  <Field ID="{$guid5$}" 
      Name="$safeprojectname$" 
      DisplayName="$projectname$" 
      Type="Text" 
      Group="Custom Columns">
  </Field>
</Elements>
```
The new XML adds a Field element that defines the name of the site column, its base type, and the group in which to list the site column in the gallery. For more information about the contents of this file, see Field Definition Schema.
Save and close the file.

To edit the SharePointProjectItem.spdata file

In the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project, replace the contents of the SharePointProjectItem.spdata file with the following XML.
```
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<ProjectItem Type="Contoso.SiteColumn" DefaultFile="Elements.xml" 
             xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/2010/SharePointTools/SharePointProjectItemModel">
  <Files>
    <ProjectItemFile Source="Elements.xml" Target="$safeprojectname$\" Type="ElementManifest" />
  </Files> 
</ProjectItem>
```
The new XML makes the following changes to the file:
- Changes the Type attribute of the ProjectItem element to the same string that's passed to the SharePointProjectItemTypeAttribute on the project item definition (the SiteColumnProjectItemTypeProvider class that you created earlier in this walkthrough).
- Removes the SupportedTrustLevels and SupportedDeploymentScopes attributes from the ProjectItem element. These attribute values are unnecessary because the trust levels and deployment scopes are specified in the SiteColumnProjectItemTypeProvider class in the ProjectItemTypeDefinition project.
For more information about the contents of .spdata files, see SharePoint Project Item Schema Reference.
Save and close the file.

To edit the Feature1.feature file

In the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project, replace the contents of the Feature1.feature file with the following XML.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<feature xmlns:dm0="https://schemas.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/2008/DslTools/Core" dslVersion="1.0.0.0" Id="$guid4$" featureId="$guid4$" 
         imageUrl="" solutionId="00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000" title="Site Column Feature1" version=""
         deploymentPath="$SharePoint.Project.FileNameWithoutExtension$_$SharePoint.Feature.FileNameWithoutExtension$"
         xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/2008/SharePointTools/FeatureModel">
  <projectItems>
    <projectItemReference itemId="$guid2$" />
  </projectItems>
</feature>

The new XML makes the following changes to the file:

Changes the values of the Id and featureId attributes of the feature element to $guid4$.
Changes the values of the itemId attribute of the projectItemReference element to $guid2$.

For more information about .feature files, see Creating Item Templates and Project Templates for SharePoint Project Items.

Save and close the file.

To edit the Package.package file

In the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project, replace the contents of the Package.package file with the following XML.
```
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<package xmlns:dm0="https://schemas.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/2008/DslTools/Core" dslVersion="1.0.0.0" 
         Id="$guid3$" solutionId="$guid3$" resetWebServer="false" name="$safeprojectname$" 
         xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/2008/SharePointTools/PackageModel">
  <features>
    <featureReference itemId="$guid4$" />
  </features>
</package>
```
The new XML makes the following changes to the file:
- Changes the values of the Id and solutionId attributes of the package element to $guid3$.
- Changes the values of the itemId attribute of the featureReference element to $guid4$.
For more information about .package files, see Creating Item Templates and Project Templates for SharePoint Project Items.
Save and close the file.

To edit the SiteColumnProjectTemplate.vstemplate file

In the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project, replace the contents of the SiteColumnProjectTemplate.vstemplate file with one of the following sections of XML.

If you're creating a Visual C# project template, use the following XML.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<VSTemplate Version="3.0.0" xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vstemplate/2005" Type="Project">
  <TemplateData>
    <Name>Site Column</Name>
    <Description>Creates a new site column in SharePoint</Description>
    <FrameworkVersion>3.5</FrameworkVersion>
    <ProjectType>CSharp</ProjectType>
    <CreateNewFolder>true</CreateNewFolder>
    <CreateInPlace>true</CreateInPlace>
    <ProvideDefaultName>true</ProvideDefaultName>
    <DefaultName>SiteColumn</DefaultName>
    <LocationField>Enabled</LocationField>
    <EnableLocationBrowseButton>true</EnableLocationBrowseButton>
    <PromptForSaveOnCreation>true</PromptForSaveOnCreation>
    <NumberOfParentCategoriesToRollUp>1</NumberOfParentCategoriesToRollUp>
    <Icon>SiteColumnProjectTemplate.ico</Icon>
    <SortOrder>1000</SortOrder>
  </TemplateData>
  <TemplateContent>
    <Project TargetFileName="SharePointProject1.csproj" File="ProjectTemplate.csproj" ReplaceParameters="true">
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs">AssemblyInfo.cs</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Features\Feature1\Feature1.feature">Feature1.feature</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Features\Feature1\Feature1.Template.xml">Feature1.template.xml</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Package\Package.package">Package.package</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Package\Package.Template.xml">Package.Template.xml</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Field1\SharePointProjectItem.spdata">SharePointProjectItem.spdata</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Field1\Elements.xml" OpenInEditor="true">Elements.xml</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="false" TargetFileName="key.snk">key.snk</ProjectItem>
    </Project>
  </TemplateContent>
</VSTemplate>

If you're creating a Visual Basic project template, use the following XML.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<VSTemplate Version="3.0.0" xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vstemplate/2005" Type="Project">
  <TemplateData>
    <Name>Site Column</Name>
    <Description>Creates a new site column in SharePoint</Description>
    <FrameworkVersion>3.5</FrameworkVersion>
    <ProjectType>VisualBasic</ProjectType>
    <CreateNewFolder>true</CreateNewFolder>
    <CreateInPlace>true</CreateInPlace>
    <ProvideDefaultName>true</ProvideDefaultName>
    <DefaultName>SiteColumn</DefaultName>
    <LocationField>Enabled</LocationField>
    <EnableLocationBrowseButton>true</EnableLocationBrowseButton>
    <PromptForSaveOnCreation>true</PromptForSaveOnCreation>
    <NumberOfParentCategoriesToRollUp>1</NumberOfParentCategoriesToRollUp>
    <Icon>SiteColumnProjectTemplate.ico</Icon>
    <SortOrder>1000</SortOrder>
  </TemplateData>
  <TemplateContent>
    <Project TargetFileName="SharePointProject1.vbproj" File="ProjectTemplate.vbproj" ReplaceParameters="true">
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="My Project\AssemblyInfo.vb">AssemblyInfo.vb</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Features\Feature1\Feature1.feature">Feature1.feature</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Features\Feature1\Feature1.Template.xml">Feature1.template.xml</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Package\Package.package">Package.package</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Package\Package.Template.xml">Package.Template.xml</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Field1\SharePointProjectItem.spdata">SharePointProjectItem.spdata</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="true" TargetFileName="Field1\Elements.xml" OpenInEditor="true">Elements.xml</ProjectItem>
      <ProjectItem ReplaceParameters="false" TargetFileName="key.snk">key.snk</ProjectItem>
    </Project>
  </TemplateContent>
</VSTemplate>

The new XML makes the following changes to the file:

Sets the Name element to the value Site Column. (This name appears in the New Project dialog box).
Adds ProjectItem elements for each filethat's included in each project instance.
Uses the namespace “https://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/vstemplate/2005”. Other project files in this solution use the “https://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003” namespace. Therefore, XML schema warning messages will be generated, but you can disregard them in this walkthrough.

For more information about the contents of .vstemplate files, see Visual Studio Template Schema Reference.

Save and close the file.

To edit the ProjectTemplate.csproj or ProjectTemplate.vbproj file

In the SiteColumnProjectTemplate project, replace the contents of the ProjectTemplate.csproj file or ProjectTemplate.vbproj file with one of the following sections of XML.

If you're creating a Visual C# project template, use the following XML.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
    <Platform Condition=" '$(Platform)' == '' ">AnyCPU</Platform>
    <SchemaVersion>2.0</SchemaVersion>
    <ProjectGuid>{$guid1$}</ProjectGuid>
    <OutputType>Library</OutputType>
    <AppDesignerFolder>Properties</AppDesignerFolder>
    <RootNamespace>$safeprojectname$</RootNamespace>
    <AssemblyName>$safeprojectname$</AssemblyName>
    <TargetFrameworkVersion>v3.5</TargetFrameworkVersion>
    <FileAlignment>512</FileAlignment>
    <ProjectTypeGuids>{BB1F664B-9266-4fd6-B973-E1E44974B511};{14822709-B5A1-4724-98CA-57A101D1B079};{FAE04EC0-301F-11D3-BF4B-00C04F79EFBC}</ProjectTypeGuids>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU' ">
    <DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
    <DebugType>full</DebugType>
    <Optimize>false</Optimize>
    <OutputPath>bin\Debug\</OutputPath>
    <DefineConstants>DEBUG;TRACE</DefineConstants>
    <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
    <WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
    <UseVSHostingProcess>false</UseVSHostingProcess>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU' ">
    <DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
    <Optimize>true</Optimize>
    <OutputPath>bin\Release\</OutputPath>
    <DefineConstants>TRACE</DefineConstants>
    <ErrorReport>prompt</ErrorReport>
    <WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup>
    <SignAssembly>true</SignAssembly>
    <AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile>key.snk</AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Reference Include="System" />
    <Reference Include="System.Core" />
    <Reference Include="System.Data" />
    <Reference Include="System.Data.DataSetExtensions" />
    <Reference Include="System.Web" />
    <Reference Include="System.Xml" />
    <Reference Include="System.Xml.Linq" />
    <Reference Include="Microsoft.SharePoint" />
    <Reference Include="Microsoft.SharePoint.Security" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Compile Include="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <None Include="Field1\SharePointProjectItem.spdata">
      <SharePointProjectItemId>{$guid2$}</SharePointProjectItemId>
    </None>
    <None Include="Field1\Elements.xml" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <None Include="key.snk" />
    <None Include="Package\Package.package">
      <PackageId>{$guid3$}</PackageId>
    </None>
    <None Include="Package\Package.Template.xml">
      <DependentUpon>Package.package</DependentUpon>
    </None>
    <None Include="Features\Feature1\Feature1.feature">
      <FeatureId>{$guid4$}</FeatureId>
    </None>
    <None Include="Features\Feature1\Feature1.Template.xml">
      <DependentUpon>Feature1.feature</DependentUpon>
    </None>
  </ItemGroup>
  <Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.CSharp.targets" />
  <Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v10.0\SharePointTools\Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.targets" />
</Project>

If you're creating a Visual Basic project template, use the following XML.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<Project ToolsVersion="4.0" DefaultTargets="Build" xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">
  <PropertyGroup>
    <Configuration Condition=" '$(Configuration)' == '' ">Debug</Configuration>
    <Platform Condition=" '$(Platform)' == '' ">AnyCPU</Platform>
    <ProductVersion>
    </ProductVersion>
    <SchemaVersion>
    </SchemaVersion>
    <ProjectGuid>{$guid1$}</ProjectGuid>
    <OutputType>Library</OutputType>
    <RootNamespace>$safeprojectname$</RootNamespace>
    <AssemblyName>$safeprojectname$</AssemblyName>
    <TargetFrameworkVersion>v3.5</TargetFrameworkVersion>
    <FileAlignment>512</FileAlignment>
    <ProjectTypeGuids>{BB1F664B-9266-4fd6-B973-E1E44974B511};{D59BE175-2ED0-4C54-BE3D-CDAA9F3214C8};{F184B08F-C81C-45F6-A57F-5ABD9991F28F}</ProjectTypeGuids>
    <OptionExplicit>On</OptionExplicit>
    <OptionCompare>Binary</OptionCompare>
    <OptionStrict>Off</OptionStrict>
    <OptionInfer>On</OptionInfer>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Debug|AnyCPU' ">
    <DebugSymbols>true</DebugSymbols>
    <DebugType>full</DebugType>
    <DefineDebug>true</DefineDebug>
    <DefineTrace>true</DefineTrace>
    <OutputPath>bin\Debug\</OutputPath>
    <WarningLevel>4</WarningLevel>
    <UseVSHostingProcess>false</UseVSHostingProcess>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup Condition=" '$(Configuration)|$(Platform)' == 'Release|AnyCPU' ">
    <DebugType>pdbonly</DebugType>
    <DefineDebug>false</DefineDebug>
    <DefineTrace>true</DefineTrace>
    <Optimize>true</Optimize>
    <OutputPath>bin\Release\</OutputPath>
    <UseVSHostingProcess>false</UseVSHostingProcess>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <PropertyGroup>
    <SignAssembly>true</SignAssembly>
    <AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile>key.snk</AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile>
  </PropertyGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Reference Include="System" />
    <Reference Include="System.Core" />
    <Reference Include="System.Data" />
    <Reference Include="System.Data.DataSetExtensions" />
    <Reference Include="System.Xml" />
    <Reference Include="System.Xml.Linq" />
    <Reference Include="Microsoft.SharePoint" />
    <Reference Include="Microsoft.SharePoint.Security" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Import Include="Microsoft.VisualBasic" />
    <Import Include="System" />
    <Import Include="System.Collections" />
    <Import Include="System.Collections.Generic" />
    <Import Include="System.Data" />
    <Import Include="System.Diagnostics" />
    <Import Include="System.Linq" />
    <Import Include="System.Xml.Linq" />
    <Import Include="Microsoft.SharePoint" />
    <Import Include="Microsoft.SharePoint.Security" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <Compile Include="My Project\AssemblyInfo.vb" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <AppDesigner Include="My Project\" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <None Include="Features\Feature1\Feature1.feature">
      <FeatureId>{$guid4$}</FeatureId>
    </None>
    <None Include="Field1\SharePointProjectItem.spdata">
      <SharePointProjectItemId>{$guid2$}</SharePointProjectItemId>
    </None>
    <None Include="key.snk" />
    <None Include="Package\Package.package">
      <PackageId>{$guid3$}</PackageId>
    </None>
    <None Include="Package\Package.Template.xml">
      <DependentUpon>Package.package</DependentUpon>
    </None>
  </ItemGroup>
  <ItemGroup>
    <None Include="Features\Feature1\Feature1.Template.xml">
      <DependentUpon>Feature1.feature</DependentUpon>
    </None>
    <None Include="Field1\Elements.xml" />
  </ItemGroup>
  <Import Project="$(MSBuildToolsPath)\Microsoft.VisualBasic.targets" />
  <Import Project="$(MSBuildExtensionsPath32)\Microsoft\VisualStudio\v10.0\SharePointTools\Microsoft.VisualStudio.SharePoint.targets" />
</Project>

The new XML makes the following changes to the file:

Uses the TargetFrameworkVersion element to specify the .NET Framework 3.5, not 4.5.
Adds SignAssembly and AssemblyOriginatorKeyFile elements to sign the project output.
Adds Reference elements for assembly references that SharePoint projects use.
Adds elements for each default file in the project, such as Elements.xml and SharePointProjectItem.spdata.

Save and close the file.

Creating a VSIX Package to Deploy the Project Template

To deploy the extension, use the VSIX project in the SiteColumnProjectItem solution to create a VSIX package. First, configure the VSIX package by modifying the source.extension.vsixmanifest file that is included in the VSIX project. Then, create the VSIX package by building the solution.

To configure and create the VSIX package

In Solution Explorer, in the SiteColumnProjectItem project, open the source.extension.vsixmanifest file in the manifest editor.

The source.extension.vsixmanifest file is the basis for the extension.vsixmanifest file that all VSIX packages require. For more information about this file, see VSX Schema for Extensions.
In the Product Name box, enter Site Column.
In the Author box, enter Contoso.
In the Description box, enter A SharePoint project for creating site columns.
Choose the Assets tab, and then choose the New button.

The Add New Asset dialog box opens.
In the Type list, choose Microsoft.VisualStudio.ProjectTemplate.

Note

This value corresponds to the ProjectTemplate element in the extension.vsixmanifest file. This element identifies the subfolder in the VSIX package that contains the project template. For more information, see ProjectTemplate Element (VSX Schema).
In the Source list, choose A project in current solution.
In the Project list, and choose SiteColumnProjectTemplate, and then choose the OK button.
Choose the New button again.

The Add New Asset dialog box opens.
In the Type list, choose Microsoft.VisualStudio.MefComponent.

Note

This value corresponds to the MefComponent element in the extension.vsixmanifest file. This element specifies the name of an extension assembly in the VSIX package. For more information, see MEFComponent Element.
In the Source list, choose A project in current solution.
In the Project list, choose ProjectItemTypeDefinition, and then choose the OK button.
On the menu bar, choose Build, Build Solution, and then make sure that the project compiles without errors.

Testing the Project Template

You are now ready to test the project template. First, start debugging the SiteColumnProjectItem solution in the experimental instance of Visual Studio. Then, test the Site Column project in the experimental instance of Visual Studio. Finally, build and run the SharePoint project to verify that the site column works as expected.

To start debugging the solution

Restart Visual Studio with administrative credentials, and then open the SiteColumnProjectItem solution.
In the SiteColumnProjectItemTypeProvider code file, add a breakpoint to the first line of code in the InitializeType method, and then choose the F5 key to start debugging.

Visual Studio installs the extension to %UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\10.0Exp\Extensions\Contoso\Site Column\1.0 and starts an experimental instance of Visual Studio. You will test the project item in this instance of Visual Studio.

To test the project in Visual Studio

In the experimental instance of Visual Studio, on the menu bar, choose File, New, Project.
Expand the Visual C# or Visual Basic node (depending on the language that your project template supports), expand the SharePoint node, and then choose the 2010 node.
In the list of project templates, choose the Site Column template.
In the Name box, enter SiteColumnTest and then choose the OK button.

In Solution Explorer, a new project appears with a project item that's named Field1.
Verify that the code in the other instance of Visual Studio stops on the breakpoint that you set earlier in the InitializeType method, and then choose the F5 key to continue to debug the project.
In Solution Explorer, choose the Field1 node, and then choose the F4 key.

The Properties window opens.
In the properties list, verify that the property Example Property appears.

To test the site column in SharePoint

In Solution Explorer, choose the SiteColumnTest node.
In the Properties window, in the text box that's next to the Site URL property, enter https://localhost.

This step specifies the local SharePoint site on the development computer that you want to use for debugging.

Note

The Site URL property is empty by default because the Site Column project template doesn't provide a wizard for collecting this value when the project is created. To learn how to add a wizard that asks the developer for this value and then configures this property in the new project, see Walkthrough: Creating a Site Column Project Item with a Project Template, Part 2.
Choose the F5 key.

The site column is packaged and deployed to the SharePoint site that's specified in the Site URL property of the project. The web browser opens to the default page of this site.

Note

If the Script Debugging Disabled dialog box appears, choose the Yes button to continue to debug the project.
On the Site Actions menu, choose Site Settings.
On the Site Settings page, under the Galleries list, choose the Site columns link.
In the list of site columns, verify that a Custom Columns group contains a column that's named SiteColumnTest.
Close the web browser.

Cleaning up the Development Computer

After you finish testing the project, remove the project template from the experimental instance of Visual Studio.

To clean up the development computer

In the experimental instance of Visual Studio, on the menu bar, choose Tools, Extensions and Updates.

The Extensions and Updates dialog box opens.
In the list of extensions, choose the Site Column extension, and then choose the Uninstall button.
In the dialog box that appears, choose the Yes button to confirm that you want to uninstall the extension.
Choose the Close button to complete the uninstallation.
Close both instances of Visual Studio (the experimental instance and the instance of Visual Studio in which the SiteColumnProjectItem solution is open).

Next Steps

After you complete this walkthrough, you can add a wizard to the project template. When a user creates a Site Column project, the wizard asks the user for the site URL to use for debugging and whether the new solution is sandboxed, and the wizard configures the new project with this information. The wizard also collects information about the column (such as the base type and the group in which to list the column in the site column gallery) and adds this information to the Elements.xml file in the new project. For more information, see Walkthrough: Creating a Site Column Project Item with a Project Template, Part 2.

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Walkthrough: Creating a Site Column Project Item with a Project Template, Part 1

Prerequisites

Creating the Projects

To create the VSIX project

To create the project template project

To create the extension project

Configuring the Extension Project

To configure the project

Defining the New SharePoint Project Item Type

To define the new SharePoint project item type

Creating a Visual Studio Project Template

To create the files for the project template

To configure how developers discover the project template in the New Project dialog box

Editing the Project Template Files

To edit the AssemblyInfo.cs or AssemblyInfo.vb file

To edit the Elements.xml file

To edit the SharePointProjectItem.spdata file

To edit the Feature1.feature file

To edit the Package.package file

To edit the SiteColumnProjectTemplate.vstemplate file

To edit the ProjectTemplate.csproj or ProjectTemplate.vbproj file

Creating a VSIX Package to Deploy the Project Template

To configure and create the VSIX package

Testing the Project Template

To start debugging the solution

To test the project in Visual Studio

To test the site column in SharePoint

Cleaning up the Development Computer

To clean up the development computer

Next Steps

See Also

Tasks

Concepts

Additional resources