Category / SharePoint 2007

by Simon Doy

>Command Prompt from Visual Studio


>I use the stsadm commands to add/deploy/upgrade/retract solutions. I got fed up with having to start a command prompt and then change directory to within the solution and then drill down to the project directory, where the wsp solution is found.

So instead (and I don’t know why I didn’t do this ages ago) I setup an External Tool within Visual Studio which will open up the command prompt within the currently selected project.
To do the same do the following:-
  • Open up Visual Studio
  • Click Tools->External Tools
  • Click Add
  • In the Title call it something like Command Prompt (Project)
  • Command: c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe
  • Initial Dir: $(ProjectDir)
  • Untick Close on Exit

If you wish to have the command prompt open within a different directory then put the path to that directory, there are all the variables which are available when using post build events such as SolutionDir.

To use select the project that you wish to open the command prompt in and then do Tools->Command Prompt (Project)

Enjoy!

by Simon Doy

>Been lazy and new project info.


>Well I have been a little lazy on the blogging front though this has been due to a number of reason including the following:-

  1. I have been lazy
  2. I got married
  3. I got a new job and have been busy doing SharePoint stuff with a new project, more to come soon (when I get some time and energy)
  4. .. thats enough excuses.

Anyway the recent project has been a risk management system at a well known bank, and its been an interesting and tough one. I have been the lead architect and we have designed a SharePoint front-end to a SQL backend db, using SharePoint to help with authentication, navigation and any of the core components that will help out.
The solution is also making heavy use of Reporting Services to provide report and also do some navigation to allow users to “drill-down” to find out whats going on with the business.

So far so good and the project which started off as being a month project, which was going to be impossible has not grown into a four month project. I will be shortly writing up our approach and hopefully someone on the web will find it interesting. Its defintately interesting and I think we are doing some cool SharePoint things… though I’ll let you be the judge of that!