Deploying WSS 3.0 Full Templates Part 4 Final

I now live happily ever after with 40 templates... Wait a minute... there is only 20 in the custom list... What happened?

Remembered I told you to leave out the *.wsp files, those are the missing templates. And if you had tried to included them, I do not know what effects there is, but it does not work either. So any guess?

YES, you have to install them like your core application templates. EACH and everyone of it.

Now, that can be a real pain, but here are the detail instructions :

1. stsadm –o addsolution –filename .wsp
2. stsadm –o deploysolution –name

Thats all. You do not need to copycontent etc for the Site Templates. Anyway, if you want here is a batch file to help you do it...

WSS3STInstall.bat

@echo off
stsadm –o addsolution –filename %1
stsadm -o deploysolution -name %1 -local -allowgacdeployment

Cool?

Deploying WSS 3.0 Full Templates Part 3

This is the final part, so lets avoid all the possible pitfall and get it right one time.

1. Extract all the *.stp into one directory. Do not mix the *.wsp files there.
2. Login to Sharepoint Administration.
3. Site Action->Site Settings->Galleries->Site Templates
4. Upload. Browse multiple files and select the directory in Step 1.
5. All uploaded and it should be working.

To access the template,

1. Login as Site admin if you have not done so.
2. Site Action->Site Settings->Site Administration->Sites and Workspace.
3. Create and you can use the new templates under custom in the Select a template.

YES! No hicups on this one.

Deploying WSS 3.0 Full Templates Part 2

Emm... I just relized I have added another option in the deploysolution part with a "-allowgacdeployment". This may be necessary for some installations.

Ok, back to my problem. I have Deployment Status : Error now in my solution if you check under Administration portal, Central Administration->Operations->Solution Management->Properties.

If I try to deploy again, I get the error :

"A deployment or rectraction is already under way for the solution "applicationtemplatecore.wsp", and only one deployment or retraction at a time is supported."

This is bad. We need to cancel the deployment. Trying retraction option will give the same error. The right thing to do is to canceldeployment. First make sure the Administrative service is running. See details in the previous post.

Then do this :
1. stsadm -o enumdeployments. You should see a id with some number.
2. stsadm -o canceldeployment -id
3. Run again Step 1 to see no more deployment. Then this is correct.

You should see succesful now. VERY IMPORTANT. There was a mistake in the previous post. One of the step was WRONG. You should deploy the application core again with :

stsadm -o deploysolution -name ApplicationtemplateCore.wsp -allowgacdeployment -local

Notice to use "-local" instead of "-immediate". Looks like the suggested parameter by Microsoft was the thing that got us into this trouble in the first place. And also before you run this, be very sure you have the Administrative Service running or else its back to square one again.

Only 1 last step remains to complete the core template :

stsadm -o copyappbincontent

Just to verify, you can run enumdeployment again.

Phew, thats only the first step to deploying the templates. We will move on to the site admin templates from here.

Deploying WSS 3.0 Full Templates

After the very long wait, the WSS 3.0 templates are finally ready. There are altogether 20 Site admin templates and 20 application templates. Grab them at :

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsserver/sharepoint/wssapps/templates/default.mspx

Now comes the exiciting part, the installation is totally screwed up. So far, I have not heard of anyone who got it right the very first time.

Lets see what the problem.

First thing you will need to install the core which run with a stsadm.exe. If you are not familiar with this, you probably will never find the file (thats where desktop search comes in). Anyway, its in "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\BIN" if that is your default.

So, cleverly, you either run with a reference like "c:stadm.exe blah blah..." or even trying to copy the *.wsp into the same directory with stsadm.exe. This is what you may see :

Command Line Error

Emm... Thats very informative. You can try and try all combinations of parameters thinking its wrong somehwere... Or just take a shortcut from me and do this :

1. Close your command prompt.
2. Go to My Computer->Property, Advance, Environment Variables.
3. Edit the Path variable to include the path of the stsadm.exe. It can be "....;"c:\....\bin"". Use the quote if necessary.
4. Open command prompt. Run "stsadm". It should run it. If not you done something wrong in step 3.
5. Now run the commands.

And automagically (Patent Pedning :P) it will work.

Now at least that will get you to add the solution. Next when you run the deploysolution, you will have an error will the parameters. For a standalone deployment, you will need to add "-immediately" behind the whole string.

It is quite likely you still have an error saying that you cannot deploy because administratative services is not running... Stuck again. Ok, this part is easy. Open command prompt and run "services.msc". Yes, its much faster to get to the services this way. Look for "Windows Sharepoint Services Administration". Run the service. If you repeat the step, you wil lsee that the deployment should be on its way and if complain you cannot run it again.

Well, I am kinda stucked again having Deployment Status : Error now... Let me take my lunch, rethink what went wrong and get back to this again.