Developing with the SharePoint Framework

Part 1 - SharePoint Framework?

What is SharePoint Framework

During this introduction we will talk about the development options we have in SharePoint. We will take a look at the toolchain of SharePoint Framework and how it fits into the SharePoint development story.

• SharePoint Framework overview
• SharePoint Framework tools

Preparing your machine for the SharePoint Framework

In this module we will talk about the SharePoint Framework development process and how each of the tools fits into that process.

• Visual Studio Code
• Yeoman - project scaffolding
• Node.js/NPM - local hosting and module management
• Webpack - packaging
• Gulp - build configuration and automation

Part 2 - Client side development

JavaScript Language and the ECMAScript standard

Client-side code is written in JavaScript. JavaScript is great and frustrating at the same time! This module will teach you the basics and make you understand the ECMAScript standard.

• Overview of the JavaScript language
• Why use JavaScript as a SharePoint developer?
• The ECMAScript standard
• Variables, Objects, Arrays and Functions
• Advanced Patterns in JavaScript

Strongly typed JavaScript with TypeScript

Typescript will solve many of the problems discussed in the previous chapter. TypeScript adds type annotations and code compilation to your development process so that you write better code. TypeScript is used by default in all SPFx generated projects. In this module, we will talk about the TypeScript language and how it can help you in building your enterprise scale applications.

• Overview of the TypeScript language
• Why use TypeScript as a SharePoint developer?
• Showing the TypeScript toolchain and configuration
• Variables, Objects, Interfaces, Classes and more
• Programs and Modules
• Internal and external Modules

Part 3 - Developing Client-Side Web Parts

Building Client-Side Web Parts

The SharePoint Framework allows us to build modern client-side web parts. We will use the Yeoman generator to create a web part project. During this module, we will explore the project structure and make some basic changes to our first web part.

• Client-side web parts fundamentals
• Web Part Project Structure
• Changing the web part property pane
• Loading external frameworks

Loading SharePoint and Office 365 data in client web parts

When loading data from client-side code, we use REST. SharePoint has REST services, but there is also the Microsoft Graph API we can use it to retrieve data from our Office 365 tenant services. This module will teach you how to use the Framework HTTP clients to consume these services.

• Working with OData Services
• Discovering the SharePoint REST endpoints
• Microsoft Graph API
• Handling cross domain issues with CORS

Extending your Client-Side web part projects

It is possible to add multiple web parts to your projects. We can deploy SharePoint assets through our solution! Also we could share data between these web parts and not write the same code twice.

• Adding Multiple web parts to your project
• Deploying SharePoint assets - lists, fields, content types
• Share reusable code with multiple web parts / projects

Part 4 - Working with JavaScript frameworks

Using and building React components for the SharePoint Framework

During this module we will cover the basics of React and how its component system works. We will load components into our SharePoint Framework client-side web parts.

• What is React?
• Writing JSX
• Building a SharePoint user interface using React
• Create and use your own React components
• Using the existing React components

Brand your client web parts with SASS and Office-UI-Fabric

In this module you will learn how to make your SharePoint Framework projects look good. We will talk about SASS, which is a CSS pre-compiler. Also, you will learn about Office UI Fabric and how to use so that your application gets a matching look like Office 365.

• SASS, the dynamic stylesheet language
• SASS Variables, Mixins, Nesting, functions, ...
• SASS Preprocessing
• Office UI Fabric Components

Loading other frameworks

You will learn how to integrate other packages into your SharePoint framework project, but also what the impact is on your JavaScript code bundles. We will see how you can efficiently reference external frameworks.

• Loading jQuery and plugins
• Using Angular and Angular Elements
• Bundling and Externals

Part 5 - Extensions

SharePoint Framework Extensions

One of the things that were introduced recently is SharePoint Framework Extensions. This allows developers to extend the SharePoint Online modern user experience. For example, you can customize some areas of the SharePoint UI, change field rendering, show notifications, ... In this module, you get an overview of the possibilities and how you can use it in your projects.

• Overview of the extensions
• Changing the UI with ApplicationCustomizers
• Changing the field rendering with FieldCustomizers
• Adding new actions to lists via CommandSets

Part 6 - Testing and Deployment

SharePoint Framework Testing

In this chapter, we will take a look at some of the debugging and testing options we have available for SharePoint Framework.

• SharePoint Workbench overview
• Debugging your code with Visual Studio Code
• Creating tests for your client web part using Enzyme, Sinon, Chai, ...

Deployment

The final step of each succesful project is the deployment process. In this module you learn how to deploy your SharePoint Framework projects and load your client-side web parts and extensions on SharePoint.

• Debug and Release builds
• Deploying SharePoint Assets
• Packaging your web part
• Tenant-wide deployments
• Extending the build process with custom gulp tasks to automate your processes
• Extend the webpack configuration