How to provision Branding files using SharePoint Hosted App in SharePoint Online/Office 365?

Question

I am looking for SharePoint Hosted App Solution which will provision Branding files (JS/CSS/Images) into SharePoint Online/Office 365 environment.

I got a very good article to achive this and tried to implement the same as shown in below link: http://www.sharepointnutsandbolts.com/2013/05/sp2013-host-web-apps-provisioning-files.html

This solution is not working for me and while execution of app, I am getting below error: Failed to provision file into host web. Error: Unexpected response data from server. Here is the code which is giving me error:

// utility method for uploading files to host web..
uploadFileToHostWebViaCSOM = function (serverRelativeUrl, filename, contents) {
    var createInfo = new SP.FileCreationInformation();
    createInfo.set_content(new SP.Base64EncodedByteArray());
    for (var i = 0; i < contents.length; i++) {

        createInfo.get_content().append(contents.charCodeAt(i));
    }
    createInfo.set_overwrite(true);
    createInfo.set_url(filename);
    var files = hostWebContext.get_web().getFolderByServerRelativeUrl(serverRelativeUrl).get_files();
    hostWebContext.load(files);
    files.add(createInfo);

    hostWebContext.executeQueryAsync(onProvisionFileSuccess, onProvisionFileFail);
}

Please suggest me, what can be the issue in this code? Or else suggest me another way/reference in which I can Create a SharePoint-Hosted App to provision Branding Files.

Thanks in Advance!

Is there some more info like an inner exception that providers more details about what actual money unexpected response is? — Ola Ekdahl
@Ola : I tried to get stack trace but it's giving me null value. I am getting the same message only, using args.get_message(). Rest of the parameters are null excepting get_message(), args.get_errorTraceCorrelationId() — Hemant Kabra

Isaac E. Krauss Isaac E. Krauss · Accepted Answer · 2016-03-31T17:12:34

I would use a different method to access host web context as follows:

//first get app context, you will need it.
var currentcontext = new SP.ClientContext.get_current();
//then get host web context
var hostUrl = decodeURIComponent(getQueryStringParameter("SPHostUrl"));
var hostcontext = new SP.AppContextSite(currentcontext, hostUrl);

function getQueryStringParameter(param) {
    var params = document.URL.split("?")[1].split("&");
    var strParams = "";
    for (var i = 0; i < params.length; i = i + 1) {
        var singleParam = params[i].split("=");
        if (singleParam[0] == param) {
            return singleParam[1];
        }
    }
}

Here are some references:

https://sharepoint.stackexchange.com/questions/122083/sharepoint-2013-app-create-list-in-host-web

https://blog.appliedis.com/2012/12/19/sharepoint-2013-apps-accessing-data-in-the-host-web-in-a-sharepoint-hosted-app/

http://www.mavention.com/blog/sharePoint-app-reading-data-from-host-web

http://www.sharepointnadeem.com/2013/12/sharepoint-2013-apps-access-data-in.html

Additionally, here is an example of how to deploy a master page, however as you might notice during your testing the method used to get host web context is not working as displayed in the video and you should use the one I described before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtQKjsjs55I

Finally, here is a an example of how to deploy branding files through a Console Application using CSOM, if you are smart enough you will be able to convert this into JSOM.

https://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/Office-365-Dev/Applying-Branding-to-SharePoint-Sites-with-an-App-for-SharePoint-Office-365-Developer-Patterns-and-P

How to provision Branding files using SharePoint Hosted App in SharePoint Online/Office 365?

1 Answers