Feature Stapling For Customizing Out-Of-The-Box Site Definitions In Sharepoint

Customizing SharePoint Site Definitions

SharePoint provides various out-of-the-box site definitions such as Team Site, Communication Site, and Hub Site to quickly provision sites for different purposes. However, business requirements often demand customizations and enhancements to these site definitions to tailor them more closely to an organization’s needs.

Feature stapling provides a method for customizing and extending out-of-the-box SharePoint site definitions by automatically activating or deactivating features when a site is created from that definition. This allows additional custom features to be consistently provisioned on sites without directly modifying the underlying site definition.

What is Feature Stapling?

Feature stapling refers to the process of associating or “stapling” custom SharePoint features to an out-of-the-box site definition. When a new site is created from that customized site definition, the stapled features are automatically activated on the site in addition to the standard features.

Definition and Purpose of Feature Stapling

SharePoint features are reusable units of functionality that can be activated to customize sites, site collections, or farms. By bundling one or more custom features into a feature stapler solution and attaching them to a site definition, the stapled features are automatically activated on each site created from that definition.

This enables rapid provisioning of sites with custom functionality tailored to business needs without directly editing or replacing the out-of-the-box site definitions. Feature stapling is a SharePoint best practice for customizing site definitions while maintaining upgradeability and patchability.

How it Enables Customization of Out-of-the-Box Site Definitions

When a new site is created from a stapled site definition, the SharePoint framework detects the association and activates all features in the stapler package in addition to the standard site definition features. This automatically customizes and enhances the new site’s capabilities at the time of creation.

Since feature staplers are created as separable SharePoint solutions, they can be selectively added or removed from site definitions without impacting the base functionality. This modular approach provides flexibility to customize sites for specific audiences or use cases.

Setting Up Feature Stapling

Leveraging feature stapling to customize SharePoint site definitions involves creating feature stapler solutions, defining activation rules, and associating the stapler features with the target site definitions.

Prerequisites for Feature Stapling Setup

The following prerequisites must be met before defining and configuring feature staplers:

• SharePoint 2013 or later environment for feature stapling support
• Site collection administrator or farm administrator permissions
• Visual Studio for developing feature stapler solutions
• Target site definition identified for customization
• Custom feature definitions to be stapled

Steps for Creating a Feature Stapler Solution

A feature stapler solution is developed in Visual Studio with the following components:

1. Feature stapling activation feature – Defines stapling rules
2. Custom feature definitions to be activated on sites
3. Module for associating stapler with site definition
4. Packaging and deployment of stapler solution

Example Code for Defining a Feature Stapler Feature

“`xml

“`

This code snippet shows the key elements for defining a feature stapler feature with the activation rules to associate it with a target site definition.

Using Feature Staplers

After developing and deploying a feature stapler solution, additional steps are required to leverage it for customizing site definitions.

Activating Feature Stapling on Site Creation

The feature stapler will automatically provision the custom features on sites created from the target definition. Administrators can also run the following PowerShell to explicitly enable stapling:

“`PowerShell
Enable-SPFeature -Identity “FEATURE_STAPLER_ID” -URL “SITE_DEFINITION_URL”
“`

Verifying Stapled Feature Activation

SharePoint admins can validate that stapled features are activated on new sites by checking the site collection features or viewing application logs for provisioning details.

Considerations When Using Feature Staplers

When leveraging feature stapling, administrators should consider:

• Testing feature upgrades and additions
• Impacts of organization-wide defaults
• Change management for modifications

Feature Stapling Best Practices

Following SharePoint development best practices ensures reliable feature stapler solutions:

Performance Optimizations

Minimize stapled feature scope and resource usage to reduce site provisioning times. Load test on representative site definition galleries.

Handling Upgrade Scenarios

Use backward compatible customizations and plan stapler upgrade processes to maintain site integrity during SharePoint patches.

Testing and Validation Tips

Fully test feature behavior across expected site customization levels. Check site upgrades, restores, metadata, and security inheritance issues.

Example Feature Staplings

Typical customizations leveraging feature stapling include:

Custom List Definitions

Add stapled lists for tracking project tasks, contacts, or documents needed for team sites.

Custom Site Theming

Provision corporate branding, style sheets, and text across newly created sites for UI consistency.

Advanced Customizations with CSOM

Use the Client-Side Object Model (CSOM) to develop custom Web Parts, application pages, or workflows to enhance sites.