Installation

The solution is deployed as a SharePoint Framework package (.sppkg) in the app catalog. The web part and the command bar commands are part of the same package.

Prerequisites

• SharePoint Online or SharePoint Server Subscription Edition (SPSE).
• An app catalog: the tenant app catalog (SharePoint Online) or the farm app catalog (SPSE).
• To upload: permissions on the app catalog (SharePoint administrator or owner of the app catalog site collection).
• No API permissions are required. The package does not request any API access, so nothing has to be approved in the SharePoint admin center. More details under Permissions & security.

The right package for each platform:

You can download the packages in the Download section.

Installation on SharePoint Online

1. Open the tenant app catalog and go to Apps for SharePoint.
2. Upload softforge-dynamicform-sponline.sppkg.
3. In the dialog, enable the option to make the app available to all sites («Make this solution available to all sites in the organization») and choose Deploy.

📷 Screenshot to follow: Tenant app catalog with the uploaded package and the deployment dialog (dynamicform/install-spo-app-katalog.png)

Afterwards the following are available:

• the web part «SoftForge Dynamisches Formular» in the web part gallery,
• the Dynamic Form commands in the command bar of custom lists (see Placement & command bar).

The package registers the commands itself for the list type «Custom list» (list template 100). On SharePoint Online no further steps are needed.

Not showing the commands on all lists

If the commands should not appear on all custom lists, you can deactivate the tenant-wide registration of the command set «SoftForge DynamicForm CommandSet» in the tenant app catalog (list «Tenant Wide Extensions»; the exact name depends on your SharePoint version and language). The web part is not affected.

Installation on SharePoint Server Subscription Edition

1. Open the farm app catalog and go to Apps for SharePoint.
2. Upload softforge-dynamicform-spse.sppkg and confirm Deploy.
3. Register the commands – once per site collection. SharePoint Server has no tenant-wide deployment. The command bar commands are therefore registered with a PowerShell script (see below).
4. If the web part does not appear in the web part gallery of a site, add the app to that site: Site contents → New → App, then choose the app «SoftForge - DynamicForm for SPSE». The exact menu path can differ depending on the SharePoint view.

Registering the commands with the script

PnP PowerShell for SharePoint Server is required. The script is run by an account with administrator rights on the site collection and signs in with the current Windows credentials:

.\Scripts\AddCommandSet.ps1 -SiteUrl https://intranet.example.ch/sites/projekte -Platform SPSE

The script creates a custom action «SoftForge DynamicForm CommandSet» at site collection level for the list type «Custom list». To remove the registration again:

.\Scripts\AddCommandSet.ps1 -SiteUrl https://intranet.example.ch/sites/projekte -Platform SPSE -Remove

Updates on SharePoint Server

Upload the new version over the existing file in the app catalog. SharePoint Server recognizes an update only by the version number of the package. Afterwards the action Update is available for the app in the Site contents. The registration of the commands remains in place and does not need to be repeated.

Verifying the installation

1. Open a custom list.
2. The command bar shows «Dynamisches Formular 'neu'» and – for users with the «Manage Web» permission – «Dynamisches Formular konfigurieren».
3. On a page in edit mode you find the web part «SoftForge Dynamisches Formular» via the + in the web part gallery.

📷 Screenshot to follow: Command bar of a custom list with the Dynamic Form commands (dynamicform/en/befehlsleiste-liste.png)

Next: Configuration.

Where the configuration is stored

Depending on how it is used, the configuration is stored in different places:

When a list configuration is saved for the first time, the solution creates the document library config if necessary and stores the configuration under:

<site>/config/softforge-dynamicform/form-<list ID>.txt

<list ID> is the GUID of the list. There is exactly one file per list. The file contains the configuration in JSON format.

• Read permissions: All users of the form need read permissions on the library config. By default it inherits the permissions of the site. If inheritance is broken, the form cannot be loaded for users without read access.
• Backup and transfer: The file can be downloaded, backed up and placed on another site like any document. When transferring it to another list, the file name must contain the ID of the target list.
• Shared library: The library config is also used by other SoftForge products (each with its own subfolder). Do not delete it.