#Patterns and Practices This is the Community Source Code location for the SharePoint and Office Patterns and Practices (PnP). We will be revising and enhancing the samples here and they should be considered just that, samples. We are working with the MSDN Content Publishing team to take the most impactful and useful samples that complete common customer scenarios and publishing them as "Solution Packs" of content as well as "Sample Packs" of sample code that has been reviewed by the Office 365 team and blessed as a recommended way to approach these scenarios.
This package is released by a group of volunteers who are committed to continue further expanding this sample package in the future. You are more than welcome to join the team on helping to provide samples which shows different patterns and practices towards app model development with SharePoint and Office client.
Currently this project is very focused on the SharePoint scenarios but we are keeping a keen eye towards including the all-up Office Developer story as we move forward. Your submissions on this area are more than welcome.
#FAQ
###I'm not familiar of the code, where can I get help or assistance? The Patterns and Practices Yammer Group is the place for discussing the Patterns and Practices code samples.
###I've used PnP for SharePoint 2007 and 2010 in the past, this looks slightly different. Why? SharePoint 2007 and 2010 Patterns and Practices releases were for server side SharePoint development and were created to provide reference patterns for that. With the app model, all the generic Patterns and Practices guidance apply, but field has been specifically struggling with the different models for using the app model approaches. With the Office 365 Developer PnP we wanted to concentrate first on showing patterns and practices for the app model in simplest possible way for helping not only experienced developers, rather the whole community on the different options.
This was also just the initial release and we are looking to expand the Office 365 Developer PnP guidance as fast as possible. If you are interested on helping to drive this package also towards the similar model as we did with the SharePoint 2007 and 2010 PnP guidance, you are more than welcome to join the project and help us with your contributions. Together we can ensure that the package provides meaningful content for getting started and for experienced developers who are moving towards Office 365 or app model approaches.
###I found bug from the package, how to proceed? Please file a GitHub issue. Don't be shy, sharing your findings is critical for the success of the Office 365 Developer PnP. We would welcome not just a bug submission but if you have a proposed workaround, please share that as well.
###How are the code submissions validated before they are merged to the master branch? There is a small group of Microsoft employees who will do the verification of each pull request. We try to work on these as fast as possible, but at the same time we want to ensure that code updates do not break the master branch. We are looking to expand this group of people also with external people based on their commitment and contributions towards the PnP project.
###I have suggestions or improvements to the provided package, how to proceed? We would be extremely pleased with any feedback and suggestions on the package. Most efficient approach is to use the pull requests in the GitHub, but you are also more than welcome to report suggestions in the Patterns and Practices Yammer Group, which others can then included to the project.
###Do you guys have a roadmap for any internal development stuff which is coming? Yes. We will include all internally planned guidance to be included in the PnP project as well. We are currently working with our Office 365 Dedicated customers on their transition towards the app model from the full trust code and all the guidance with samples will be included to the PnP project as well. We will start releasing roadmap for the future months in our wiki pages soon.
###Can I use this code and material within any project I'm involved? Feel free to utilize this anyway you want. You can use these in your demos, own projects, customer project or even write additional blog posts about them. We hope that our learning leads to more predictable and repeatable implementations.
###What is the reference of these examples in MSDN guidance? We try to keep the PnP project as agile as possible to minimize any delays on sharing examples. MSDN will be updated based what we also do in the Patterns & Practices project, but that takes always some additional time to ensure that samples follow up on the official publishing guidance. So, If you aren't afraid to tear apart code with minimal assistance, feel free to do so. If you prefer to wait until more complete guidance comes along to accompany it, by all means wait for the more formal guidance in the MSDN Solution Packs.
###What if I want to contact the Patterns and Practices team directly?
The Patterns and Practices Yammer Group is the place for discussing the Patterns and Practices code samples. Please note also that the Patterns and Practices initiative is a community program, so there's no support SLA for any of the examples. This is an effort by the community, for the community.
#MSDN references
Check also new SharePoint Online Solution Pack for branding and provisioning. This package contains also some examples, which originates from the Patterns and Practices reference implementations. Here's the direct links for the Solution Pack
You can find introduction to this SharePoint Online Solution Pack for branding and provisioning from following blog post - Introduction to SharePoint Online Solution Pack for branding and provisioning released.