Customizing SharePoint is far from simple. There are many processes that need to be put in place from the beginning of your customization project to signing off on a job well done. If you cut corners, then the original plan to have an optimized platform for your organization’s needs is completely undermined.
One poorly customized solution can compromise the security of your organization’s data. So, it’s essential to have a robust and unique governance plan and risk prevention approach in place that complements the way your organization customizes SharePoint.
SPCAF helps provide that level of Governance by automatically analyzing customizations, running them against more than 1.000 rules and best practices and highlighting the violations. The standard rule-sets provided work adequately, but to get the highest level of Risk Prevention, we strongly advise you add your very own rules with SPCAF. Only then will your customization governance plan best serve your business needs.
This is one of the reasons why we aim to release multiple updates throughout the year. Each update comes with an increased rule-set for you to utilize as well as some new features that keep the functionality of SPCAF relevant and in-line with the latest development trends.
So, whether you’re learning about SPCAF for the first time or you already are an SPCAF user, it’s important that you keep your organization’s SPCAF tool up to date with the latest rules and features. You can view the full release notes at the end of this article. Alternatively, you can take a look at the latest version of SPCAF by following the link below:
Let’s get down to business! SPCAF v.7.7’s new features include: optimized reporting, improved detection of JavaScript libraries, updated rules for SharePoint Framework (SPFx) and added support for analyzing packages with assets.
Improved reporting
This update really focuses on giving you complete transparency in the analysis performed by SPCAF. Yes, we have improved the aesthetics, but the main difference is on the first page once the analysis has been performed. SPCAF now offers an aggregate score that depicts the project or packages you select. Before, SPCAF was limited to only displaying critical errors – the things that have failed. Now, you can see a number that represents the ‘health’ of your current projects or packages. From here you have the opportunity to investigate deeper and see which errors have been found. These errors could be critical errors or warnings. Furthermore, you will also be able to see what rules have been skipped or passed which provides transparency in the analysis. In a nutshell, SPCAF provides a better all-around Quality Assurance report.
Updated SPFx rules
Two years from its launch and the SharePoint Framework is now being widely used by developers across the globe. One of the reasons SPFx was introduced was for developers to follow customization best practice when building new customizations. At Rencore, we have refreshed the SPFx rule list in SPCAF to support the latest SPFx update – version 1.4. Furthermore, we have also added support for analyzing packages with assets.
Improved detecting: JavaScript libraries
Modern development techniques include embracing client-side development and technology – so that’s what SPCAF is doing too! In the last update, we made it possible to analyze JavaScript code embedded in parts of web pages as well as a new set of rules to detect JavaScript libraries used in SPFx. With SPCAF v.7.7, we have optimized the detection of JavaScript libraries loaded in code and improved the detection of JavaScript libraries referenced in project configuration. Make sure to check the latest JavaScript rules update in the release notes.
For a full list of new features and changes, please view our release notes.
Building SharePoint customizations is not trivial. There are many intricacies you have to be aware of to avoid risks and maintain governance. SPCAF helps you mitigate these risks by continuously analyzing your customizations. Start using SPCAF in your organization today and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Click the button below to request a free trial!
Please keep an eye out for the SharePoint Patterns and Practices (PnP) third-party framework. It is run by a number of Microsoft-recognized most valuable professionals (MVPs) and should be considered along with SPFx to build secure and future proof customizations. We are previliged to have two PnP core team members working at Rencore.
