Upload a file to SharePoint through the built-in web services

Question

What is the best way to upload a file to a Document Library on a SharePoint server through the built-in web services that version WSS 3.0 exposes?

Following the two initial answers...

• We definitely need to use the Web Service layer as we will be making these calls from remote client applications.

• The WebDAV method would work for us, but we would prefer to be consistent with the web service integration method.

There is additionally a web service to upload files, painful but works all the time.

Are you referring to the “Copy” service? We have been successful with this service’s CopyIntoItems method. Would this be the recommended way to upload a file to Document Libraries using only the WSS web service API?

I have posted our code as a suggested answer.

Answer 1

Example of using the WSS "Copy" Web service to upload a document to a library...

public static void UploadFile2007(string destinationUrl, byte[] fileData)
{
    // List of desination Urls, Just one in this example.
    string[] destinationUrls = { Uri.EscapeUriString(destinationUrl) };

    // Empty Field Information. This can be populated but not for this example.
    SharePoint2007CopyService.FieldInformation information = new 
        SharePoint2007CopyService.FieldInformation();
    SharePoint2007CopyService.FieldInformation[] info = { information };

    // To receive the result Xml.
    SharePoint2007CopyService.CopyResult[] result;

    // Create the Copy web service instance configured from the web.config file.
    SharePoint2007CopyService.CopySoapClient
    CopyService2007 = new CopySoapClient("CopySoap");
    CopyService2007.ClientCredentials.Windows.ClientCredential = 
        CredentialCache.DefaultNetworkCredentials;
    CopyService2007.ClientCredentials.Windows.AllowedImpersonationLevel = 
        System.Security.Principal.TokenImpersonationLevel.Delegation;

    CopyService2007.CopyIntoItems(destinationUrl, destinationUrls, info, fileData, out result);

    if (result[0].ErrorCode != SharePoint2007CopyService.CopyErrorCode.Success)
    {
        // ...
    }
}

Answer 2

Another option is to use plain ol' HTTP PUT:

WebClient webclient = new WebClient();
webclient.Credentials = new NetworkCredential(_userName, _password, _domain);
webclient.UploadFile(remoteFileURL, "PUT", FilePath);
webclient.Dispose();

Where remoteFileURL points to your SharePoint document library...

Answer 3

There are a couple of things to consider:

• Copy.CopyIntoItems needs the document to be already present at some server. The document is passed as a parameter of the webservice call, which will limit how large the document can be. (See http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-AU/sharepointdevelopment/thread/e4e00092-b312-4d4c-a0d2-1cfc2beb9a6c)
• the 'http put' method (ie webdav...) will only put the document in the library, but not set field values
• to update field values you can call Lists.UpdateListItem after the 'http put'
• document libraries can have directories, you can make them with 'http mkcol'
• you may want to check in files with Lists.CheckInFile
• you can also create a custom webservice that uses the SPxxx .Net API, but that new webservice will have to be installed on the server. It could save trips to the server.

Answer 4

public static void UploadFile(byte[] fileData) {
  var copy = new Copy {
    Url = "http://servername/sitename/_vti_bin/copy.asmx", 
    UseDefaultCredentials = true
  };

  string destinationUrl = "http://servername/sitename/doclibrary/filename";
  string[] destinationUrls = {destinationUrl};

  var info1 = new FieldInformation
                {
                  DisplayName = "Title", 
                  InternalName = "Title", 
                  Type = FieldType.Text, 
                  Value = "New Title"
                };

  FieldInformation[] info = {info1};
  var copyResult = new CopyResult();
  CopyResult[] copyResults = {copyResult};

  copy.CopyIntoItems(
    destinationUrl, destinationUrls, info, fileData, out copyResults);
}

NOTE: Changing the 1st parameter of CopyIntoItems to the file name, Path.GetFileName(destinationUrl), makes the unlink message disappear.

Answer 5

I've had good luck using the DocLibHelper wrapper class described here: http://geek.hubkey.com/2007/10/upload-file-to-sharepoint-document.html

Answer 6

From a colleage at work:

Lazy way: your Windows WebDAV filesystem interface. It is bad as a programmatic solution because it relies on the WindowsClient service running on your OS, and also only works on websites running on port 80. Map a drive to the document library and get with the file copying.

There is additionally a web service to upload files, painful but works all the time.

I believe you are able to upload files via the FrontPage API but I don’t know of anyone who actually uses it.

Answer 7

Not sure on exactly which web service to use, but if you are in a position where you can use the SharePoint .NET API Dlls, then using the SPList and SPLibrary.Items.Add is really easy.