These are the tools no SharePoint developer can live without.
CAML & Search related utilities
Utilities to help with CAML building
- U2U’s CAML Query Builder
Aides in building complex CAML queries. - MOSS Query Tool
Allows you to easily create queries against SharePoint search - Search Query Web Service Test Tool
Allows you to easily create queries against the SharePoint web-service
Inspectors and Debuggers
Utilities to debug and inspect SharePoint environments
- Eric Lawrence’s Fiddler Web Debugging Proxy
Brilliant for intercepting SharePoint and SharePoint designer communication. - Reiner Ganser’s Content Type Explorer
- Lutz Roeder’s Reflector (Now Redgate’s)
Disassemble and reflect SharePoint assemblies. - Stramit’s CAML Viewer 2007
Good for understanding how SharePoint CAML is used in lists. - Carsten Keutmann’s SharePoint Manager 2007
Explore the complete SharePoint environment, brilliant for audits and high level management.
Utilities
Utilities to simplify SharePoint development
- Harbar’s Application Pool Manager
To recycle SharePoint application pools without resetting IIS. - Sharepoint Shared Services Search Provider Property Creation
Import and export your managed properties
Solution development
- SharePoint Solution Generator
Exports SharePoint solution artifacts. Does not export everything correctly. But helps. - WSP Builder
Builds WSP packages out of a predefined WSP directory structure. - SharePoint Solution Installer
Allows you to create an installer for your WSP files.
Exporting and artifact generation
Tools to export and generate artifacts for packaging
- STSADM: Export content types
Exports SharePoint content types to XML - Andrew Connell’s STSADM extensions
Export publishing content types - Visual Studio 2005 Extensions for WSS and WF
SharePoint Frameworks
Frameworks that make SharePoint development easier
- Linq for SharePoint
Query lists against SharePoint using LINQ - SharePoint List Access Layer Generator
Generate SharePoint DAL
BDC related tools & utilities
Tools for working with the business data catalog
Other resources
Other resources I use a lot when developing against SharePoint.
- Fantastic 40 Application Templates
- WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007 SDKs
- Mindjet Mindmanager
Useful tool for mapping out and sketching content types - Debug-view
- Windows PowerShell
- Developer Toolbar
