IgnoreIfAlreadyExists attribute when provisioning files in SharePoint

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Bernado

The IgnoreIfAlreadyExists attribute of a File element when provisioning a file can be mysterious. Most of the posts on the net are saying that:

When this attribute is set to FALSE, an error will be thrown if the file already exists at the targeted location
When set to TRUE, an error will not be thrown if the file already exists, but the existing file will not be updated.

I tested this with ghostable files and found that this is not quite true. My tests showed that:

When set to FALSE, an error is raised if the file already exists
When set to TRUE, no error is raised, and the existing file is updated if it has not been unghosted (e.g. customised post deployment using SharePoint Designer). The file is not updated if it has been unghosted/customised.

I tested this with files deployed to the master pages and page layouts gallery and the Type attribute was GhostableInLibrary.

About Bernado

Based in Australia, I am a freelance SharePoint and Dynamics CRM developer. I love developing innovative solutions that address business and everyday problems. Feel free to contact me if you think I can help you with your SharePoint or CRM implementation.

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