No Need to Run SPFx Web Part in Workbench After Deployment

Introduction

Developing SharePoint Framework (SPFx) web parts often involves using the Workbench for initial testing and debugging. However, once your web part is deployed to a SharePoint site, it's not strictly necessary to continue using the Workbench for every change. In this blog post, I'll show you how to use the query string ?debug=true&noredir=true&debugManifestsFile=https://localhost:4321/temp/manifests.js (or &debug=true&noredir=true&debugManifestsFile=https://localhost:4321/temp/manifests.js if your URL already has parameters) to test your web part directly on the deployed site, making the debugging process more efficient.

Understanding the Query String

The query string parameters serve the following purposes.

&debug=true: Enables debugging mode for your SPFx web part.
&noredir=true: Prevents redirection to the app catalog after deployment.
&debugManifestsFile=https://localhost:4321/temp/manifests.js: Specifies the location of the manifest file for your web part, which is served by your local development environment.

Steps to Use the Query String

Develop and Deploy Your SPFx Web Part
- Create your SPFx web part using the Yeoman generator.
- Develop the web part's functionality as needed.
- Deploy the web part to your SharePoint site's app catalog.
Run npm run serve: In your SPFx project directory, start the local development server using npm run serve. This will make your web part code available for debugging.
Append Query String to Page URL
- Navigate to the page where you want to test your web part.
- Add the query string to the page URL. For example
```
https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com/sites/yoursite/SitePages/Home.aspx?debug=true&noredir=true&debugManifestsFile=https://localhost:4321/temp/manifests.js
```
- Replace your tenant, your site, and the page URL with the appropriate values for your environment.
Test and Debug
- Your web part will load in debug mode, allowing you to use your browser's developer tools to inspect and debug the code.
- Make changes to your web part code and save the file. The changes will be reflected in the browser without requiring a full redeployment.

Benefits of Using the Query String

Faster development cycle: You can test changes directly on the deployed site without going through the deployment process each time.
Improved debugging experience: You can leverage your browser's developer tools for in-depth debugging.
Reduced dependency on Workbench: You can focus on refining the web part's behavior in the actual site context.

Conclusion

By effectively using the query string, you can significantly streamline your SPFx development process and enhance your debugging capabilities. This approach empowers you to iterate quickly and efficiently on your web parts while directly observing their behavior in the target SharePoint environment.