Upgrade SharePoint sandbox solution without deactivate-activate feature on each sub site

Question

How can I upgrade SharePoint sandbox solution on multiple sub sites without deactivate-activate feature on each sub site

Current I need to

1. Deactivate feature from each sub site

2. Deactivate solution from main site

3. Upload a new solution and activate it

4. Activate feature on each sub site.

Answer 1

In such case, you can create a PowerShell script. I am not having the exact code, but I used the following logic:

For First Time

1. Add the Sandbox Solution using Add-SPUserSolution.
2. Install the solution using Install-SPUserSolution.
3. Now get solution ID using Get-SPUserSolution
4. Next get all the features within solution using Get-SPFeature
5. Check if feature is not enabled use Enable-SPFeature cmdlet to activate it.

When Updating

Simply run following commands:

1. Using cmdlet Update-SPUserSolution you can update already activated sandbox solutions. The key point is -ToSolution parameter/attribute. Where you need to pass on the new Solution name. I used versioning in file name to overcome same solution identity conflict.
2. Now you can repeat step 3 to 5 from above (in-case new features are added).