Programmatically checking if a site collection already exists before creating a new one.

Question

I have created a visual webpart that creates site collections programmatically. It works through SelfServiceCreateSite and does its job flawlessly but for one thing.

I need to check if the site collections that users are creating with the webpart already exist within the given webpart and I don't know how to do that. Is there anyone here that could give me some help?

I've read this blog, but I can't get it to work for me.

http://nikspatel.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/code-snippet-how-to-check-if-sharepoint-site-collection-or-sub-site-exists/

Answer 1

use

spsite.exists();

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms428778(v=office.14).aspx

//if site doesnt exist
if (!SPSite.Exists("http://google.com"))
{
   //make site
}

if it doesnt like the above you might need to have the string as an actual uri like so:

//if site doesnt exist
Uri url = new Uri("http://google.com");
if (!SPSite.Exists(url))
{
        //make site
}
else
{
        this.Controls.Add(new LiteralControl("<div style='color:Red'><p><strong>Sorry site already exists!</strong></p></div>"));
}

EDIT

just to clarify:

            Uri url = new Uri("http://google.com");
            if (!SPSite.Exists(url))
            {
                Console.Out.Write("site doesnt exists, create me");
                Console.Out.WriteLine();
                Console.Read();
            }
            else
            {
                Console.Out.Write("site exists sorry you cant!");
                Console.Out.WriteLine();
                Console.Read();
            }

thats what i used to test and works just fine in a console app! I need to see some code to see where your going wrong, how your calling this code and whats going in within the if function! how your displaying the message!

Answer 2

Try to add the code in EventReceiver on FeatureActivating.