<CharlieDigital /> Programming, Politics, and uhh…pineapples

using (SPSite site = new SPSite("http://my.domain.com/"))
using (SPWeb web = site.OpenWeb())
{
    SPList list = web.GetList("http://my.domain.com/Lists/Stuff");
    SPListItem item = list.Items[1];

    Console.Out.WriteLine(item.Title);

    SPListItemVersion currentVersion = item.Versions[0];
    SPListItemVersion previousVersion = item.Versions.Count > 1 ? item.Versions[1] : null;

    Console.Out.WriteLine("Version is current: {0}", currentVersion.IsCurrentVersion);

    foreach (SPField field in currentVersion.Fields)
    {
        if (field.ShowInVersionHistory == false)
        {
            continue;
        }

        if (previousVersion == null)
        {
            Console.Out.WriteLine("  > {0} changed to \"{1}\"",
                field.StaticName, currentVersion[field.StaticName]);
            continue;
        }

        if (currentVersion[field.StaticName].Equals(previousVersion[field.StaticName]))
        {
            continue;
        }

        Console.Out.WriteLine("  > {0} changed from \"{1}\" to \"{2}\"",
            field.StaticName, previousVersion[field.StaticName], currentVersion[field.StaticName]);
    }
}

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<List xmlns:ows="Microsoft SharePoint"
	Title="Basic List" FolderCreation="FALSE" Direction="$Resources:Direction;"
	Url="Lists/Basic List" BaseType="0" EnableContentTypes="TRUE">
	<MetaData>
		<ContentTypes>
			<ContentTypeRef ID="0x0100C171C000000000000000000000000003"/>
			<ContentTypeRef ID="0x0120" />
		</ContentTypes>

<!-- additional markup omitted -->

<ViewFields>
	<FieldRef Name="LinkTitleNoMenu"></FieldRef>
	<FieldRef Name="Request_Name" ></FieldRef>
	<FieldRef Name="Request_Status" ></FieldRef>
	<FieldRef Name="Requestor" ></FieldRef>
	<FieldRef Name="Ticket_Project_Number" ></FieldRef>
	<FieldRef Name="Ticket_Group" ></FieldRef>
	<FieldRef Name="Support_Ticket_Number" ></FieldRef>
	<FieldRef Name="Support_Ticket_Name" ></FieldRef>
	<FieldRef Name="Support_Ticket_Status" ></FieldRef>
	<FieldRef Name="Support_Ticket_Res_Date" ></FieldRef>
	<FieldRef Name="Technical_Manager" ></FieldRef>
</ViewFields>

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Elements xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">
    <ListInstance
		Title="My Custom Configuration"
		Id="18000"
		FeatureId="ACA62A34-7B27-442D-97C6-55FC3F55A2BF"
		TemplateType="18000"
		Url="Lists/MyCustomConfiguration"
        OnQuickLaunch="TRUE">
      <Data>
          <Rows>
              <Row>
                  <Field Name="ID">1</Field>
                  <Field Name="Title">some.setting.name</Field>
                  <Field Name="Configuration_Value">http://myserver.mydomain.com</Field>
                  <Field Name="Default_Value">http://myserver.mydomain.com</Field>
                  <Field Name="Usage_Description">The URL of the something something server</Field>
                  <Field Name="Property_Name">SomethingSomethingServer</Field>
                  <Field Name="Property_Type">string</Field>
              </Row>
          </Rows>
      </Data>
    </ListInstance>
</Elements>

<Feature Id="0C4C1210-B056-4AFC-B556-A8BB30E1A9F1"
         Title="My Custom Content Types"
         Description="Installs the content types."
         Hidden="FALSE"
         Scope="Site"
         DefaultResourceFile="core"
         ReceiverAssembly="MyAssembly, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=56f39f66bb4e1d17"
         ReceiverClass="MyAssembly.Components.FeatureReceivers.MetadataPrimer"
         xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/">
    <ElementManifests>
        <ElementManifest Location="my_contenttypes.xml" />
    </ElementManifests>
    <Properties>
        <Property Key="prime.if.contains" Value="My Custom Content Type"/>
    </Properties>
</Feature>

/// <summary>
///     Abstract base class for custom feature receivers.
/// </summary>
/// <remarks>
///     All custom feature receivers should be updated to inherit from this class for common functionality.
/// </remarks>
public abstract class FeatureReceiverBase : SPFeatureReceiver
{
	/// <summary>
	///     Gets the <c>SPWeb</c>.
	/// </summary>
	/// <remarks>
	///     This method allows the feature receiver to obtain a reference to the current <c>SPWeb</c>
	///     regardless of whether there is an <c>HttpContext</c> (i.e. in the case that the feature
	///     is activated from <c>STSADM</c>).
	/// </remarks>
	/// <param name = "properties">The properties.</param>
	/// <returns>The <c>SPWeb</c> instance from the properties.</returns>
	protected static SPWeb GetWeb(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties)
	{
		SPWeb web;

		if (SPContext.Current != null && SPContext.Current.Web != null)
		{
			web = SPContext.Current.Web;
		}
		else if (properties.Feature.Parent is SPWeb)
		{
			web = (SPWeb) properties.Feature.Parent;
		}
		else if (properties.Feature.Parent is SPSite)
		{
			web = ((SPSite) properties.Feature.Parent).RootWeb;
		}
		else
		{
			throw new Exception("Unable to retrieve SPWeb - this feature is not site or web-scoped.");
		}

		return web;
	}
}

/// <summary>
///     <para>Receiver which "primes" the content types by updating each of the custom content types to push the changes down.</para>
///     <para><see cref = "http://mkeeper.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!60F12A60288E5607!278.entry" /></para>
/// </summary>
public class MetadataPrimer : FeatureReceiverBase
{
	private const string _primerKey = "prime.if.contains";

	/// <summary>
	///     Handles the feature activated event by priming content types specified by the primer key property.
	/// </summary>
	/// <param name = "properties">The properties.</param>
	public override void FeatureActivated(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties)
	{
		Console.Out.WriteLine("Activating Metadata Primer");

		// Prime the content types.
		SPWeb web = GetWeb(properties);

		SPContentTypeCollection contentTypes = web.ContentTypes;

		List<string> contentTypeIds = new List<string>();

		// Capture the feature properties.
		Dictionary<string, string> featureProperties = new Dictionary<string, string>();

		foreach (SPFeatureProperty property in properties.Feature.Properties)
		{
			featureProperties[property.Name] = property.Value;
		}

		// Must find the key "prime.if.contains"
		if (!featureProperties.ContainsKey(_primerKey))
		{
			ExceptionFactory.Throw<ArgumentException>(
				"The property prime.if.contains is not defined in the feature.");
		}

		string[] tokens = featureProperties[_primerKey].Split(new[] {','}, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);

		Log("Priming content types containing: {0}", featureProperties[_primerKey]);

		foreach (SPContentType contentType in contentTypes)
		{
			bool prime = tokens.Any(token => contentType.Group.ToUpperInvariant().Contains(token.ToUpperInvariant()));

			if (!prime)
			{
				continue; // EXIT: Next iteration.
			}

			contentTypeIds.Add(contentType.Id.ToString());

			Log("Adding content type \"{0}\" ({1}) for priming", contentType.Name, contentType.Id);
		}

		// Do it in two loops since doing it one causes issues if a parent content type is primed (child content types
		// fail to prime because the parent changes).
		foreach (string id in contentTypeIds)
		{
			try
			{
				SPContentTypeId contentTypeId = new SPContentTypeId(id);

				SPContentType contentType = web.ContentTypes[contentTypeId];

				Log("Priming content type: {0}", contentType.Name);

				contentType.Update(true, false);
			}
			catch (Exception)
			{
				Log("Failed to prime content type with ID: {0}", id);
			}
		}
	}

	/// <summary>
	///     Logs the specified message to both log4net and the console.
	/// </summary>
	/// <param name = "message">The message.</param>
	/// <param name = "args">The args.</param>
	private static void Log(string message, params object[] args)
	{
		Console.Out.WriteLine(message, args);
	}

	/// <summary>
	///     Features the deactivating.
	/// </summary>
	/// <param name = "properties">The properties.</param>
	public override void FeatureDeactivating(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties) {}

	/// <summary>
	///     Features the installed.
	/// </summary>
	/// <param name = "properties">The properties.</param>
	public override void FeatureInstalled(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties) {}

	/// <summary>
	///     Features the uninstalling.
	/// </summary>
	/// <param name = "properties">The properties.</param>
	public override void FeatureUninstalling(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties) {}
}