FIXED – SPDActivities Custom Action (SharePoint 2016 )

After troubleshooting an issue with SharePoint Designer, I wanted to document the fix for others.   Installing the “DP.CustomActions” WSP from CodePlex worked well on SharePoint 2010 and 2013.   However, with 2016 an issue occurs which requires additional [web.config] modification.   Details below.   Cheers!  

Issue

1. WSP is fully deployed and installed
2. Custom Action workflow steps are visible in SharePoint Designer
3. Click action then suggestion menu disappears.   No action sentence is visible on designer.

Resolution

1. Locate </targetFx> in [web.config] file
2. Add below XML code both before AND after </targetFx>

<authorizedType Assembly=”DP.Sharepoint.Workflow, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=0298457208daed83″ Namespace=”DP.Sharepoint.Workflow” TypeName=”*” Authorized=”True” />

1. IISRESET
2. Clear SharePoint Designer client cache https://stackoverflow.com/questions/43113666/how-to-clear-cache-in-sharepoint-designer-site
3. Test

Root Cause

• Appears that SharePoint 2016 leverages more Dot Net Framework versions (3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5) and has a larger [web.config] to support backward compatibility with multiple Dot Net versions.