title: CRM 2011 external content with relative URL
body: <p>In CRM 4.0 we could place dynamic content (aspx) in the ISV-folder in CRM, creating separate applications but with security and relative URLs to CRM, so for example a custom 360 view of account could be linked in an iframe using a relative URL along the lines of </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>/ISV/CrmMvcApp/Account.aspx/Overview?id=....</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>In CRM 2011 usage of the ISV folder is deprecated and Microsoft has some guidelines on how to transition into doing this in supported manner (<a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg309571.aspx" rel="nofollow">MSDN gg309571: Upgrade Code in the ISV folder to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011</a>). They say: </p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>For scenarios that will not be satisfied by the Web resources feature, create your Web application in its own application pool with its own web.config.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p>The way I am reading this (coupled with the guidelines on supported/unsupported) is that we need a separate web site in IIS with its own binding as you are not allowed to add virtual directories etc. under the standard CRM app. This is unfortunate and does not allow relative paths/URLs in customizations and sitemap. This is troublesome especially when exporting and importing solutions from DEV, TEST and/or PROD.</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Are my assumptions wrong? </li>
  <li>Can we somehow have relative paths? </li>
  <li>Have anyone else found a pragmatic and easy approach to having external content without doing the sitemap and customization changes for each environment?</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p><strong>EDIT</strong>: Confirmed with other sources that my understanding of the guidelines are correct, as this is also listed in the list of unsupported changes. Virtual folders and web apps are to be kept totally separated from the default CRM web site.</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Creating an Internet Information Services (IIS) application inside the Microsoft Dynamics CRM website for any VDir and specifically within the ISV folder is not supported.</p>
  </blockquote>
  
  <p><a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg328350.aspx#Unsupported" rel="nofollow">MSDN gg328350: Unsupported Customizations</a></p>