using deploy to create a new custom object not working and no errors

Question

I'm struggling for awhile, must be something very simple...

I'm using metadata api deploy to create a new custom object without success and no errors returned.

My guess would be something with zip package, can someone point me what i'm doing wrong ?

Zip file package contains the following files/folders:

• unpackaged\package.xml
• unpackaged\objects\DummyObject__c.object

package.xml content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <types>
        <members>DummyObject__c</members>
        <name>CustomObject</name>
    </types>
    <version>28.0</version>
</Package>

DummyObject__c.object content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CustomObject xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <actionOverrides>
        <actionName>Accept</actionName>
        <type>Default</type>
    </actionOverrides>
    <actionOverrides>
        <actionName>CancelEdit</actionName>
        <type>Default</type>
    </actionOverrides>
    <actionOverrides>
        <actionName>Clone</actionName>
        <type>Default</type>
    </actionOverrides>
    <actionOverrides>
        <actionName>Delete</actionName>
        <type>Default</type>
    </actionOverrides>
    <actionOverrides>
        <actionName>Edit</actionName>
        <type>Default</type>
    </actionOverrides>
    <actionOverrides>
        <actionName>Follow</actionName>
        <type>Default</type>
    </actionOverrides>
    <actionOverrides>
        <actionName>List</actionName>
        <type>Default</type>
    </actionOverrides>
    <actionOverrides>
        <actionName>New</actionName>
        <type>Default</type>
    </actionOverrides>
    <actionOverrides>
        <actionName>SaveEdit</actionName>
        <type>Default</type>
    </actionOverrides>
    <actionOverrides>
        <actionName>Tab</actionName>
        <type>Default</type>
    </actionOverrides>
    <actionOverrides>
        <actionName>View</actionName>
        <type>Default</type>
    </actionOverrides>
    <compactLayoutAssignment>SYSTEM</compactLayoutAssignment>
    <deploymentStatus>Deployed</deploymentStatus>
    <enableActivities>false</enableActivities>
    <enableFeeds>false</enableFeeds>
    <enableHistory>false</enableHistory>
    <enableReports>false</enableReports>
    <fields>
        <fullName>UID__c</fullName>
        <caseSensitive>false</caseSensitive>
        <externalId>true</externalId>
        <label>UID</label>
        <length>38</length>
        <required>true</required>
        <trackTrending>false</trackTrending>
        <type>Text</type>
        <unique>true</unique>
    </fields>
    <label>Dummy Object 1</label>
    <nameField>
        <label>Dummy Object Name</label>
        <type>Text</type>
    </nameField>
    <pluralLabel>Dummy Objects</pluralLabel>
    <searchLayouts/>
    <sharingModel>ReadWrite</sharingModel>
</CustomObject>

These are the webservices messages exchanged:

deploy

<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
  <soap:Header>
    <SessionHeader xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
      <sessionId>*** sessionId ***</sessionId>
    </SessionHeader>
  </soap:Header>
  <soap:Body>
    <deploy xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
      <ZipFile>*** ZipContent ***</ZipFile>
      <DeployOptions>
        <allowMissingFiles>false</allowMissingFiles>
        <autoUpdatePackage>false</autoUpdatePackage>
        <checkOnly>false</checkOnly>
        <ignoreWarnings>false</ignoreWarnings>
        <performRetrieve>false</performRetrieve>
        <purgeOnDelete>false</purgeOnDelete>
        <rollbackOnError>true</rollbackOnError>
        <runAllTests>false</runAllTests>
        <singlePackage>true</singlePackage>
      </DeployOptions>
    </deploy>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

deployResponse

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
  <soapenv:Body>
    <deployResponse>
      <result>
        <done>false</done>
        <id>09SO0000000ew0sMAA</id>
        <state>Queued</state>
      </result>
    </deployResponse>
  </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

checkStatus

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
  <soap:Header>
    <SessionHeader xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
      <sessionId>*** sessionId ***</sessionId>
    </SessionHeader>
  </soap:Header>
  <soap:Body>
    <checkStatus xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
      <asyncProcessId>09SO0000000ew0sMAA</asyncProcessId>
    </checkStatus>
  </soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

checkStatusResponse

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
  <soapenv:Body>
    <checkStatusResponse>
      <result>
        <done>true</done>
        <id>09SO0000000ew0YMAQ</id>
        <numberComponentErrors>0</numberComponentErrors>
        <numberComponentsDeployed>0</numberComponentsDeployed>
        <numberComponentsTotal>0</numberComponentsTotal>
        <numberTestErrors>0</numberTestErrors>
        <numberTestsCompleted>0</numberTestsCompleted>
        <numberTestsTotal>0</numberTestsTotal>
        <state>Completed</state>
        <stateDetailLastModifiedDate>2013-12-17T21:23:20.000Z</stateDetailLastModifiedDate>
      </result>
    </checkStatusResponse>
  </soapenv:Body>
</soapenv:Envelope>

No errors, nothing deployed, what i'm doing wrong ?

Workbench

Following Daniel Ballinger suggestion to use the workbench, more info returned:

It seems something is wrong with the package no ? but what ?

Answer 1

Make sure your package.xml and the directories containing the metadata component files are in the root of your zip file. In other words, make sure you zip the contents of your 'unpackaged' directory and not the directory itself. This is most likely the reason it is not able to find the package.xml file. I also typically don't specify the singlePackage option either. The docs are a little vague on this i agree...

Every .zip file contains a project manifest, a file named package.xml, and a set of directories that contain the components. The manifest file defines the components you are trying to retrieve or deploy in the .zip file.

(i often think it would be useful to show a directory structure, so i've just used the feedback feature at the bottom of the documentation topic to say so).

Also the missing call to get additional information you need (and the one Workbench is using) is the checkDeployStatus call (note that from API 29 onwards checkStatus is not required you can use checkDeployStatus directly, see deploy).