Unable to apply a new site template to a new site collection's root web

Question

Hi folks,
Using PowerShell I need to create a new site collection and add a new site template to its root web.  I've tried but failed...
I created the site template from a team site that I modified and then saved it as a site template and saved the template to an WSP file (in the solutions gallery).
I have tried both of the following methods but can't find the template to add to the root web of the site collection.  Help!!
Method 1 - Create the site collection, deploy & install the template as a user solution, and apply the template
I did the following, but it doesn't work because Get-SPWeb doesn't find it.  If I run Get-SPWeb with no parameters the list it returns doesn't include my template.  So site.GetWebTemplates includes it but Get-SPWebTemplate doesn't.
# Create the site collection
$site = New-SPSite $siteURL -OwnerAlias $owner -SecondaryOwnerAlias $secondOwner -name $studentName -Description $description
# Deploy and install the template
$wsp = Add-SPUserSolution -LiteralPath $wspPath -Site $siteURL
$wsp = Install-SPUserSolution -Identity $wspIdentity -Site $siteURL
# Assign the template.
$loc= [System.Int32]::Parse(1033)
$templates= $site.GetWebTemplates($loc)
foreach ($child in $templates)
Write-Host $child.Name
If ($child.Name.EndsWith("ABC")
# the name of the template that I added ends in "ABC" - when this script runs I the name of my
#added template displays as "{longGUID}#1ABC"
$template = $child
$templateID = $child.Name
$template = Get-SPWebTemplate $templateID
# regardless of whether I assign $template above or here the Set-SP_Web assignment below fails
$web = Get-SPWeb $siteURL
$web | Set-SPWeb 
-Template $template
Method 2 - Deploy and install the template as a farm solution, create the site collection, and apply the template
I did the following.  After I did the first section (deploy and install the solution to the farm) I was able to go to "Manage Farm Solutions" in CA and it was listed there, but neither
site.GetWebTemplates nor Get-SPWebTemplate included the site template in their list of templates.
# Deploy and install the solution to the farm
$template = Add-SPSolution -LiteralPath "C:\SharePoint\Student Site.wsp"
$template | Install-SPSolution
Do {Start-Sleep 2 } while (!((Get-SPSolution $template).Deployed))
# Create the site collection
$site = New-SPSite $siteURL -OwnerAlias $owner -SecondaryOwnerAlias $secondOwner -name $studentName -Description $description
# Assign the template.
$loc= [System.Int32]::Parse(1033)
$templates= $site.GetWebTemplates($loc)
foreach ($child in $templates)
        Write-Host $child.Name
        If ($child.Name.EndsWith("ABC")
# the name of the template that I added ends in "ABC" - when this script runs I the name of my
#added template displays as "{longGUID}#1ABC"
                        $template = $child
                        $templateID = $child.Name
$template = Get-SPWebTemplate $templateID
# regardless of whether I assign $template above or here the Set-SP_Web assignment below fails
$web = Get-SPWeb $siteURL
$web | Set-SPWeb
-Template $template
David

Answer 1

Out of curiosity, are you able to create a site within a site collection using this template? That is, can you create a site that is not the root site (e.g. http://sharepoint/sitecollection/Web)?
Jason Warren
Infrastructure Specialist
Habanero Consulting Group
habaneroconsulting.com/blog