The document discusses web parts in SharePoint. It defines web parts as small chunks of user interface and functionality that can be aggregated together to build page content. Web parts allow end-users to add, remove, and determine the placement of web parts on a page. The document then covers the history of web parts in SharePoint and ASP.NET, how to work with and build web parts, deploying web parts, using web parts in sandboxed solutions, visual web parts, web part properties, and creating connectable web parts.

1. Building SharePoint
Web Parts
Rob Windsor
rwindsor@portalsolutions.net
@robwindsor

2. What Are Web Parts?
• Small “chunks” of user interface and functionality
• Aggregated together to build page content
• Managed by end-users
 Add/remove web parts on a page
 Determine where web parts are placed on the page
 Set web part properties
• Concept and implementation not specific to
SharePoint or ASP.NET

3. DEMO
iGoogle

4. Web Part History
• SharePoint 2003
 First version with web part infrastructure
 Web part types and infrastructure are specific to SharePoint
• ASP.NET 2.0
 Web part types and infrastructure added to ASP.NET
• SharePoint 2007
 Adds support for ASP.NET web parts
 Continues support for SharePoint web parts for backwards
compatibility
• SharePoint 2010
 Same support as SharePoint 2007 in farm solutions
 Adds support for web parts in sandboxed solutions

5. Working with SharePoint Web Parts
• Web parts can be added to web part zones or wiki content
• Each web part has common “chrome”
 Title, border, verbs menu
• Closing a web part hides it; deleting a web part removes it
from page

6. Web Part Properties
• Web parts properties used to tailor display and functionality
 Zip/Postal code in weather web part
 Stock code in stock ticker web part
• Properties support customization and personalization
 Customization effects shared view of part
 Personalization effects current users view of part

7. Web Part Gallery
• Site collection scoped
• Both .DWP and .WEBPART files as items
• SharePoint can discover new candidates from
Web.config
• Maintain metadata
• Available out-of-the-box parts determined by
edition and site template

8. Web Part Gallery

9. DEMO
Working with Web Parts

10. SharePoint Web Part Page Structure
• Inherits from WSS WebPartPage base class
• Contains one SPWebPartManager control
• Contains one or more WSS WebPartZone controls
SPWebPartManager
WebPartZone (Left) WebPartZone (Right) Editor Zone
Editor Part 1
Web Part 1 Web Part 3
Editor Part 2
Web Part 4
Web Part 2
Catalog Zone
Web Part 5
Catalog Part 1
Catalog Part 2

11. Building a Simple Web Part
• ASP.NET web parts are server controls
 WebPart type derives from Panel
 User interface described with code
• Override RenderContents
 Use HTML markup and JavaScript to build interface
• Override CreateChildControls
 Use Server Controls to build interface
• Two methods can be combined
protected override void RenderContents(HtmlTextWriter writer)
{
writer.RenderBeginTag(HtmlTextWriterTag.H2);
writer.Write("Hello, World");
writer.RenderEndTag();
}

12. Chrome and Web Part Gallery Properties
• Can set web part properties to change chrome
values
• Can be done in three places
 Using code in the web part constructor
 Using CAML in the .webpart file
 Editing the web part properties in the browser
• Web part gallery group name set in element
manifest

13. DEMO
Building a Simple Web Part

14. Composite Web Parts
• Contain server controls as children
• Declare controls as fields
• In CreateChildControls
 Create controls
 Set properties
 Add controls to web part Controls collection
 Use LiteralControl to add literal markup
• Populate controls in OnPreRender

15. Composite Web Parts
protected DropDownList ListsDropDown;
protected GridView ItemsGridView;
protected override void CreateChildControls() {
ListsDropDown = new DropDownList();
ListsDropDown.AutoPostBack = true;
ListsDropDown.SelectedIndexChanged +=
new EventHandler(ListsDropDown_SelectedIndexChanged);
Controls.Add(ListsDropDown);
Controls.Add(new LiteralControl("<br/><br/>"));
ItemsGridView = new GridView();
Controls.Add(ItemsGridView);
}

16. DEMO
Building a Composite Web
Part

17. Deploying Web Parts
• Add .webpart file to web part gallery
• Register assembly that implements the web part as
safe control in web.config
• Copy assembly to:
 Global Assembly Cache
 bin folder of IIS Web Application
 Executes with reduced trust

18. Deploying Web Parts - 2
• Visual Studio tools automate deployment process
during development
• Visual Studio deployment has conflict detection
 Will replace .webpart file in gallery
• Deployment via Powershell or stsadm does not
have conflict detection
 Deployed .webpart files will not be replaced

19. DEMO
Web Part Deployment

20. Web Parts in Sandboxed Solutions
• Split page rendering
 Page code runs in ASP.NET worker process
 Sandboxed web part code runs in sandbox worker process
 HTML markup and JavaScript from two worker processes merged
• Sandbox restrictions
 Reduced set of server object model API
 Restricted access outside SharePoint
 No elevation of permissions
 Cannot deploy files to SharePoint system folders
 Must be ASP.NET web parts
 Can only use ASP.NET controls
 No web part connections

21. Visual Web Parts
• Visual web parts combine a web part with a user control
• User controls have full design experience in Visual Studio
• User interface and code behind defined in user control
• Web part “injects” user control dynamically using
Page.LoadControl
private const string _ascxPath = @"~/_CONTROLTEMPLATES/.../MyUserControl.ascx";
protected override void CreateChildControls()
{
Control control = Page.LoadControl(_ascxPath);
Controls.Add(control);
}

22. Visual Web Parts and Sandboxed Solutions
• Native visual web part template not compatible
with sandboxed solutions
 Attempts to deploy user control to system folders
• Visual Studio Power Tools contains a sandbox
compatible template
 Markup in the user control is converted to code at design
time

23. DEMO
Visual Web Parts

24. Web Part Properties
• Web Parts support persistent properties
• Configure properties via attributes
 Personalizable(param)
 Directs SharePoint to persist property value
 Parameter indicates if property may be personalized
 WebBrowsable(true)
 Directs SharePoint to generate interface to edit property
 WebDisplayName, WebDescription
 The prompt and tooltip that accompany the data entry element
 Category
 The group in which the properties will be shown
[Personalizable(PersonalizationScope.Shared)]
[WebBrowsable(true)]
[WebDisplayName("Year")]
[Category("Pluralsight")]
public int Year { get; set; }

25. DEMO
Web Part Properties

26. Deactivating Web Part Features
• Deactivating a Feature that provisions .webpart
files to the web part gallery effectively does nothing
 Files provisioned by a module are not automatically
removed on deactivation
 That is, custom web parts remain in the gallery after the
Feature has been deactivated
• You should add code to the feature receiver to
remove the .webpart files from the gallery on
deactivation

27. Deactivating Web Part Features
public override void FeatureDeactivating(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties)
{
var site = properties.Feature.Parent as SPSite;
if (site == null) return;
var web = site.RootWeb;
var list = web.Lists["Web Part Gallery"];
var partNames = new string[] {
"Simple.webpart", "Composite.webpart", "Visual.webpart",
"Sandboxed.webpart", "Properties.webpart"
};
foreach (var partName in partNames)
{
var item = list.Items.OfType<SPListItem>().
SingleOrDefault(i => i.Name == partName);
if (item != null) item.Delete();
}
}

28. DEMO
Web Part Properties

29. Creating Connectable Web Parts
• Pass data from one web part to another
• Loosely-coupled connection
 Communication managed by WebPartManager
 Provider web part supplies data
 Consumer web parts retrieve data
• Interface used to define data contract
 ASP.NET has standard connection contracts
 Can use custom connection contracts
• SharePoint provides user interface elements to establish connections
• Not compatible with sandboxed solutions

30. Web Part Connections

31. DEMO
Web Part Connections