• Introduction
• System requirement
• Web part framework
• Comparing with asp.net
• Creating a new web part solution
• Deploying and debugging
Introduction:
Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 provides a Web Part infrastructure that helps you build custom Web Parts and deploy them to Web sites built using Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. This article provides a walkthrough how to build custom Web Parts that work in both standard ASP.NET 2.0 Web sites and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
Web part framework:
A Web Part is an ASP.NET server control designed to be edited and modified by users in the browser. It works as a component of a SharePoint site that presents information pulled from multiple data sources. Web Part pages allows to personalize information relevant to the needs by updating the value of specific Web Part properties. SharePoint Web Parts are UI elements that support both customization and personalization.
The Web Part infrastructure in Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 and Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 provides a framework to build custom Web Parts targeted to Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies by using managed code.
ASP.NET 2.0 includes a new Web Part control set that allows site customization and personalization on custom Web sites that are independent of MOSS. The Web Part infrastructure in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 exists on a layer above the ASP.NET 2.0 Web Part infrastructure.
Comparing with asp.net:
Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 are built on top of the ASP.NET 2.0 Framework. Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 uses the ASP.NET 2.0 Web Part infrastructure to take advantage of features such as master pages and custom Web Part development while providing a complete set of Windows SharePoint Services features, such as document services, events, workflow, search, site columns, content types and more.
We can build Web Parts for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 in two ways:
• Create custom ASP.NET 2.0 Web Parts.
• Create SharePoint-based Web Parts.
The following table provides a decision matrix to help you choose the best option depending on your business needs.
To create a new Web Part solution
o Open VS 2005 > File menu> click New, and then select Project.
o In Project types, select Visual C#, and then select SharePoint.
o Specify a new name, location, or solution name of Web Part, and then click OK. The extensions create a new Web Part solution project, which includes the following:
References to the Microsoft.sharepoint
AssemblyInfo.cs, a file that enables you to specify company and product information for the Web Part assembly, and version information
Temporary.snk, a temporary signature key file for the Web Part assembly
A Visual C# code file for the Web Part, named the same as the Web Part name
By default, the code file for the Web Part contains the following:
using statements for the necessary System and Windows SharePoint Services namespaces, such as Microsoft. SharePoint, Microsoft.SharePoint.WebControls, and Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages
An empty Web Part class that inherits from System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart
o Add the code you want to the Web Part class.
The Web Part project template automatically generates the XML files needed to package your Web Part as a MOSS 2007 feature for deployment and activation. The required GUIDs contained in the XML files are also generated automatically.
The extensions generate a .webpart file as the element.xml file for the Feature containing the Web Part. Every Web Part should have a .webpart file, which is an XML file that describes the Web Part. The .webpart file also makes your Web Part appear in the Web Part gallery in MOSS 2007.
we can customize the information in these XML files by editing solution, Feature, and element properties on the SharePoint Solution tab in project's Properties dialog box, as follows:
o Solution Information in this node is written into the manifest.xml file for the Feature. You can set the following solution property:
o Name The name of your Web Part solution.
o Feature Information in this node is written into the feature.xml file for the Feature. You can set the following feature properties:
o Folder Name The name of the folder to contain the files for this Feature.
o Title The title of the Feature. Limited to 255 characters.
o Description A longer representation of what the Feature does.
o Version Specifies a System.Version-compliant representation of the version of a Feature. This can be up to four numbers delimited by decimals that represent a version.
o Scope The Feature scope. Can contain one of the following values: Farm (farm), WebApplication (Web application), Site (site collection), or Web (Web site).
o Hidden Hides the feature. This attribute is FALSE by default.
o Default Resource File Indicates a common resource file for retrieving Feature XML resources.
o Element Information in this node is written into the element.xml file for the Feature. As mentioned earlier, this file contains the information usually contained in a .webpart file. You can set the following element properties:
o Title The title of your Web Part on web page.
o Description The description of your Web Part that you want to appear in the Windows SharePoint Services user interface.
o ImportErrorMessage The error string to display if Windows SharePoint Services is unable to import your Web Part solution.
o In Solution Explorer, right-click the Web Part project, and then select Properties.
o In the Properties window, select SharePoint Solution. This tab lists the nodes that contain the properties for the solution package that the extensions will generate.
o Expand the Solution node, and then expand the Feature node and the Element node.
o To edit properties for a node, click a node, and then edit the properties. For example, click the Element node, and then edit the values for the Title, Description, and ImportErrorMessage keys.
o To commit your changes for a node, click in the Description value field.
Deploying and debugging:
We can deploy and start debugging of the Web Part simply by pressing F5.
When you press F5, the extensions automatically build, deploy, and initiate debugging of Web Part solution Feature. To accomplish this, the extensions perform the following actions automatically:
o Build the Web Part assembly.
o Package the Web Part solution as a Windows SharePoint Services Feature.
o If this Web Part solution was deployed previously, the extensions retract the previous version of the Web Part solution Feature.
o Install your Web Part assembly to the global assembly cache using gacutil utility
o Deploy and activate your Web Part solution Feature in Windows SharePoint Services.
o Add your Web Part to the Safe Controls list.
o Restart Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) by invoking the iisreset command.
o Attach to the w3wp processes to enable debugging.
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