SharePoint 2007: The Definitive Guide

Web Parts for Power Users and Business Users

Although it may seem odd to mention a power/business user in a technology book, we have to realize that it is actually the business users that, in most circumstances, sponsor and approve the acquisition of MOSS. The business users also look at how effectively the technology can be applied to solve business problems. An in-depth knowledge of Web Parts can impact the decision between using MOSS or a competitive solution.

Tip

There are other forms of MOSS extensibility beyond the Web Services sitetTemplates and Web Parts discussed in this book. Some of the other extensibility elements include:

• Controls

• Custom actions and action groups

• List instances and templates

• Site definitions

• Documents

• Fields

• Content types

• Modules

• Workflows

Web Parts and MOSS

Instead of drilling down into all of the Web Parts, we'll describe the relationship between Web Parts and lists, which seems to be a common point of confusion. Most people, having played with WSS or MOSS for some time, have a tendency to ask why the number of Web Parts keeps changing.

When opening the Add Web Parts dialog, as in Figure 25-1, on an ordinary Web Part page, we will typically see the Lists and Libraries grouping. This grouping represents every single list and library that exists within the site and is currently visible to users (besides permissions, there is also a Hidden property for each list).

Tip

Lists are the major data storage element within MOSS. Every item that is created from within the Create ...