Web Part Platforms and Development Techniques

Web parts are everywhere today! You can use them today on diverse platforms and you can create them with various tools. The goal of this post is to give a clear overview of the different platforms and development techniques that are available.

  • Platforms
    • Windows SharePoint Services v2 and SharePoint Portal Server 2003
      There platforms are running on ASP.NET 1.1 and use the web part infrastructure provided by the core WSS functionality. Additionally you can install the SmartPart so this platform can also use ASP.NET 1.1 user controls.
    • Windows SharePoint Services v2 with Service Pack 2
      Since September last year, Service Pack 2 for Windows SharePoint Services is available. This service pack allows you to host WSSv2 on a site that is running ASP.NET 2.0. There is a SP2 for SPS 2003 as well, but unfortunately this SP does not allow you to run SPS 2003 on top of ASP.NET 2.0. At this point it’s still unclear if there will be a SP for SPS 2003 that will allow this. Additionally you can install the SmartPart to this platform so ASP.NET 1.1 and ASP.NET 2.0 user controls can be used.
    • ASP.NET 2.0 Web Sites
      These sites are created by using the ASP.NET 2.0 web part infrastructure.
    • Windows SharePoint Services v3
      This version will ship with the 2007 Microsoft Office System, including the SharePoint servers. Additionally you can install the SmarPart so ASP.NET 2.0 user controls can be used on this platform.
  • Development Techniques
    • Visual Studio.NET 2003, Traditional
      By using the (optionally) Web Part Templates, you can create a class that inherits from the Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.WebPart base class (defined in the assembly Microsoft.SharePoint.dll). The assembly containing the class is compiled against .NET 1.1.
    • Visual Studio.NET 2003, User Controls
      Creating user controls in VS.NET 2003 enhances the developer experience for developers, since they can utilize the VS designer to design the UI of the control.
    • Visual Studio 2005, SharePoint Web Parts
      Very similar to the “Visual Studio.NET 2003, Traditional” technique, you can build classes in VS 2005 that inherit from the Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.WebPart base class. The assembly containing the class is compiled against .NET 2.0.
    • Visual Studio 2005, ASP.NET 2.0 Web Parts
      A web part created for the web part infrastructure of ASP.NET 2.0, is a class inheriting from System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart class (defined in the System.Web assembly). The assembly containing the class is compiled against .NET 2.0.
    • Visual Studio 2005, User Controls
      Similar to the “Visual Studio.NET 2003, User Control” technique you can leverage the VS 2005 designer to increase the developer experience.
    • Visual Web Developer 2005, User Controls
      Visual Web Developer 2005 provides can be compared with the “Visual Studio 2005, User Controls” technique.

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