A Developer's First Look at Web Parts

rom the end user point of view, Web Parts provide customization tools that affect the appearance and content displayed on a workspace. Web Parts empower end users to design their own user interfaces to fit a personal way of thinking, analyzing, and of getting the job done, using drag-and-drop plug-and-play components on each individual's SharePoint workspace. These plug-and-play components display a wide variety of information in a number of formats and views.

Web Parts can be added to Web Part Zones at design time or left empty, waiting for the user to add the specific Web Parts they want to use.

One of the key concepts behind Windows SharePoint Services and Web Parts is that non-programmers can assemble the information they need and control how they want it displayed. On a single page, someone could analyze sales information, keep an eye on a stock ticker, review a calendar, and monitor a sports news feed. Some of these functions are less vital than others, but a non-programmer now has the ability to view this sort of information if they want to.