ASP .Net Web Parts framework contains a set of controls that help in
organizing a portal page in a way that provide users of the portal flexibility
to customize the appearance, content, and behavior of its contents directly from
a web browser.
The changes made are then saved for the user and recalled for
subsequent visits.
Using the Web Part framework , developer can enable end users to:
Personalize page content :- Users can add new Web Parts controls to a page,
remove them, hide them, or minimize them like ordinary windows.
Personalize page layout :- Users can drag a Web Parts control to a different
zone on a page, or change its appearance, properties, and behavior.
Export and import controls
:- Users can import or export Web Parts control
settings for use in other pages or sites, retaining the properties, appearance,
and even the data in the controls.
Create
connections :- Users can establish connections between controls
Why WebPart Framework
Websites today contain a wealth of information; so much that a poorly designed
site can easily overwhelm users. User wants to see the sites that suit their
individual working style. User might want to hide the parts that contain
information in which they have no interest. To better help users cope, portal
websites today need to organize their data into discrete units that support a
degree of personalization that allows the properties or state of page’s controls
to be saved in long term storage and not tied to a particular browser session,
so that user will be able to see the same settings when he revisit the page
again.
To support all the Microsoft comes with ASP .Net Web Part Framework
The Major Components of the ASP.NET 2.0 WebPart Framework
A page that is designed to host Web Parts is known as a Web Part Page.
Layout of WebPart Page:
Following are the major component of ASP.Net2.0 WebPart Framework
WebPartManager: This control is the central
policeman of the ASP.NET 2.0 WebPart framework. Each page should contain only a
single WebPartManager, which is responsible for managing all functionality,
events, and customization of various WebParts on that page. It has no user
interface and is invisible at runtime. WebPartManager also has the ability to
set various modes.
- BrowseDisplayMode: Represents the default display
mode.
- CatalogDisplayMode : Used for adding controls
from a catalog of controls to a Web page.
- ConnectDisplayMode : Displays a special UI for
users to manage connections between Web Part controls.
- DesignDisplayMode : Used for changing the layout
of Web pages containing Web Part controls.
- EditDisplayMode : Displays a UI from which end
users can edit and modify server controls
Various Zones: Zones are physical areas on a
page. These are implemented in the following Server Controls that ship with the
Framework:
WebPartZone: A WebPartZone is a control that
defines an area on a page where one or more WebParts can be hosted. A
WebPartZone also controls the look and feel of a WebPart inside itself. Also,
any control that doesn't inherit from the WebPart class can masquerade itself as
a WebPart and live inside a WebPartZone. This is done with the help of the
GenericWebPart class, which inherits from the WebPart base class. By doing so,
you are restricted to a subset of the functionality that a WebPart class can
expose.
CatalogZone: The CatalogZone is the menu or the
catalog from which a user can choose. It holds a number of CatalogPart controls,
which in turn hold WebParts that are already added to the site and ready for the
picking to add to various pages on the site. The user can pick WebParts from the
Catalog, and add them to the various WebPartZones on the same page.
EditorZone: This is the area on the page that
prompts the user to edit his WebPart and customize it to his specific needs. A
WebPart can also be customized in a Shared mode, where an administrator can
configure the WebPart and all other users can view or use the WebPart but not
customize it.
ConnectionsZone: This is the area of the page that
prompts the end user to define communication between various WebParts on the
same page.
Various Parts:
WebPart: A WebPart is a reusable widget on a Web
page. The user can choose to add a WebPart on his page, customize the WebPart
per his needs, or even define communication between various WebParts. An ASP.NET
2.0 WebPart inherits from the System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.WebPart class.
It Contains the actual content presented to the user.
CatalogPart: The base class for catalog WebPart
controls that present a list of available WebParts to users. Derived classes are
ImportCatalogPart, DeclarativeCatalogPart, and PageCatalogPart.
EditorPart: The base class for all editing controls
that allow modifications to WebParts. An editor part presents its own user
interface to let users set properties.
DeclarativeCatalogPart: The DeclarativeCatalogPart
control enables you to add a catalog of WebPart or other server controls to a
Web page, giving users the ability to change the set of controls and the
functionality available on a page at run time. A catalog is a list of WebPart or
other server controls that is visible when a page is in catalog-display mode. At
design time you can add controls to the DeclarativeCatalogPart control and at
run time a user can choose which controls to view in the page by selecting them
from the catalog list.