Chapter 10: Extending the Windows Sharepoint Team Portal

Overview

Each Team Project has a Team Portal. The Team Portal has a pivotal role as it is the centralized area where you can store project documentation, view reports and process guidance, and manage meetings and workflow. In most Team System books that you'll read, you will probably get only surface-level view of what you can do with the portal. Here are some of the core features of Windows SharePoint Services:

• Team collaboration - Provides a centralized area for viewing and downloading work products (templates used in your development process), your process guidance, and reports

• Alerts, instant messaging, and office integration - Document workflow integration, management of lists and assets on the server

• Full administrative capabilities - Including the ability to add and remove lists, discussion boards, tasks, and calendars

• .NET development - Has a full object model (OM), Web services, Web Parts development - all available through the Windows SharePoint Services Software Development Kit (SDK)

Figure 10-1 shows the layout and look of the default team portal site.

Figure 10-1

We aim in this chapter to provide you with the down and dirty details about Windows SharePoint Services and customization of the Team Portal. The unique thing about the chapter is that we will be putting it all in context of Team System and, most important, your development projects.