Working with Web Parts

A SharePoint portal area or site is really just a container that exists solely to house and store information used by its members. The way in which that information is presented to the users of the site is through logical components added to the site. These components, known as Web Parts, display useful information and provide functionality for the users in the site. For example, a Web Part can display the Top 10 Issues for a project, or simply display the weather forecast. Figure 21.1 illustrates several Web Parts that can be displayed on a site.

Figure 21.1. Viewing Web Parts.

Web Parts are a critical component for any SharePoint site because they present information in a way that makes it useful. If raw data was presented on a site, users in the site would be overwhelmed trying to sort through all the available information.

Adding Web Parts to SharePoint Sites

Adding a Web Part to a site is a straightforward task for an administrator. By default, SharePoint sites are created with a specific number of standard Web Parts that can be dropped into a page. In addition, each piece of site content that you createfor example, document libraries, lists, discussion groupswill be represented by a default Web Part for it. To add one of these Web Parts to a SharePoint site, follow these steps:

1.	From the page where you want to add the Web Part, click on the Modify Shared Page drop-down link.
2.	From the drop-down box, select Add Web Parts and then select Browse.
3.	Select the Gallery that you want to choose from. For your specific site, it will be named SITENAME Gallery.
4.	As shown in Figure 21.2, select the Web Part you want to add and either drag and drop it into the zone on the page you want to put it on, or select the zone from the Add to drop-down box and click the Add button. Figure 21.2. Web Parts.

Adding the appropriate Web Parts to a page will make it more informative and useful for your users. In addition, this is the part of the job of site administrator that allows you to put on your creative and artistic hat, and really design a site that people will use and appreciate.

Modifying Web Part Views

When a Web Part has been added to a page, its view can be modified to display only the information you want users to see on the page. For example, you could modify a Web Part that shows an Issues list for a project to only display the top 10 active issues. This type of flexibility gives you control over your Web Parts and what type of information they display. To modify an existing Web Part, follow this procedure:

1.	From the page where the Web Part is listed, click on the down arrow displayed in the upper-right corner of the Web Part. Choose Modify Shared Web Part.
2.	At this point, all the options specific to that particular Web Part are listed in a box that appears on the right side of the page. Navigate through those options to get an idea of what is available.
3.	In this example, we will change the view for the Web Part. Click on Edit the Current View. The View options are then displayed, as shown in Figure 21.3. Figure 21.3. Modifying a Web Part view.
4.	You have the option to filter which items are displayed, which columns are visible, whether there is an icon for the items, and many other choices. Navigate through each of these choices and select what you want. Click OK when finished.

There is a dizzying array of options to choose from when modifying Web Part views or other options. The benefit to SharePoint lies in the fact that the default "out of the box" functionality gives you a powerful interface, whereas the control to modify how your data is presented via methods described previously gives you the ability to go beyond the defaults and customize to your heart's content.