The Anatomy of a Web Part Page

Perhaps one of the most important things to note about Web Parts is that you can only add them to a special type of page known as a Web Part page. A Web Part page usually consists of Web Part zones, or areas where you add Web Parts. The layout template you select will determine the layout of the zones on the page, but you generally have a header, columns for the middle sections, and footer. Figure 7-1 shows an example of a Web Part page that has a header, footer, and three columns in the middle section.

Figure 7-1

Although each Web Part can act independently of all others on the page, you can also connect or organize them in a fashion that best suits your business or purpose. You can place content in the different zones in any manner you desire, but here are some suggestions on how each zone may be used for the Web Part page layout template shown in Figure 7-1:

• Header zone:   Perfect for the company name and logo or title of the web page. You can also place category or regional links here - for example, the different regions of a company that has global interests, links that go to a page with a different language, or links to a specific category of a product. This zone is also a good location for general welcome and instructional text for the site.

• Middle zones:   For the main content of your web page. Middle zones can contain the content on which you want the user’s attention to focus, such as a list or library. You can use left or right column for links related to the content in the center column or additional information related to the content in the center column.

• Footer zone:   Good for web page creator credits, commands such as “print page,” or general links such as “Contact Us,” “About Our Company,” or links to privacy and security policy.

There are a few important things to note about Web Part zones:

• You will not see a Web Part zone unless Web Part has been added to it. Therefore, if you only want to see Web Parts in the middle zones, you can leave the header and footer zones empty and users of the site will not be able to see those zones when they visit the page. Also, if you have two or three zones, but only add content to one zone, the column with content will take up the entire page. Figure 7-2 shows an example of this. The Shared Document library was added to the middle column Web Part zone. However, because no content existed in either of the other zones, they are not visible on the page and the Shared Documents library takes up the entire page.

  
  Figure 7-2

• The Web Part pages have special features that help you build the page by adding content. These features, outlined in more detail in the section “Web Parts Basics,” let you browse and search for Web Parts, import and export them, and drag them from zone to zone.

• SharePoint offers several Web Part page templates. For example, virtually every site template has a single Web Part page that represents the home page or the default.aspx page. Site managers can create additional pages and store them in a document library so other users can view content and data.

• Before you select a template, it’s a good idea to sketch how you want content to appear on the page, and then select the Web Part page layout that best fits your sketch. Your final layout should present information so that it’s easy to read, uncluttered, and minimizes page scrolling.

In the next Try It Out, you create a new Web Part page in an existing team site.

Try It Out-Create a Web Part Page

In this example, you create a new Web Part page, which is very similar to creating other content elements, such as document libraries, lists, or sites. You select one of the layout templates SharePoint has to offer. Once you select a layout template for a page, you really can’t change it later. Therefore, it’s best to select a layout that will allow you the greatest level of flexibility for growth and expansion.

1. From the main page of a standard team site, select Site Actions Create. The Create window appears, as shown in Figure 7-3.

   
   Figure 7-3

2. Select Web Part Page from the Web Pages group.

3. Enter a name for the Web Part page. For this example, enter backgroundinfo.

4. Browse through each of the available layout templates and select one that will fit your content. For this example, select the header, footer, three columns layout.

5. Select the Shared Documents library.

6. Click the Create button. A web page appears with a header, footer, and three columns as shown in Figure 7-1.

How It Works

Once you create a Web Part page, you can add Web Parts to the various zones. The layout adjusts as you add content.