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How to use a custom web part with Oracle E-Business Suite

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This section provides information about using a custom Web Part with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server. To use a custom Web Part, you must do the following:

  1. Create a custom Web Part

  2. Deploy the custom Web Part to a SharePoint portal

  3. Configure the SharePoint portal to use the custom Web Part

Before You Begin

Before you create a custom Web Part:

Step 1: Create a custom Web Part

  1. Start Visual Studio, and then create a project.

  2. In the New Project dialog box, from the Project types pane, select Visual C#. From the Templates pane, select Class Library.

  3. Specify a name and location for the solution. For this topic, specify CustomWebPart in the Name and Solution Name boxes. Specify a location, and then click OK.

  4. Add a reference to the System.Web component into the project. Right-click the project name in Solution Explorer, and then click Add Reference. In the Add Reference dialog box, select System.Web in the .NET tab, and then click OK. The System.Web component contains the required namespace of System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.

  5. Add the required code based on your issue in the project. For the code sample that is relevant to a certain issue, see “Issues Involving Custom Web Parts” in Considerations using the Oracle-Business Suite adapter with SharePoint.

  6. Build the project. On successful build of the project, a .dll file, CustomWebPart.dll, will be generated in the <project folder>/bin/Debug folder.

  7. Only for 64-bit computer: Sign the CustomWebPart.dll file with a strong name before performing the following steps. Otherwise, you will not be able to import, and hence use the CustomWebPart.dll in the SharePoint portal in “Step 3: Configure the SharePoint Portal to use the custom Web Part.” For information about how to sign an assembly with a strong name, see How to: Sign an Assembly with a Strong Name.

Step 2: Deploy the custom Web Part to a SharePoint Portal

You must do the following to make the CustomWebPart.dll file (custom Web Part) that is created in “Step 1: Create a custom Web Part” of this topic usable on the SharePoint portal:

  • Copy the CustomWebPart.dll file to the bin folder of the SharePoint Portal: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server creates portals under the <root drive>:\Inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories folder. A folder is created for each portal, and can be identified with the port number. You must copy the CustomWebPart.dll file created in “Step 1: Create a custom Web Part” of this topic to the <root drive>:\Inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\<Port_Number>\bin folder. For example, if the port number of your SharePoint portal is 13614, you must copy the CustomWebPart.dll file to the <root drive>:\Inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\13614\bin folder.

    Tip

    Another way to find the folder location of your SharePoint portal is by using the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window (Start > Run > inetmgr). Locate your SharePoint portal in the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager window ([computer_name] > Web Sites > [Portal-Name]), right-click, and then click Properties in the shortcut menu. In the properties dialog box of the SharePoint portal, click the Home Directory tab, and then select the Local path box.

  • Add the Safe Control Entry in the web.config File: Because the CustomWebPart.dll file will be used on different computers and by multiple users, you must declare the file as “safe.” To do so, open the web.config file located in the SharePoint portal folder at <root drive>:\Inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\<Port_Number>. Under the <SafeControls> section of the web.config file, add the following safe control entry:

    • On 32-bit computer:

      <SafeControl Assembly="CustomWebPart" Namespace="CustomWebPart" TypeName="*" Safe="True" />

    • On 64-bit computer:

      <SafeControl Assembly="CustomWebPart, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=<PUBLICKKEYTOKEN_OF_CustomWebPart.dll>" Namespace="CustomWebPart" TypeName="*" Safe="True" />

      Save the web.config file, and then close it.

Step 3: Configure the SharePoint portal to use the custom Web Part

You need to add the custom Web Part to the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Web Part Gallery, so that you can use it on your SharePoint portal. To do so:

  1. Start SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Office Server, and then click SharePoint 3.0 Central Administration.

  2. In the left navigation pane, click the name of the Shared Service Provider (SSP) to which you want to add the custom Web Part.

  3. On the Shared Services Administration page, in the upper-right corner, click Site Actions, and then click Create.

  4. On the Site Settings page, click Web Parts under the Galleries column.

  5. On the Web Part Gallery page, to add the custom Web Part to the gallery, click New. At this point the custom Web Part is not available in the Web Part Gallery page.

  6. On the New Web Parts page, locate CustomWebPart (name of the custom Web Part) in the list, select the check box on the left, and then click Populate Gallery on the top of the page. This will add the CustomWebPart entry in the Web Part Gallery page.

    Now you can use the custom Web Part (CustomWebPart) to create Web Parts in your SharePoint portal. The custom Web Part (CustomWebPart) will appear under the Miscellaneous section in the Add Web Parts page.

See Also

Use the Oracle E-Business Suite adapter with SharePoint