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Portable Web Parts

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This content is no longer actively maintained. It is provided as is, for anyone who may still be using these technologies, with no warranties or claims of accuracy with regard to the most recent product version or service release.

To be truly reusable, a Web Part must be able to be used in any Digital Dashboard. This means that Web Parts should not be dependent on other Web Parts, network connectivity, or computer configurations. To guarantee portability, follow these rules:

  • Do not create Web Parts that use the DOM of a specific dashboard. Dashboard implementations can vary, and if you tie a Web Part to the document object model (DOM) of a particular Digital Dashboard, that Web Part might not function properly when used in a different dashboard.
  • Do not create dependencies between Web Parts. Because users can customize their dashboards by adding and removing Web Parts, creating a Web Part whose functionality is tied to another Web Part on the dashboard is not a good practice. Your Web Part will not function properly if a user removes the Web Part on which it depends. Use the Digital Dashboard Services Component for communication between Web Parts. By using the discovery and notification functionality of the Digital Dashboard Services Component, Web Parts can interact without being dependent on one another. In addition, the Digital Dashboard Services Component makes it possible for you to capture Microsoft® Internet Explorer events without causing collisions.
  • Use common schemas for communication between Web Parts. The most powerful element of the Digital Dashboard is that any Web Part can communicate with any other Web Part provided they use a common language to share collaborative data. For example, a Contacts Web Part can share information with a Phone Book Web Part. However, if Contacts sends out the name Smith, John and the corresponding entry in Phone Book is John Smith, the user will not get the right phone number. You can solve this problem by using common schemas. Microsoft® Exchange 2000 Server defines a number of common schemas for collaborative data, such as contacts, tasks, mail, and calendar items that are excellent for sharing these types of data.
  • Define Content. If the dashboard cannot access ContentLink for some reason, it will try to display Content. If you define the ContentLink, you can present the user with a useful message or alternative content if the ContentLink you specified does not exist or is unavailable.

See Also

Developing a Digital Dashboard Using Web Parts | Guidelines for Building Good Web Parts | Informative and Customizable Web Parts | Web Parts that Maintain a Consistent Look and Feel