C# 4 and .NET 4

Web Parts ❘ 1211
The use of Web Parts is a complex topic, and this section does not describe all available functionality or list
all the properties and methods that the Web Part components supply. However, you do see enough to get a
flavor of Web Parts and to understand the basic functionality that is possible.
Web Parts application Components
The Web Parts section of the toolbox contains 13 controls, as described in the following table. The table
also introduces some of the key concepts for Web Parts pages.
ConTrol
WebPartManager
ProxyWebPartManager
WebPartZone
CatalogZone
DeclarativeCatalogPart
PageCatalogPart
ImportCatalogPart
EditorZone
AppearanceEditorPart
desCriPTion
Every page that uses Web Parts must have one (and only one) instance of
the WebPartManager control. You can place it on a master page if you wish,
although if you do you should use the master page only when you want to use
Web Parts on a page. This control is responsible for the majority of Web Parts
functionality, which it supplies without much intervention. You may not need
to do much more than place it on a web page, depending on the functionality
you require. For more advanced functionality, you can use the large number
of properties and events that this control exposes.
If you place the WebPartManager control on a master page, it can be difficult
to configure it on individual pages — and impossible to do so declaratively.
This is particularly relevant for the definition of static connections between
Web Parts. The ProxyWebPartManager control enables you to define static
connections declaratively on a web page, which circumvents the problem of
not being able to have two WebPartManager controls on the same page.
The WebPartZone control is used to define a region of a page that can
contain Web Parts. You will typically use more than one of these controls on
a page. For example, you might use three of them in a three-column layout
on a page. Users can move Web Parts between WebPartZone regions or
reposition them within a single WebPartZone.
The CatalogZone control enables users to add Web Parts to a page. This
control contains controls that derive from CatalogPart, of which three are
supplied for you — the next three entries in this table describe these controls.
Whether the CatalogZone control and the controls it contains are visible
depends on the current display mode set by WebPartManager.
The DeclarativeCatalogPart control enables you to define Web Part
controls inline. These controls will then be available to the user through the
CatalogZone control.
Users can remove (close) Web Parts that are displayed on a page. To retrieve
them, the PageCatalogPart control provides a list of closed Web Parts that
can be replaced on the page.
The ImportCatalogPart control enables Web Parts that have been
exported from a page to be imported to another page through the
CatalogPart interface.
The EditorZone control contains controls that enable users to edit various
aspects of Web Part display and behavior, depending on what controls it
contains. It can contain controls that derive from EditorPart, including the
four that are listed in the next four rows of this table. As with CatalogZone,
the display of this control depends on the current display mode.
This control enables users to modify the look and size of Web Part controls, as
well as to hide them.
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