Key insights

• Web Parts: Modular components in SharePoint that display various content types like lists, libraries, and images. They can communicate with each other to enhance user interaction.


• Dynamic Filtering: A method to create interactive dashboards by linking web parts without coding, allowing real-time data filtering and seamless user experience.


• Steps to Connect Web Parts:
  • Add web parts such as List, List Properties, Document Library, and File Viewer to your page.
  
  
  • Configure connections between web parts (e.g., connect List to List Properties).
  
  
  • Publish the page and test interactions for functionality.


• User Experience Benefits: Connecting web parts enhances engagement by providing dynamic content access without leaving the page.


• Efficiency Improvement: Streamlines workflows by reducing clicks needed for accessing related information, improving overall efficiency.


• Customizable Dashboards: Allows creation of tailored dashboards that display relevant data cohesively to meet specific business needs.

How to Connect Web Parts in SharePoint for a Smarter Dashboard

Creating an interactive and dynamic dashboard in SharePoint enhances user engagement and streamlines information access. By connecting web parts, you can enable real-time interactions between different components on your page, providing a cohesive and responsive user experience. This guide outlines the process of connecting web parts in SharePoint to build a smarter dashboard.

Understanding Web Part Connections

Web parts are modular components that you can add to SharePoint pages to display various types of content, such as lists, libraries, images, and more. Connecting web parts allows them to communicate with each other, enabling actions in one web part to influence the behavior of another. For example, selecting an item in a list web part can display detailed information in a connected properties web part.

Steps to Connect Web Parts for a Smarter Dashboard

Follow these steps to connect web parts and create an interactive dashboard in SharePoint:

1. Add Web Parts to Your Page

• Enter Edit Mode: Navigate to the SharePoint page where you want to create the dashboard and click on "Edit" at the top right corner.
• Insert Web Parts: Click the "+" icon to add web parts to your page. For a dynamic dashboard, consider adding:
  • List Web Part: Displays items from a SharePoint list.
  • List Properties Web Part: Shows detailed information about a selected item from the list.
  • Document Library Web Part: Displays files from a document library.
  • File Viewer Web Part: Previews the contents of a selected file.

2. Configure Web Part Connections

After adding the desired web parts, establish connections between them:

• Connect List to List Properties:
  • Select the List Properties web part and click on the "Edit" icon (pencil symbol).
  • In the property pane, click on the ellipsis (...) and choose "Connect to source."
  • Select the List web part as the source.
  • Configure the connection by specifying which columns to display and whether the properties should be editable.
• Connect Document Library to File Viewer:
  • Select the File Viewer web part and click on the "Edit" icon.
  • In the property pane, click on the ellipsis (...) and choose "Connect to source."
  • Select the Document Library web part as the source.
  • This setup allows users to click on a file in the document library and view its contents directly on the page.

3. Publish the Page

Once the connections are configured:

• Save and Publish: Click on "Publish" to make the page available to users.
• Test the Dashboard: Interact with the web parts to ensure that the connections function as intended. Selecting an item in the list should display its details in the List Properties web part, and selecting a file in the document library should preview it in the File Viewer web part.

Benefits of Connecting Web Parts

Connecting web parts in SharePoint offers several advantages:

• Enhanced User Experience: Provides interactive and dynamic content, allowing users to access detailed information without navigating away from the page.
• Improved Efficiency: Streamlines workflows by reducing the number of clicks and page loads required to access related information.
• Customizable Dashboards: Enables the creation of tailored dashboards that meet specific business needs, displaying relevant data in a cohesive manner.

Challenges and Tradeoffs

While connecting web parts in SharePoint offers numerous benefits, it also presents certain challenges and requires balancing different factors:

• Complexity vs. Usability: As more web parts are connected, the dashboard may become complex. It's important to ensure that the interface remains user-friendly and intuitive.
• Performance Considerations: Connecting multiple web parts can impact page load times. Optimization techniques may be necessary to maintain performance.
• Security and Permissions: Ensure that users only have access to data they are authorized to view. Properly configuring permissions is crucial to maintaining security.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can create a smarter, more interactive dashboard in SharePoint, enhancing the way users interact with and consume information on your site. Daniel Anderson's video tutorial provides a comprehensive guide to achieving this without writing a single line of code, making it accessible to project managers, SharePoint admins, and anyone interested in creating user-friendly pages. As you implement these strategies, consider the tradeoffs and challenges to ensure a balanced and effective dashboard solution.

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