SPFx: Connect Web Parts in SharePoint

Key insights

• Dynamic Data API
  Enables page-level communication between SPFx web parts so one part can publish data and others can subscribe.
  Use it to send updates instantly without reloading the page.
• Publisher/Subscriber pattern
  A publisher exposes named properties or events and implements the dynamic-data interface; subscribers declare DynamicProperty connections and listen for changes.
  This pattern delivers property-change notifications and configurable connections between parts.
• How to implement
  Expose data from a web part by implementing the dynamic data interfaces and registering your callable properties.
  In consumer web parts, use a DynamicProperty or change handler to read values and react when the publisher updates them.
• What’s new (2025)
  Recent demos and community calls show improved APIs, better property synchronization, and tighter integration with dashboards and search.
  Modern dashboards now let you combine small SPFx cards into richer, connected experiences.
• Key advantages
  Connected web parts create more interactive, responsive pages and let you build data-driven UX without backend changes or full reloads.
  They simplify scenarios like filtering lists, coordinating calendars, and building dashboards.
• Best practices & limits
  Register and unregister change handlers to avoid memory leaks and validate connections before use.
  Keep data transferred small and scoped to the page to maintain performance and predictable behavior.

Overview of the demo

Microsoft published a short demo video from the SharePoint Framework bi-weekly call held on June 12, 2025, showing how to connect multiple web parts on the same page. In the video, presenter Manoj Verma demonstrates a practical scenario where a date picker drives a calendar by passing updates between components. The core idea uses the SPFx Dynamic Data capability to let one web part act as a publisher and others as subscribers, enabling real-time updates without reloading the page. Consequently, the demo highlights how modern SharePoint pages can become more interactive and integrated.

The presentation is concise and focused, and it combines conceptual explanation with live code examples to show developers each step in the process. Furthermore, the speaker points out the API surface involved and how to implement event notifications and configurable connections. This makes the video a useful reference both for newcomers who want a quick orientation and for experienced developers seeking best practices. Therefore, the clip works well as an instructional supplement to formal documentation.

How dynamic connections operate

At the heart of the demo is the Dynamic Data pattern, which allows components to share state on the client side within a single page. Specifically, the publisher implements interfaces such as IDynamicDataCallable and exposes values that subscribers can bind to via a DynamicProperty, and then each subscriber registers handlers for property change notifications. As a result, when the user changes the date in the picker, the calendar receives a change event and updates immediately, preserving a smooth user experience. Moreover, because this data flow is limited to the page context, it avoids the overhead of server round-trips and full page reloads.

The pattern follows a publisher/subscriber model, which separates concerns and clarifies ownership of state. For example, the date picker owns the date value and publishes it, while the calendar subscribes and uses it to filter or navigate events. In addition, the demonstration shows how to make these connections configurable so administrators or page editors can link components without editing code. Thus, the dynamic approach supports both developer-driven integration and user-friendly configuration.

Demo highlights and implementation notes

The video walks through the registration and consumption steps in a practical sequence: exposing the callable interface on the publisher, creating a dynamic property on the subscriber, and wiring up change callbacks. Furthermore, the presenter points out key APIs and small implementation details that often confuse developers, such as correct registration lifetime and disposing handlers to avoid memory leaks. He also demonstrates a simple UI: a date picker driving a calendar, which clearly visualizes the effect of property change notifications. Consequently, viewers see both the code and the real-time behavior together, which aids understanding.

In addition to the core wiring, the demo touches on validation and synchronization issues, explaining how to handle missing data or incompatible types and how to fall back gracefully. The speaker emphasizes testing connections in realistic page contexts because multiple instances and nested components can affect message routing. Moreover, the demo advocates documenting connection points so future maintainers understand how parts interact. Therefore, the session blends practical tips with coding patterns that reduce maintenance risk.

Trade-offs and development challenges

While dynamic connections bring responsiveness and modularity, they also introduce trade-offs related to complexity and coupling. For instance, enabling many interconnected web parts can increase cognitive load for developers who must track event flows and lifecycle management, and troubleshooting can become harder when interactions depend on runtime page configuration. Consequently, teams need to weigh the benefits of rich interactivity against the overhead of documenting, testing, and maintaining inter-component contracts.

Another challenge involves versioning and backward compatibility because a publisher change can break multiple subscribers if interfaces evolve without coordination. Therefore, adopting clear interface contracts, using semantic versioning for shared components, and including compatibility checks at runtime becomes essential to mitigate risk. In addition, performance considerations arise when many events fire in rapid succession, so developers should debounce updates and limit the scope of notifications to keep pages responsive.

Security and governance also factor into the balance: although page-scoped dynamic data reduces server exposure, organizations must still control who can place and connect web parts to prevent misuse or unintended data flows. As a result, combining dynamic data with role-based page editing and clear governance policies helps strike the right balance between flexibility and control. Ultimately, thoughtful architecture and operational practices determine whether the benefits outweigh these costs.

Adoption guidance and next steps

For teams considering this approach, the video provides several practical starting points: implement basic publisher/subscriber examples, add graceful fallbacks, and test in pages that mimic production mixes of web parts. Moreover, the demo recommends documenting connection points and including lifecycle disposal logic early to prevent subtle bugs. Over time, teams can create reusable patterns and wrappers that standardize dynamic connections across projects, which reduces duplication and speeds onboarding.

Finally, this demo complements official documentation and community resources by translating abstract API guidance into a working scenario with visible outcomes. Therefore, developers who watch the clip should be able to prototype connected web parts quickly while keeping an eye on maintainability and governance. In short, the video serves as a practical roadmap for building interactive SharePoint experiences using SPFx Dynamic Data, while also highlighting the trade-offs that teams must manage.

Related resources

• Microsoft 365
• SharePoint - Lists
• Developer
• Power Automate
• Power Apps

Keywords

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