My Search for a List of Web Parts

I thought the task would be simple: Find out what Web Parts are available for SharePoint Foundation. It’s not.

Microsoft’s MSDN page, Web Parts Overview says this: “Web Parts are server-side controls that run inside the context of site pages in Microsoft SharePoint Foundation. They are editable and configurable by users. Web Parts give users the ability to add functionality to a site page by simply putting them on the page. SharePoint Foundation includes many default Web Parts. In addition, you can build your own Web Parts.”

Me: But I still can’t find what Web Parts are available (probably because I can’t go to the Ribbon and click Web Parts). How do you know what Web Parts to build if you can’t find out what the "many default Web Parts" are?

In the process of searching, I did find this nice diagram of the SharePoint platform. Just go to the MSDN site to see it in living color.



I also found a nice diagram at the MSDN page “Server and Site Architecture: Object Model Overview.” Snippet below.


And I found these two resource webpages: SharePoint Foundation Web Part resource page and SharePoint 2010 Web Part resource page.

I also found a nice “Securing Web Parts in SharePoint Foundation” article that tells about the built-in security settings used to restrict the access that a Web Part has to underlying systems.

I know that that to deploy a Web Part in SharePoint Foundation it has to be deployed in the Web Part gallery first. This article tells how to do that: “Deploying Web Parts in SharePoint Foundation.”

And I appreciate the point-and-click simplicity of creating a Web Part in “Walkthrough: Creating a Basic Web Part.”

I know there are categories of Web Parts, of which a few are listed on this page, under “Types of Web Parts.”

And I’ve seen a third-party Web Part Library for SharePoint 2007. But I’d rather not pay for it.

With some relief, I found Mark Arend’s post at MSDN about a document that lists what you get out of the box with MOSS 2007, which I greatly appreciate (just the thought that others might be wondering too is somewhat comforting).

But otherwise, I’m still looking.