Add Custom Web Parts to a page and Connect them using PowerShell

These days I am working heavily on SharePoint CSOM and BCS (Business Connectivity Services). I have created a sandbox package with multiple custom business data and html form data web parts.

The reason why I am writing this blog is to share with you some of the cool stuffs I did with PowerShell in the project.

I have written many automation scripts to create web part page, add web parts to this page and then connect to them on a single click using PowerShell.

First thing first…

1.       Create a web part page using PowerShell:

	Function CreateWebPartPage
	{
	param($title,$name,$pageLayout)
	Write-Host "***************Creating Web part page: "$title -ForegroundColor Yellow
	if([Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing.PublishingWeb]::IsPublishingWeb($web)){
	$pubWeb =[Microsoft.SharePoint.Publishing.PublishingWeb]::GetPublishingWeb($web)
	$name+=".aspx";
	$layout = $pubWeb.GetAvailablePageLayouts() | Where { $_.Name -eq $pageLayout}
	$newPage = $pubWeb.AddPublishingPage($name, $layout);
	$newPage.Title=$title;
	$newPage.Update()
	Write-Host "***************Page is created successfully" -ForegroundColor Yellow
	}
	Else{
	Write-Host "***************Not a publishing web" -ForegroundColor Yellow
	}}
	$Url = $(Read-Host -Prompt "Enter site url:")
	$web = Get-SPWeb $Url
	CreateWebPartPage "Test Page" "Test" "BlankWebPartPage.aspx"
	$web.Dispose();

view raw CreateWebPartPage hosted with ❤ by GitHub

2.       Add web part to this page:

	$Url = $(Read-Host -Prompt "Enter site url:")
	$web = Get-SPWeb $Url
	$web.AllowUnsafeUpdates=$true
	function Add-WebPartToPage($pageUrl, $webpartzone,$index,$fileName)
	{
	$webPartGallery = $web.Lists["Web Part Gallery"]
	Write-Host "Searching webpart $fileName in web part gallery" -ForegroundColor Yellow
	if($webPartGallery -eq $null)
	{
	Write-Host("Unable to retrieve Webpartgallery");
	}
	$webpart = $null;
	$webpart=$webPartGallery.Items | ? { $_.Title -eq $fileName}
	if($webpart -eq $null) {
	Write-Host("Unable to retrieve webpart: $fileName") -ForegroundColor Red
	}
	else {
	Write-Host("----------Adding Webpart--------")-ForegroundColor Yellow
	$webpartmanager=$web.GetLimitedWebPartManager($pageUrl, [System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.PersonalizationScope]::Shared)
	$errorMsg = "";
	$xmlReader = New-Object System.Xml.XmlTextReader($webpart.File.OpenBinaryStream());
	$webpart = $webpartmanager.ImportWebPart($xmlReader,[ref]"Error")
	$webpartmanager.AddWebPart($webpart, $webpartzone, $index);
	Write-Host("Webpart is added successfully") -ForegroundColor Green ;
	}
	}
	$SiteURL =$Url
	#---------------Test Page----------------------------
	$PageName="Test.aspx"
	$page=$web.lists["Pages"].Items | ? {$_.Name -eq $PageName}
	$page.File.CheckOut();
	Add-WebPartToPage "$SiteURL/Pages/$PageName" "Header" 0 "My Custom WebPart"
	$page.File.CheckIn("Added Web part to a page");
	$page.File.Approve("Added Web part to a page");

view raw AddWebparttoAPage hosted with ❤ by GitHub

3.       Connect web parts in a page: In this script I have shown how we can connect

a.       Query String filter Web Part with Business Data List Web Part

b.      Query String filter Web Part with Business Data Item Web Part

c.       Business data List Web Part with Business Data Item Builder Web Part

 

	function Connect-QueryStringFilterWP-To-BCSListWP($pageUrl,$fileName,$providerWP,$consumerArrayValue,$providerArrayValue,$consumerConnectionId)
	{
	$webPartGallery = $web.Lists["Web Part Gallery"]
	$webpartmanager=$web.GetLimitedWebPartManager($pageUrl, [System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.PersonalizationScope]::Shared)
	Write-Host "Searching Consumer webpart $fileName in web part gallery" -ForegroundColor Yellow
	if($webPartGallery -eq $null)
	{
	Write-Host("Unable to retrieve Webpartgallery");
	}
	$webPartConsumer = $webpartmanager.WebParts | Where {$_.Title -eq $fileName}
	Write-Host "Searching Consumer webpart $providerWP in web part gallery" -ForegroundColor Yellow
	$webPartProvider = $webpartmanager.WebParts | Where {$_.Title -eq $providerWP}
	$conWP = $webpartmanager.GetConsumerConnectionPoints($webPartConsumer)
	$provWP = $webpartmanager.GetProviderConnectionPoints($webPartProvider)
	$conWP=$conWP[$consumerConnectionId]
	$provWP=$provWP["ITransformableFilterValues"]
	$trans = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.WebPartPages.TransformableFilterValuesToParametersTransformer
	$consumerArray=@($consumerArrayValue)
	$providerArray=@($providerArrayValue)
	$trans.ProviderFieldNames=$providerArray
	$trans.ConsumerFieldNames=$consumerArray
	$newCon = $webpartmanager.SPConnectWebParts($webPartProvider,$provWP,$webPartConsumer,$conWP,$trans)
	$webpartmanager.SPWebPartConnections.Add($newCon);
	$webpartmanager.Dispose()
	Write-Host "Webparts are connected successfully" -ForegroundColor Green
	}
	function Connect-QueryStringFilterWP-To-BCSListItemWP($pageUrl,$fileName,$providerWP,$consumerConnectionId)
	{
	$webPartGallery = $web.Lists["Web Part Gallery"]
	$webpartmanager=$web.GetLimitedWebPartManager($pageUrl, [System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.PersonalizationScope]::Shared)
	Write-Host "Searching Consumer webpart $fileName in web part gallery" -ForegroundColor Yellow
	if($webPartGallery -eq $null)
	{
	Write-Host("Unable to retrieve Webpartgallery");
	}
	$webPartConsumer = $webpartmanager.WebParts | Where {$_.Title -eq $fileName}
	Write-Host "Searching Consumer webpart $providerWP in web part gallery" -ForegroundColor Yellow
	$webPartProvider = $webpartmanager.WebParts | Where {$_.Title -eq $providerWP}
	$conWP = $webpartmanager.GetConsumerConnectionPoints($webPartConsumer)
	$provWP = $webpartmanager.GetProviderConnectionPoints($webPartProvider)
	$conWP=$conWP[$consumerConnectionId]
	$provWP=$provWP["ITransformableFilterValues"]
	$trans = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Portal.WebControls.TransformableFilterValuesToEntityInstanceTransformer
	$newCon = $webpartmanager.SPConnectWebParts($webPartProvider,$provWP,$webPartConsumer,$conWP,$trans)
	$webpartmanager.SPWebPartConnections.Add($newCon);
	$webpartmanager.Dispose()
	Write-Host "Webparts are connected successfully" -ForegroundColor Green
	}
	function Connect-BCSWebParts($pageUrl,$fileName,$providerWP){
	$webPartGallery = $web.Lists["Web Part Gallery"]
	$webpartmanager=$web.GetLimitedWebPartManager($pageUrl, [System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts.PersonalizationScope]::Shared)
	Write-Host "Searching Consumer webpart $fileName in web part gallery" -ForegroundColor Yellow
	if($webPartGallery -eq $null)
	{
	Write-Host("Unable to retrieve Webpartgallery");
	}
	$webPartConsumer = $webpartmanager.WebParts | Where {$_.Title -eq $fileName}
	Write-Host "Searching Consumer webpart $providerWP in web part gallery" -ForegroundColor Yellow
	$webPartProvider = $webpartmanager.WebParts | Where {$_.Title -eq $providerWP}
	$conWP = $webpartmanager.GetConsumerConnectionPoints($webPartConsumer)[0]
	$provWP = $webpartmanager.GetProviderConnectionPoints($webPartProvider)[0]
	$newCon = $webpartmanager.SPConnectWebParts($webPartProvider,$provWP,$webPartConsumer,$conWP)
	$webpartmanager.SPWebPartConnections.Add($newCon);
	$webpartmanager.Dispose()
	Write-Host "Webparts are connected successfully" -ForegroundColor Green
	}
	function setupPageConnections ($pageName) {
	Write-Host "Connecting webparts for page: $pageName" -ForegroundColor Yellow
	$page=$web.lists[$LibName].Items | ? {$_.Name -eq $PageName}
	$page.File.CheckOut();
	setupWebPartsConnections $pageName
	$page.File.CheckIn("Webparts are connected");
	$page.File.Approve("Webparts are connected");
	}
	function setupWebPartsConnections ($pageName) {
	Connect-BCSWebParts "$SiteURL/$LibName/$PageName" "{Custom Webpart Title}" "Business Data Item Builder" #{Custom Webpart Title} with title of custom web part
	Connect-QueryStringFilterWP-To-BCSListWP "$SiteURL/$LibName/$PageName" "My Custom WebPart" "{Query String Filter WebPart tilte}" "{Custom Webpart filter Name}" "QueryString" "BDWP Query Values"
	Connect-QueryStringFilterWP-To-BCSListItemWP "$SiteURL/$LibName/$PageName" "{Custom Webpart Title}" "{Query String Filter WebPart tilte}" "BDWP Item"
	}
	$Url = $(Read-Host -Prompt "Enter site url:")
	$web = Get-SPWeb $Url
	$web.AllowUnsafeUpdates=$true
	$LibName = "Pages";
	$SiteURL =$Url
	setupPageConnections "Test.aspx"
	$web.Update();
	$web.AllowUnsafeUpdates=$false
	$web.Dispose()

view raw Connect WebParts hosted with ❤ by GitHub

Have Fun!

Isha Jain