Widgets instead of Add-Ins/Apps?

Apps, Development, SharePoint, Webparts

The concept of Add-Ins (formally knows as Apps) in SharePoint puts logic as HTML and CSS to another page. This page is then rendered as iFrame to another SharePoint page. This approach has advantages and disadvantages. You have to decide yourself.

A very promising way to put stuff (or WebParts) onto a SharePoint page is the Widget Wrangler.

More information can be found on https://dev.office.com/blogs/introducing-widget-wrangler.

Conceptually Widget Wrangler implementation is based on similar thinking as PnP App Script Part implementation, which was released few years back as part of the PnP patterns (or at the time it was call App Model Samples). Advantages of this model is that you do not have deal with iFrame implementations and functionalities can be fully responsive, where needed. Also implementation of the capabilities is much simpler when your JavaScript is directly embedded to the page rendering logic without additional complexity.

In demo section Bob is showing following topics

  • How to use Widget Wrangler with plan JavaScript?
  • How to use Widget Wrangler with jQuery?
  • How to use Widget Wrangler with KnockoutJS?
  • How to use Widget Wrangler with Angular?
  • How does Widget Wrangler handle multiple instances of same widget in the SharePoint Pages?

I like that. As soon as I’ve some spare time, I will take a close look.