Add a SharePoint Web Part to multiple sites at once ~ IT Pro Ramblings

11 August 2008

Add a SharePoint Web Part to multiple sites at once

by Patrik Luca 2 comments

Business requirement: Add a SharePoint Web Part to multiple sites at once

You might have created a set of similar SharePoint sites, all based upon the same site template, just like me. After some time, business requirements change, and the end-users want to have a new Web Part on all the home pages of each of these SharePoint sites. If there are a multiple SharePoint sites, you might want to avoid, just like me, to edit each of the home pages of those SharePoint sites one-by-one.

Solution: use the SharePoint Tips Utility Pack

Ishai Sagi developped a great package of utilities which can be downloaded from CodePlex: SharePoint Tips Utility Pack. I described in a previous post Hide list fields upon creation of a SharePoint list item how these utilities can be used to modify some SharePoint field settings which cannot be changed in the regular SharePoint interface.
However, Ishai's utilities offer also the possibility to push Web Parts to several SharePoint sites at once.

Add your new Web Part to one of your SharePoint sites and configure it.
Export theWeb Part and save it to your local disk.
Start the SharePoint Tips Utility Pack.
Choose Web Parts Management, Push Web Parts.
Enter the parent site url in Site under which your sites are created on which you want to add the previously exported Web Part.
Enter the Page on which the Web Part should be added.
In the Select Web Part section, enter the path to your previously exported Web Part in the Web Part File field. Configure the Chrome, Zone and Zone Index for the Web Part you are going to add.
Push Start.

As a result, your exported SharePoint Web Part is added to the SharePoint page you selected on all SharePoint sites under a particular SharePoint root site at once: no need to add the SharePoint Web Part on each SharePoint site individually.

Comments 2 comments

Steven said...: Very nice tool!
How about deleting a webpart on multiple sites at once?
Grtz; 27 August, 2008 13:59
Patrik Luca said...: Hi Steven,

I'll think you'll have to look at solutions like the Web Part Manager from Echo. I haven't tried it yet, but it seems to have the delete functionality, although this tool isn't for free. You can download a trial version though.; 27 August, 2008 17:45

11 August 2008