What web parts do you recommend or consider essential?

Question

Although we internally manage to get away with the Data View Web Part for most cases, what other web parts have you come across which you may consider essential for MOSS or WSS?

Before you answer depends or too ambiguous, a good webpart should

1. Have good documentation
2. Relatively easy to deploy
3. Genetic enough to provide something really useful obviously
4. Used it quite often on different WSS/MOSS implementations or customizations

Thanks

Answer 1

The question is pretty ambiguous. Something that is "essential" needs to solve a business need, so it depends on what problems you are trying to solve. Documentation may or may not be an issue. I've had web parts that I installed once and never had to think about again.

The most common requests I've seen involve Roll-ups. The DVWP can do this, but there are limits to what it can effectively access and how it performs. In some cases something 3rd party needs to be purchased, or something very scalable needs to be built.

Next tend to be custom web parts that integrate with other systems to provide data, functionality, or something from within SharePoint.

I've also seen a number of custom media players built for sites that need to accommodate more rich media.

Answer 2

You can do some pretty cool and creative stuff with the standard old Content Editor Web Part and some Javascript.

Answer 3

I'd take your search over to codeplex.com and search for all of the webparts that have the solution available for download. The good codeplex projects should have all of the documentation that you'll need. Having said that, I really enjoy SPD Activities, Print List, ULS Viewer, Easy Tabs, Access Checker... The list will go on forever b/c everyone has different needs. My major requirement is a free price tag. Someone with a budget may actually want to buy a product.

Answer 4

I agree with Mike that is all about your needs. It also depends on if you are clearly WSS or if you have licensed for MOSS. If you are strictly WSS you will extensively use the CEWP and DVWP with Designer. You will have to do more with less but with creativity you will get some good results. If you are MOSS and you are doing public facing internets get used to the Content Editior Web Part. As you can see it is basically about what version of SharePoint and what you are trying to achieve.