Is there any way to have a static custom made SPFx web-part in a page-layout template you have created in Design manager (Sharepoint Online)?

Question

I have a problem! I'm trying to put a static custom made SPFx web-part in a page-layout template I have created in Design Manager on Sharepoint Online.

I have tried reading up on it online, but can't find a obvious answer for it.

I've uploaded the .sppkg file in the app catalog and can deploy the app normally on my sites.

But I can't generate a code snippet for the web-part in the design manager and I'm not even sure if that is the correct way to do it? Or if it is even possible to have a static custom made SPFx web-part in a page-layout template?

The reason I want this function, is so when someone uses my page-layout template it already contains my web-part.

Would appreciate some feedback! Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

I believe there are two answers to your question, one for the SharePoint Modern Experience, and one for the classic.

At the current time, it is not possible to create a custom programmatic page layout in the SharePoint Modern Experience, it is this not possible to provision a default WebPart in a page.

In the SharePoint Classic Experience however, your problem is the same as with a classic WebPart, the only difference being the XML Code you put to reference the WebPart. In a classic page, you can export a WebPart, you can do that to the SPFx WebPart and see that it is actually a standard WebPart called ClientSideWebPart which dynamically loads your JS. With the correct parameters, it will load your SPFx WebPart or another.

Please note that for the Modern Experience, features are being packaged as we speak, including site scripting for provisioning and customizing sites using JSON and scripting. We don't know their extend, but one can always hope it will include page customization.

Hope this helps!