Microsoft unveils SharePoint toolkits

Microsoft yesterday unveiled two XML-based toolkits for its SharePoint products, designed to help developers integrate the collaborative working applications with business systems from multiple vendors.

Available at no charge on GotDotNet.com, source code for the two Web Part toolkits is designed to allow integration of Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services sites with applications from SAP and other vendors.

Microsoft's Web Services for Remote Portlets (WSRP) Web Part Toolkit for SharePoint Products and Technologies uses the WSRP specification created by the Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards to enable developers to build portlets that interact with other portal sites.

According to the software giant, the WSRP Web Part Toolkit includes a ready-to-install 'consumer' component that displays WSRP portlet services provided by a variety of vendors within Web Part pages hosted by Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server 2003.

For developers interested in making SharePoint site content available over WSRP web services, Microsoft also is providing a WSRP Web Services Toolkit for SharePoint Products and Technologies that explains and provides examples for creating and deploying WSRP-compliant producer web services.

Microsoft also released a Web Part Toolkit for SharePoint Products and Technologies for SAP iViews.

This toolkit provides Web Parts that display SAP NetWeaver iViews, and is designed for developers and system integrators creating composite applications that combine SAP resources with other applications.