Creating Global List or Library Web Parts with SharePoint Designer 2010

Have you ever needed to share content, such as a list or document library, across SharePoint sites but found that the Content Query Web Part does not quite meet you requirements (such as offering filterable columns)? The answer to your quandary may be a global Web Part. This can be created using SharePoint Designer 2010 and the steps below:

1. Open the site containing the list or library you want to “globalize” in SharePoint Designer 2010
2. Select "Lists and Libraries" from the left navigation pane
3. Select the desired list or library you want to “globalize”
4. In the "Views" section on the right, either open an existing view (i.e. AllItems.aspx) or create a new view
5. In the SharePoint Designer page editor, click on the view
6. In the Ribbon UI, go to List View Tools -> Web Part tab
7. Click "To Site Gallery" from the "Save Web Part" section
8. Give it a name and a description
9. Click "Yes" when the message pops up. This ensures that the Web Part will point to the original source
10. In the browser, go to the page where you want to display the Web Part
11. Edit the page, insert a Web Part through the Ribbon UI or click on a “Add a Web Part” link within the page
12. Go to Miscellaneous section within the Web Part menu and select the Web Part you saved
13. Use views to modify what is displayed and apply filters as needed. Views can be created at the source list or library, and then applied via editing the Web Part on the page
14. Take a deep breath and enjoy your new Global Web Part

This article was originally written by Kelly Rusk. It is moderated currently by Peter Hurth.