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Content Management Lists & Libraries Lightning Conductor Web Part
 

Lightning Conductor Web Part Hot

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Expert rating
 
 3.0 User rating
 
 4.0 (1)

Info

Web Part
Developer Lightning Tools
Supports MOSS 2007 • WSS v3
Price, US $ 800.00
Licensing Per WFE
Free Trial Yes
Website http://www.lightningtools.com

The new and improved Lightning Conductor Web Part from Lightning Tools allows you to rollup SharePoint data from across Multiple Site Collections. You can then present the data using one of three views which allows customization without the need for
programming.

Features
• Roll up data from across Multiple Site Collections.
• Add and Remove columns into the Web Part without the need for programming
• Apply Sorting and Grouping levels
• Supports Custom Content Types and Site Columns
• Specifically name which lists and libraries to include or exclude
• Optionally build your own custom XSL views
• Filter the results in using either the Toolpane or an End User Quick Filter Toolbar
• Consume connections from Out of the Box Filter Web Parts
• Audience Targeted Results
• Works well with WSS V3.0 as well as MOSS 2007.

Lightning Conductor for SharePoint 2010 also available. See Lightning Conductor 2010 Web Part.

Expert review

Logical extension of the built-in CQWP functionali

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
Lightning Conductor effectively wraps the built-in Content Query Web Part (CQWP) from Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 in a user-friendly interface. Whereas the CQWP requires that the user modify either the Web Part Definition XML file or the ItemStyle XSL file to accomplish common tasks (such as adding fields or converting data types), Lightning Conductor wraps this functionality in user-friendly controls exposed via the tool pane. While Lightning Tools' offering provides minimal functionality on top of the out-of-the-box CQWP, it makes that functionality much more accessible to site owners who don't have development experience (and a lot easier for those who do).

One interesting feature that stands out for Lightning Conductor is its ability to display the "Default view for each list". In this model, a standard SharePoint List View Web Part is displayed for each list found by its search criteria. This is similar to manually adding each list to a single page, with full access to built-in SharePoint sorting, filtering and context menu options as defined by the default view. While menu options such as exporting, batch updating and shared views are still not available this does provide a much more familiar and flexible interface than its standard aggregated view.
While other products provide more functionality for a similar price, Lightening Conductor is a rock solid and logical extension of the built-in CQWP functionality.

Product Reviews

Pros - Can query against multiple site collections, a feature unique amongst competitors.
- Default display provides built-in sorting, paging and grouping.
- Provides access to all list types on the server (unlike CQWP, which doesn't display "Issue Tracking" list, for example).
- Allows fields to be selected via the GUI without knowledge of the underlying field names or modification of the style sheet.
- Allows source list to be exposed either by displaying the fully qualified URL or by displaying each list separately as its original List View web part.
- Style is completely customizable via multiple built-in or user defined style sheets.
- Well designed user interface makes it easy to use - especially compared to the CQWP).
Cons - Default display does not expose filtering for end-users.
- Default display does not expose user-controlled shared views.
- Does not support the ability to export data to Excel, Access or other formats.
- Can only display data from one specific list type (same limitation as CQWP).
- While source list can be displayed, it is fully qualified (e.g., "http://domain/site/list/view.aspx") which can clutter up the interface; the ability to simply display the parent site name as a link would be preferred.
- Like the CQWP does not support any inbound connectors thus preventing dynamic filtering.
- While the style sheets can be modified, they do not sorting, paging or grouping. If you want to modify the presentation, you either must sacrifice or recreate this functionality.
Reviewed By Jeremy Caney
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 3.0
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Reviewed by Jeremy
May 24, 2009
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Last updated: May 24, 2009
 

User reviews

Average user rating from: 1 user(s)

 
Rating:
 
 4.0
 
 

The bang for your buck Sharepoint rollup tool

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful
I've review other rollup and concluded that Lighting Conductor provided more options, flexibility and useability at the right price.

The user interface to configure the web part is by far intuitive and easy to use.

I would recommend this for your portal site home page.

Product Reviews

Pros extensive detail of configuration settings that you can do to present your data.
ease of setup and user interface
Rollup by list type AND content type
Pricing
Technical Support and their web site
Cons provide end-user's with some pre-defined view options
Version Reviewed 1.0.0.9
Rating:
 
 4.0
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Reviewed by Napone
February 25, 2010
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