Create a new user widget in Visual Studio

Before you implement your new widget’s logic, you need to create an empty user widget in your project in Visual Studio. The user widget is coupled with the application they are created for and cannot be reused in other applications. When creating your widget as a user control, you do not have to create additional projects and add them to the solution, because the development of the widget takes place in Sitefinity CMS application's project only.

First, you create an empty user control inside your application structure. Then, you extend it and the implement the widget's features in it. To do this, you must use the Web User Control template, provided by Visual Studio.

To create a new web user control:

1. In Visual Studio, open your Sitefinity CMS project.
2. In the context menu of your project, click Add » New Folder. Name the new folder.
3. In the context menu of the new folder click Add » New Item… » Web User Control.
4. Name the web user control the way you want your user widget to be listed in Sitefinity CMS toolbox, for example MyNewUserWidget.ascx
5. In the context menu of the new folder click Add » New Item... » JavaScript File

The .ascx file contains the markup and the JavaScript file contains the client-side functionality of the new user widget.