SPFx Capabilities Overview

What you know about SPFx will never be of use until you understand what SPFx can do.

It's challenging to list what SPFx cannot do because it's frequently updated, but it's essential to be aware of its current capabilities. The community is continually working to add more features, so staying updated with Microsoft Patterns and Practices is a must.

Below, we'll explore the capabilities of SharePoint Framework, or SPFx:

Capabilities of SharePoint Framework (SPFx)

Let's take a closer look at what you can develop with SPFx:

1. Client-Side Web Parts You can create client-side web parts that are adaptable to both classic and modern pages. These web parts can even connect with each other.
2. Field Customizers Field customizers allow you to alter cell rendering based on the data within. They are JavaScript objects that change how fields are presented, somewhat like JSLink in SharePoint 2013. We'll dive into field customizers in more detail later.
3. Application Customizers Application customizers enable you to add elements to every SharePoint page, often involving specific named div elements specified by Microsoft. You can use application customizers to create custom headers, footers, integrate Google Analytics, and more. Think of them as like delegate controls.
4. Command Sets When you need to add buttons to ECB menus (the context menu of lists or libraries) or toolbars in lists or libraries, command sets are the way to go. They serve a similar purpose to custom actions.

Now that we have a grasp of what SPFx is and its advantages, features, and development capabilities, let's dive into the tools and libraries used in SharePoint Framework or SPFx in the next section of this SharePoint Framework tutorial.

1. Search Query Extensions SharePoint Framework's search query extensions are used to modify search queries before execution. Currently, the SPFx search query extension is in preview with SharePoint Framework version 1.17.1. We'll provide a detailed explanation of search query extensions when they become available in the general availability release.