SharePoint - Building What You Want How You Want. (Using SharePoint as a web host)

SharePoint OOB

SharePoint out of the box provides a rich toolset to allow you to build a web based system with lists, document libraries, content pages and custom elements.  If the project or issue you are working on fits well with the toolset, you have deep knowledge of SharePoint, and if you have a pliable client who is willing to tweak processes to work with SharePoint, then you have a fast functional solution package.

However, using the out of the box components of SharePoint restricts you in both functionality and look and feel.

One of the typical starting points of new projects is a wireframe, approved by the client and ready to replicate.  Trying to replicate a custom wireframe in SharePoint however can be very challenging and require changes to master pages, site layouts, and other elements to obtain a certain look and feel.  And if it includes HTML5 dynamic elements and other current web technologies, out of the box SharePoint may not support it at all.

SharePoint is most efficient and powerful when you can use the out of the box components, but customization can end up taking more time than developing a system a different way.

SharePoint Development

One way to handle the challenge of needing custom functionality and appearance is to code the solution in Visual Studio and deploy the resulting package to the SharePoint farm for deployment.  However, this requires a deep skill set, and an environment set up to support release of new applications through SharePoint.  And for smaller projects, the time and effort is also not justified.

So, for a larger scale application that is to be hosted in SharePoint, with a supportive environment, developing using code can be an acceptable way of meeting specifications.

But for smaller applications, a few custom pages, perhaps even a single page based on a precise wireframe, there is another alternative.

Using SharePoint as a Web Host

If you create a blank aspx page for SharePoint in SharePoint designer, you can put any design, any css, and text you wish on that page.  You have, as with any web page, complete control of the design.  You are not restricted by the appearance or functionality provided by SharePoint, you can create the page from scratch.

This means you do not need a .net developer to create the custom page, you do not need the overhead of creating and deploying through the farm, you can simply create a standalone page that exactly meets your requirements.

And if you wish to add css and custom java scripts, you can add those to existing site assets libraries and simply link to them in the head of your aspx page. 

Your page is still protected by the SharePoint permissions model, so you can control access as you would with any SharePoint resource. 

What about functionality?  If you use the SPServices jquery libraries for SharePoint, you can query and update any list that is hosted on the same site in your code.  So, you can create dynamic web pages that are populated using SharePoint lists.  This has the added advantage of allowing end users to modify the content using the list, without having to deal with HTML updates and approvals.

So, instead of using SharePoint's built in toolset, you instead use it more like a web host.  It hosts your web pages and resources, it hosts your jquery and SP services libraries.  It provides and updates dynamic data to your pages.  And it is covered by the SharePoint security model.  This way, particularly for smaller projects or non .net skillsets, you can achieve exactly what you need without being obstructed by SharePoints OOTB functionality.

Create a Stand Alone Web Page

1. Open SharePoint Designer, open your site that you with to host the page, and select a new aspx page for that site.
2. Put any css or other resources in the same sites site assets library and link to those libraries in the head section of your new web page. 
3. Build your page as any web page, you have complete control of look and feel.  Use html5, keyframes and any other web technologies you wish.  Save it and view it.

Add data source

1. Download the SPServices jquery libraries and put into your site assets library.
2. Add a link in the head section of your page to the jquery libraries for the two libraries needed, like this:  <script type="text/javascript" src="https://..SiteAssets/jquery.SPServices-2014.02.js"></script>
3. Using JavaScript and jquery, connect to your supporting lists and extract the data you wish to display on the page.  As we are developing this from scratch, we are not limited to list views or other ways of displaying data, we can build the interface to whatever we wish.

SharePoint Web Page Hosting

So, if you want to be able to create a page from a wireframe, use the latest HTML5 and css tools, and have complete control over functionality, then creating stand alone pages can achieve that functionality with a standard web developer skill set.  No need for the overhead of Visual Studio and application deployment, no need for a .net developer or help from the SharePoint farm team.  You can independently develop and release custom web pages to support your projects as needed.