@WonderLaura

In SharePoint 2013 and Office 365, there are a couple of pretty useful new web part properties that I would like to point out.  When inserting an “app part” on a page (a list or library web part), there is a Miscellaneous section in the web part property toolpane.

1. Insert a list or library (app) as a web part on a page in SharePoint.
2. Open the web part properties toolpane.  (Select the web part and in the ribbon on the Web Part tab, click Web Part Properties)
3. Expand the section called Miscellaneous.

Disable view selector menu

This option is checked by default.  When unchecked, will show the names of the views in the web part.  When you click on the name of a view, it will navigate you over to that list or library.  So, even though you’re not staying within the context of whatever web part page you’re on, at least it will get you to another view of the list/library.

Disable ‘Save This View’ Button

This option is checked by default.  When unchecked, it will allow view modifications to be saved as a new view.  When a user is looking at a list or library in SharePoint, as soon as they start clicking column headings for sorting and filtering, the Save This View button appears.  I love this!  A lot of times, I’ll put a web part on a page, and use “edit the current view” a few times, to get it looking the way I want.  Then, if I want to do the same thing again, or on another page, I’d have to do that work again if I didn’t create it as a view in the first place.  This allows me to save my view and choose public or private and give it a name.  Keep in mind that this button will not appear until you click to sort or filter your columns.  Also note that as always, if an end user does not have permission to create public views, of course their only option will be to create a private view.

Display search box

The search box at the top of lists and libraries is awesome!  Now, this gives you the ability to display this small search box right in your web part, so users can quickly search through the files in that list/library and immediately see the results right in the web part without having to navigate away!

JS Link

Awesome functionality that entails JavaScript, so I’ll save that for another post. 

Server Render

Takes away all of these checkboxes that I’ve described in this post, and removes any added functionality that they provide.

This is a web part with the view selector, save this view, and search box all showing:

Important note!  These settings only exist with the default style in your views.  In your view settings (not web part settings), if you have changed the style to anything but Default, none of these web part settings will be available to you.

I’ve recorded a video demonstrating all web part settings.  Click on the image below to jump straight to the part where I start talking about these Miscellaneous settings.