SharePoint 2010 Web Templates

What are They and How to Conquer Them

Ryan McIntyre, MCITP, MCPDDirector, Portals & Collaboration Practice

Templates are Good for…Nothing?

• Usability– Site Creators– Window Shoppers

• Promote Functionality• Reporting• Administration• Uhh…Sounds like Governance!

Template Family

Site Definitions

Web Templates

Site Templates

Site Definitions

• Farm Solution• Requires file system (no O365)• Can’t change ONET after sites provisioned• Feature Stapling

Site Templates

• Publishing sites not supported• SC scoped (unless VS modified)• Environment Locked

DEMO SITE TEMPLATES

Web Templates

• Publishing supported• Farm or SC scope• Feature based (no files on file system)• Can’t use variations• No Feature Stapling, but can define in

ONET• No unique WebTemplateId*

Import Site Template

• Import what you need• Change project Deployment Configuration• Change Feature Default Activation behavior• Change Deployment Conflict Resolution• Visibility• SiteFeatures

DEMO SITE TEMPLATE IMPORT

Clean Web Template

• Blank SharePoint 2010 Project• Two Features: Deployment (WebTemplate) & Default (site objects)• Object Folders (Lists, Modules, etc.)• PropertyBag module: WebTemplate Id• WebTemplate Element

– Elements.xml– ONET.xml

• Copy from 14\Templates\SiteTemplates\*• Change deployment type to ElementFile• Remove DocumentTemplates• Remove all configurations EXCEPT -1 & 0• Remove Modules• Remove ListInstances• Associate Default Feature

• Pre/Post Deployment Actions

DEMO WEB TEMPLATE CREATION

Add Content

• Publishing Pages / Images– Include file in Module and update properties in elements.xml

• Wiki Pages– Use elements.xml to add file by referring to existing page template,

updating properties as needed (WikiField)

• List Items– Elements file for ListInstance– Feature Receiver

• Sub Sites– Feature Receiver

Resources

• Vesa Juvonen > SharePoint 2010 and Web Templates: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vesku/archive/2010/10/14/sharepoint-2010-and-web-templates.aspx

• Mirjam van Olst > Site Definitions vs. Web Templates: http://sharepointchick.com/archive/0001/01/01/site-definitions-vs.-webtemplates.aspx

• MSDN > WebTemplates and Site Definitions: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms434313.aspx

Ryan McIntyre

ryan.mcintyre@neudesic.com

http://blog.randomdust.com@ryanmcintyre

303-520-6337