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
http://blog.randomdust.com@ryanmcintyre
303-520-6337
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