Overview
As we all know, the publishing feature in SharePoint offers some great functionality including page layouts, the publishing approval workflow, the ability to schedule pages and so forth. Because this feature is scoped at the web level, we can choose to enable publishing in team sites that do not initially have the extra bells and whistles publishing has to offer. While this allows for great flexibility, it also causes what seems to be some odd behavior when trying to create publishing pages from the Site Actions menu. Upon closer inspection, the behavior actually makes sense.In this article, we will do a high level comparison of collaborative versus publishing sites, then we will dive into exactly where the Site Actions menu maintains the functionality associated with a collaborative site and where it “upgrades” and functions as expected in a publishing site. This mixed behavior is the primary cause of confusion when content managers attempt to create publishing pages in what was previously a collaborative site.
Collaborative Sites – a Comparison
Collaborative sites, often referred to as Team Sites, are a place for informal collaboration among colleagues. Information about tasks, schedules, discussion items and documents that are in work can all be managed within a team site. The idea is to keep constraints to a minimum so that maximum sharing of information can occur. Information is not screened; rather it is openly shared among particular groups. The default libraries and lists in a SharePoint Team Site are:| · Shared Documents · Site Assets · Site Pages · Announcements |
· Calendar · Links · Tasks · Team Discussion |
The Site Pages library is the default storage location for basic pages that are created by selecting Site Actions then New Page. It is a Wiki page library since the basic page is in fact a Wiki page.
Publishing Sites – a Comparison
Publishing sites provide a more formal process for sharing structured information such as press releases and other news articles. Typically only a few individuals have Contribute rights while the majority of the audience has Read only access. The default libraries and lists in a SharePoint Publishing Site are:| · Documents · Images |
· Pages · Workflow Tasks |
The Pages library is the default storage location for publishing pages which can be created by selecting Site Actions then New Page.
The publishing feature includes a publishing approval workflow to help ensure that the information shared is reviewed for quality and correctness. (Note that you must enable the requirement for content approval through the Library Settings > Versioning Settings.) Additionally, publishing pages have page layouts that can be changed on the fly, and custom page layouts can be created using SharePoint Designer in order to offer a very customized means of laying out information for users. Page layouts also provide a means for standardizing the layout of information. The use of page layouts in particular is a primary reason content managers will enable the publishing feature in a collaborative site.
Click here for Microsoft’s TechNet article discussing best practices using SharePoint Collaboration sites.
Click here for Microsoft’s TechNet article discussing best practices using SharePoint Publishing sites.
The Behavior
So, now that you have the background, let’s discuss the specifics of the behavior seen after publishing is enabled in a team site.Note: To enable publishing on a team site go to Site Actions > Site Settings > Site Actions > Manage site features and select Activate SharePoint Server Publishing.
Once publishing has been enabled, the lists and libraries associated with the publishing feature are created, but nothing changes from the home page. That is, when Site Actions then New Page is selected, a basic page is created in the Site Page library. The expected behavior would be that a publishing page would be created in the new Pages library. However, if you navigate to the All Site Content Page or any of the lists or libraries in the site, select Site Actions then New page, a publishing page is created in the Pages library (as expected).
The Explanation
This behavior is easily explained. All of the basic pages stored in the Site Pages library maintain the old behavior – a Site Actions menu with a New Page link that creates a new basic page in Site Pages. The home page of a team site (home.aspx) is a basic page stored in the Site Pages library; therefore it maintains the original behavior as just described. This remains true even after publishing is enabled. Remember, these basic pages are in fact Wiki pages. All other pages apply publishing functionality which means that creating a publishing page is the default functionality of the Site Actions > New Page link.Bear in mind that if you navigate to the Site Pages library (/SitePages/Forms/AllPages.aspx) and select Site Actions then New Page, a new publishing page will be created in the Pages library. While this is counter-intuitive, it is not illogical since the page is not stored in the root of the Site Pages library and is not a Wiki page.
A Little More About SharePoint Pages
To round out our discussion, SharePoint pages can also be created by selecting Site Actions > More Options and filtering by Page. In a team site with publishing enabled, three types of pages are available: a basic page, a publishing page and a web part page.- The basic Page will be created in the Site Pages library.
- The Publishing Page will be created in the Pages library.
- The Web Part Page provides a list of all Document libraries in the site, any of which can be selected to store the new Web Part Page.
In a publishing site (that began as a publishing site, not a collaborative site in which publishing was enabled), the basic page cannot be created until both a Site Assets library and a Site Pages library are created. (It’s a little like enabling a collaboration feature:) ) This relates back to the fact that site pages are Wiki pages therefore a Wiki library is required. The Site Assets library provides a location to store multi-media that is referenced on Wiki pages.
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