Plan content management with Master Pages in SharePoint well to avoid pitfalls later

Many of you may have begun to work with content management in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, specifically using the publishing capabilities of a SharePoint site in which the publishing feature has been enabled.

A common pitfall that is often discovered a bit too late is that a publishing enabled SharePoint site only allows one Master Page per site or sub-site, at least when the “out of the box” publishing capabilities are used. This is because a publishing enabled SharePoint site uses a token which points to the “Custom Master Page”, which is then used as the master page for all pages within the site or sub-site. If creating an “aspx” page from a master page, then you may use whichever master page you choose. However, when using publishing pages such as page layouts, the master page for that site is always set to the custom master page only. It is not possible to change the master page dynamically at run-time without additional programming and customization.

This may be avoided. You are allowed to a have a master page for each site or sub-site. In SharePoint designer, simply browse to the site or sub-site for which you want to specify your master page, go to the “_catalogs/MasterPages” directory and create your site specific master page. Then, you can right click that page and choose to set it to the custom master page for that site or sub-site. When working with page layouts for your sub-site in SharePoint designer, you may still see the parent site’s master page in design view. However, when you preview the page in a browser, the master page for the sub-site which you have set as the custom master page for that site will be rendered.

When planning your content in SharePoint, specifically when using the publishing features, be certain that you are dividing your content subjects accordingly by site collections, sites and sub-sites. This will help you avoid boxing yourself into a master page whose content is not applicable to your specific page.

Ryan Benton is a Technical Manager, Project Manager and Software Developer for Webworld Technologies principally working on projects involving Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, Microsoft ASP.NET, SQL Server, Reporting Services and Analysis Services. Ryan has worked for Microsoft Corporation as well as Microsoft Business Solutions partners supporting CRM and ERP software. Ryan holds several certifications including the Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer and Project Management Professional certifications and a graduate certificate in Software Development Management from University of Maryland University College. He is currently completing is masters in Software Engineering. Ryan's bachelor degree is in music and when he is not working in information technology, he enjoys playing piano and bass guitar in jazz and rock groups as well as spending time with his wife and two children.

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