SharePoint Designer 2010 – Working with content types

In one of my previous blogs, http://blog.wortell.nl/jasper/sharepoint-designer-2010-%E2%80%93-creating-list-and-columns/, I talked about how easy it is to create new lists and columns with SharePoint Designer 2010. In this blog I want to continue with SharePoint Designer and tell you how easy it is, to work with content types.

What is a content type? A content type is a unique item within SharePoint with its own columns, workflow and information management policy settings. This sounds pretty vague, I realize that. To make it a bit easier just look at the following example:





The Event option is actually a content type. With the Event content type you can create new events for your Calendar. Now click on this button:



These are the columns of the Event content type! Remember seeing the same thing for an announcement list? Also a content type! For a document library, the create new document option? Also a content type! So with content types you can create items within SharePoint.

So how do we create a new content type with SharePoint Designer? Open your site and look at the navigation menu:



Now click on Content Types:



You now see all the available content types. To create a new content type I can use the ribbon:



Just click on Content Type above New and the following screen will appear:



Give the content type a name and (optional) a description. When creating a new content type you always need to select a parent. If you want to create a new announcement content type, the parent needs to be an announcement content type. For our example we will choose Contact. Now, create a new group to place the new content type. It will be easier to find all your custom content types in the future.



My new content type has been created! I mentioned before that a content type has its own columns, so let's do that! Click on Edit content type columns:



You can see all the existing columns of the content type. It inherited these from the parent content type (Contacts). I only want to keep Full Name, E-mail, Company, Job Title and Business Phone. Select a column and click Delete in the ribbon. You can select multiple columns by holding the Control key.

I can also add new site columns by selecting Add existing Site Column. We won't do that for this demo. Save the modified settings and let's add the new content type to a contact list. Go to the contact list and from the setting page click Allow management of content types. Look at Content Types:



Click on Add and select our new content type. Now delete Contact and Folder by selecting them and choosing Delete in the ribbon. We are set! Open the browser and add a new item:



Every contact added will use our new content type with the unique set of columns. This content type can be used everywhere! That is one of the powers of content types J

Posted in: SharePoint Designer 2010