Essential SharePoint

Creating Custom Site Templates

To create a custom site template:

1. Create a new site based on one of the predefined site templates.

2. Modify the site.

3. Save the site as a template.

For example, to extend the standard Team Site template to include a Picture Library:

1. Create a new site based on the Team Site template. Choose Create → Web Pages → Sites and Workspaces, enter a title and address, and then click Create.

2. Add a Picture Library to the site. Choose Pictures → Create Picture Library → Picture Library, enter a library name, and then click Create.

3. Save the site as a custom template. Choose Site Settings → Go to Site Administration → Save site as template. Figure 3-2 illustrates the results.

4. Complete the Save Site as Template page and choose OK to create the template.

5. SharePoint saves the site as a template file and adds it to the Site Template Gallery list.

Figure 3-2. Saving a modified site as a new, custom template

Custom templates added to the Site Template Gallery appear in the templates list when you create a new site, as shown in Figure 3-3.

Viewing, Editing, and Deleting Template Files

The custom template file (.stp) in Figure 3-2 is actually a compressed cabinet file containing an XML template description. To see the contents of the template file:

1. Choose Site Settings → Go to Site Administration → Manage site template gallery. SharePoint displays a list of the custom templates. ...