Skip to content

Latest commit

 

History

History
116 lines (88 loc) · 5.92 KB

process.md

File metadata and controls

116 lines (88 loc) · 5.92 KB

Creating a site template for a modern SharePoint Online Teams site involves several steps, components, and tools. Let’s break down the process into a clear, step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Define the Template Requirements

Before diving into SharePoint, it’s essential to understand the structure and components needed in your site template. Here’s what you need to define:

• Purpose: Clarify the template’s purpose, such as a project site, department site, or document collaboration space. • Site Structure: Plan the pages, libraries, lists, and any custom metadata (columns) you’ll need. • Permissions: Determine if the site will have unique permissions or inherit them from the parent site. • Branding and Layout: Plan for specific colors, themes, and logos, if necessary.

Step 2: Create a Base Site

1. Create a New Site:

•	Go to SharePoint and create a new Team Site as a starting point. This site will act as your “master” template site.

2. Customize the Site Structure:

•	Add all the libraries, lists, and pages you need.
•	Configure any metadata (columns) in your lists and libraries that are necessary for your template.

3. Apply Branding:

•	Set the theme, logo, and site navigation. SharePoint allows you to customize the look and feel under Settings > Change the look.

Step 3: Configure Site Components

With your base site ready, it’s time to set up specific components.

1. Pages and Web Parts:

•	Add pages (such as the homepage, team page, etc.) and customize them with web parts like News, Document Library, Quick Links, and more.
•	Configure each web part to fit the intended purpose, like linking to key documents or showing recent news updates.

2. Lists and Libraries:

•	Add custom lists or libraries and define the necessary columns (metadata) to organize content.
•	Set views for these lists or libraries to display content effectively (e.g., by department, priority, or due date).

3. Content Types (optional but recommended for standardization):

•	Create custom content types in the Site Settings > Content types.
•	Add the content types to your lists or libraries to ensure consistency in metadata and structure across sites.

Step 4: Save the Site as a Template (Using Site Scripts and Site Designs)

Unlike classic SharePoint sites, you can’t directly save a modern site as a template. Instead, you use Site Scripts and Site Designs to automate the template creation.

1. Create Site Scripts:

•	Site Scripts are JSON files that describe the actions to apply to a SharePoint site. These actions can include creating lists, adding columns, applying themes, and setting navigation links.
•	Here’s a basic example of a Site Script to create a list with custom columns:

{
    "$schema": "schema.json",
    "actions": [
        {
            "verb": "createSPList",
            "listName": "Project Tasks",
            "templateType": 100,
            "subactions": [
                {
                    "verb": "setTitle",
                    "title": "Project Tasks"
                },
                {
                    "verb": "addSPField",
                    "fieldType": "Text",
                    "displayName": "Project Name",
                    "internalName": "ProjectName"
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "version": 1
}

• Use PnP PowerShell or the SharePoint Online Management Shell to deploy these scripts.

2. Create a Site Design:

•	A Site Design groups one or more Site Scripts and applies them when a new site is created.
•	Use PowerShell to add the Site Script to a Site Design, then register that Site Design so it appears as an option in SharePoint’s site creation menu.

Here’s how you would use PowerShell to create and register a Site Design:

Connect to SharePoint

Connect-SPOService -Url https://yourtenant-admin.sharepoint.com

Add Site Script

$siteScript = Add-SPOSiteScript -Title "Project Template Script" -Content $siteScriptJson

Create Site Design with the Site Script

Add-SPOSiteDesign -Title "Project Site Template" -WebTemplate "64" -SiteScripts $siteScript.Id -Description "Template for Project Sites"

Step 5: Deploy the Site Template

Once your Site Design is registered, you can use it to create new sites.

1. Create a Site Using the Template:

•	Go to SharePoint Admin Center > Sites > Active sites and select Create.
•	When prompted to choose a template, select Team Site and then apply your custom Site Design.

2. Verify and Fine-tune:

•	After the site is created, review it to ensure all lists, libraries, web parts, and settings have been applied correctly.
•	Make any necessary adjustments for specific use cases, if needed.

Step 6: Maintain and Update the Template

Your Site Script and Site Design can be modified as needed to keep the template current with organizational standards or additional features.

• Updating Site Scripts: • Edit the JSON file and re-upload it using the same PowerShell commands. • Version Control: • Consider adding version control to your Site Scripts, particularly if your organization requires frequent updates. • Document the Template: • Keep documentation of the template components and configurations so users understand how to use it.

Additional Tools and Tips

• PnP PowerShell: PnP PowerShell is a powerful tool for creating custom scripts, especially if you’re working with more complex configurations that standard Site Scripts cannot handle. • Power Automate: If you want to automate content creation or workflows within the site, consider adding Power Automate flows as part of the template. • Content Type Hub: If you’re using multiple sites with shared content types, consider using a Content Type Hub to manage them centrally.

By following these steps, you’ll have a reusable, modern SharePoint Online Teams site template that meets your organization’s needs. Let me know if you need more detailed guidance on any specific component!