SharePoint 2007: Defining your own Portal Template and Customising Look and Feel

Whilst looking for a way to customize the "Custom" site templates name after create a Site Template, I came across the following this post which looks quite interesting. It shows you how to modify the Colloboration Portal to create your own Colloboration Portal Template

http://sharepointandstuff.blogspot.com/2007/07/customizing-out-of-box-collaboration.html

If you are looking for a way to fix the "Custom", the following post will help:

http://blogs.officezealot.com/mauro/archive/2007/06/13/20412.aspx

Apply a theme across all sites in a Site Collection
Also, if you want to apply the CSS of a particular theme across a whole site collection, or from a site and all its subsites, you'll need to do the following. You need to find the path to the theme you have chosen (e.g. /_themes/Lacquer/Lacq1011-65001.css), and then apply this to the top level site and all subsites in the Alternate CSS URL (Site Actions > Site Settings > Master Page). Once you apply the CSS to all subsites, you'll have gotten rid of the MS Blue forever ;)

Change the SharePoint Site Logo across a Site Collection
In case you want to change the Site Logo image across all the site collection, Shane explains cross how to easily do this using SharePoint Designer. Basically, you need to replace the Logo Place holder in the Site Collection master page with an img tag which references your logo.

• Browse to the top level of your site collection in the browser. Site Actions > View All Site Content. Select the Site Collection Images Library and upload your Company Logo (companylogo.gif)
• Open SharePoint Designer 2007 and Select File, Open Site. Type the URL of the top level of your site collection. Locate the master page gallery in the left pane. _catalogs\masterpage
• Double click the default.master (you may be prompted to check it out - if so choose yes)
• Search For: <sharepoint:sitelogoimage id="onetidHeadbnnr0" logoimageurl="/_layouts/images/titlegraphic.gif" runat="server/">
  Repace With: <asp:Image runat="server" id="logo" ImageUrl="< %$ SPUrl: ~sitecollection/sitecollectionimages/companylogo.gif %>"/>

SharePoint 2007: Show the Quick Launch in Custom Web Part Pages

Funnily, when you create a Web Part Page, the Quick Launch is not available. This has always annoyed me, because it changes the look and feel of the whole site. Looks like this can be easily fixed.

One Off Fix

• Open the Page for editing in Sharepoint Designer
• Remove the LeftNavBar Content Place holder from Master Page (ie. remove the content Place holder)
• Save the Page. You can now find the Quick Launch in Web Part Page

Permanent Fix

If you have MOSS 2007 - All you have to do is to activate the "Office SharePoint Server Publishing" feature for your team site. Once you activate this feature, the team site will have some publising site features: a new "pages" library will be created, and all new created pages will be automatically stored in this library. In addition all pages will display the same "envelope" - including the missing quick launch on the left side of each page.

The only problem with this solution is that now every change you make requires publishing, and this is certainly NOT a natural part of team-site working flow.

Hack

This is the same as above fix in SharePoint Designer however the hack is on the file system and applies to all team sites created on your server. Also, if any upgrade changes these files, you'll have the "old" style again. And please backup before you change anything.

If you only have WSS installed - in this case you don't have the "Office SharePoint Server Publishing" feature installed. However, you can change the team site page templates, and have them display the quick launch.

• Browse to the "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\1033\STS\DOCTEMP\SMARTPGS" folder on the SharePoint server.This folder contains all templates that you see in the "New Web Part Page" wizard
• Every page inherits the same team site's master page, and all of them override this master page's placeholder tags. This is why the quick launch is not displayed in new pages created in a team site.
• Delete the "PlaceHolderLeftNavBar" content tag in the required templates and save the file/s
  

References:

http://techblog.udayakumar.net/2007/08/how-to-display-quick-launch-in-web-part.html

http://kwizcom.blogspot.com/2007/05/adding-quick-launch-to-team-site-pages.html

Google Account - Where is the My Account link?

This morning, as soon as I accessed my iGoogle page, I found the My Account link had disappeared. Instead it has been replaced by a Web History and Preferences buttons which I rarely used and need. I rarely need to edit my Preferences, whilst I access My Account at the least every few hours.

I loved the fact that My Account made all my various Google Services including, AdSense, Analytics and WebMaster tools available under a single link.

So please Google, give me back the My Account button on the iGoogle default page! Funnily it appears after I run search. Now why would I need to access My Account if I am searching for something?!

Update: It has re-appeared :)

SharePoint - Programming Security

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/08/02/OfficeSpace/