Wss3sdk: content type Introduction

Content type, a core concept, integrated in Windows SharePoint Services
3.0 provides various features and services to help users organize their SharePoint content in a more meaningful way. The content type is a set of repeated settings that you want to use for a specific type of content. The content type allows you to manage the metadata and behavior of documents or list items in a centralized location in a reusable manner.

For example, consider two types of documents: software specifications and legal contracts. It is reasonable that you want to store these two types of files in the same document library. However, the metadata you want to collect and store about each file type will be very different. In addition, you are likely to assign very different workflows for the two types of files.

Data required for content type Encapsulation

The content type allows you to store multiple different types of content in the same document library or list. In the previous example, you can define two content types (Specification) And contract (Contract). Each content type will contain different columns for collecting and storing project metadata and assigning different workflows to them. However, these two types of projects can be stored in the same document library.

You can change the content type to Windows SharePoint Services.
2.0 a complete and extended list. The original list is used by default to define a single data structure or architecture, which must be attached to all list items. In Windows SharePoint Services
2.0
The architecture of a project is closely related to its location. When you define a list or file library and define the columns of the list or document library, you have actually determined the data architecture of all projects stored in this location. Each column represents an additional piece of data for all the items in the list you are tracking.

Content type is a method used to encapsulate the data architecture so that it is independent from the location of the Sharepoint list. In Windows SharePoint Services
3.0, you can make the multi-architecture, in the form of multi-content, stored in the same list or document library. The specification content type may have the following metadata columns:Project Lead,DeveloperAndTest lead. On the other hand, the contract content type may have these columns:LawyerAndSigner. However, specifications and contracts can be stored in the same list or document library.

Content type settings

By specifying additional settings for the content type, such as workflows or custom attributes, You can further extend the content type function.

The content type can include the following information:

You need to assign this type of metadata or attribute. These are shown in the column in the list or document library when we add content types.
Customize the new, edit, and display forms used for this content type.

Workflow used by this content type project. These can be set to automatically start based on specific events or conditions or user operations.

You can specify different document templates for different document content types.

Any necessary information about the custom solution is associated with the content type. You can store the data of the content type as one or more XML files.

Standardize content by content type

Because the content type can be defined independently of any specific list or file library, you can make a specific content type available for the list of multiple SharePoint sites. In this way, you can centrally define and manage the types of content stored on your website. For example, you can use your specification content type to ensure that all software specifications comply with the same metadata definition, even if these specifications are stored under multiple websites.

The content type is independent of the file format.

Internal
The volume type is independent of the file format. For a document library, you can specify a document template. When a user requests a new document of the content type, Windows SharePoint
Services creates a new document based on this document template. However, users can still upload documents based on different templates, or even a completely different type of documents.

For example, suppose you create a content type to represent a business plan. This content type can be applied to any file format. You may have the following scenarios:

• Microsoft Office Word documents, including background information
• Microsoft Office Excel documents, including financial plans
• Microsoft Office PowerPoint documents, including venture capital demos
• Demonstration of some windows media document formats
• The Sharepoint list item contains the specified metadata.

All these files can be implemented by specifying the Business Plan content type.

You can also specify the content type to a Sharepoint project that does not contain files, such as list items or folders. The content type created for the document applies only to the document library. Similarly, the content type created for the list item applies only to the list. The content type created for the folder. It can be used in any document library or list.

Content type creation

You can create columns and content types in three ways:

• Use the Windows SharePoint Services User Interface
• Use the Windows SharePoint Services Object Model
• Deploy a feature to install the content type of the XML-based definition file.