Chapter 2: Navigating a SharePoint Site

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Chapter at a Glance

Navigate the site content, page 16. Customize the top link bar, page 28. Customize the left navigation panel, page 31. Understand Web Part pages, page 35.

In This Chapter, You will Learn to:

• Navigate the home page and the SharePoint site.

• Navigate the site hierarchy.

• Browse the lists on a SharePoint site.

• Browse the document libraries.

• Cutomize the site navigation.

• Use the Recycle Bin.

• Understand Web Part Pages.

A typical Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Web site provides you with an infrastructure where your team can communicate, share documents and data, and work together. Different types of SharePoint sites have different infrastructures, such as a team site, a blank site, a Document Workspace, a Meeting Workspace, a blog site, and a wiki site. The team site infrastructure includes the following components.

• Libraries   Document, picture, and form libraries are collections of files that you share and work on with your team members. A typical team site includes a built-in document library called Shared Documents. You can create your own document, picture, and form libraries when needed.

• Lists   With SharePoint lists, you and your team members can work with structured, tabular data on the Web site. A typical team site includes four built-in lists: Announcements, Calendar, Links, and Tasks. Other lists are provided by Windows SharePoint Services that you can add to your site if required. You can also create custom lists.

• Discussion boards   Discussion boards provide a forum where you and your team members can post comments and reply to each others’ comments. By default, a typical team site comes with a built-in discussion board named Team Discussion. You can create your own discussion boards when needed.

• Surveys     Surveys provide a way of polling team members. SharePoint sites don’t have a built-in survey, but you can create your own.

• Recycle Bin   The Recycle Bin allows you to restore items that have been deleted from the site.

In this chapter, you will learn how to navigate the SharePoint site infrastructure. You will start with the home page of a typical SharePoint site and then learn how to browse the site hierarchy. You will also learn how to navigate lists and libraries on your SharePoint site and customize navigation, as well as understand the concepts of Web Part Pages.

Important  

Before you can use the practice sites provided for this chapter, you need to install them from the book’s companion CD to their default locations. See “Using the Book’s CD” on page xix for more information.

Important  

Remember to use your SharePoint site location in place of http://wideworldimporters in the exercises.