Creating Document Libraries


One of the most common uses for SharePoint products and technologies has been as a document management platform. Indeed, the model that SharePoint uses, where documents are managed, indexed, and modified from within a database, is the model that Microsoft and many other companies are headed for. Central to this concept is the SharePoint document library. A document library is a logical location in a SharePoint site that is used to store documents and other files.

A document library can contain more than just documents. In fact, document libraries can natively support many other different kinds of files, such as Excel spreadsheets, other Office files, Adobe Acrobat files, and even media files. The truth is, you can easily upload any type of file into a document library, although it is most efficient to upload documents and other types of files that can be indexed and searched.

NOTE

SharePoint is not a file server replacement location for files such as executables, DLLs, and other system files. In fact, by default, SharePoint will try to block files such as these from being uploaded. You can circumvent these protections, if necessary, but it is important to understand that SharePoint is mainly a document management and portal solution, and not a file server.


Any SharePoint site can contain a number of document libraries. In fact, it is often the case that a particular site will have many document libraries, because the permission structure in SharePoint will not get any more granular than the document library level, which necessitates the creation of multiple document libraries if different permissions are needed.

To create a new document library in Windows SharePoint Services, perform the following steps:

1.

From the home page of the site, click the Create link on the top bar.

2.

Select Document Library from the list of options.

3.

Enter a name and description for the document library, similar to the one shown in Figure 19.1.

Figure 19.1. Creating a document library.


4.

Under Navigation, select whether to display this document library on the default Quick Launch bar on the left side of the site home page.

5.

Under Document Versions, specify whether to create a version each time a file is edited.

6.

Under Document Template, choose what the default document template will be when a user creates a new document in this library.

7.

Click Create when you are finished.

NOTE

Once a document library is created, it will not automatically show up on the default view of the site. If you want your users to see it, you will need to place and configure its Web Part on the site. For more information on how to accomplish this, reference Lesson 18, "Adding and Linking Web Parts."


Once created, the document library will exist as part of your site content. You can then add items to the document library or customize the metadata you want associated with the documents.



    Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft SharePoint 2003 in 10 Minutes
    Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft SharePoint 2003 in 10 Minutes
    ISBN: 672327236
    EAN: N/A
    Year: 2004
    Pages: 181

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