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Branding a MOSS Corporate Intranet Portal, Part 1a: High-level overview, terminology, and approach

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Part 1 of the branding posts attempts to guide developers in selecting the appropriate technical design for implementing branding/customization of SharePoint 2007-based sites, site collections, web applications, and farms.

This blog series does NOT cover the following key topics relating to branding:

· Business requirements and visual design. These should be completed before reviewing the concepts and techniques described below – this isn’t about WHAT to customize; it’s about HOW to do so.

· Customization Policies. See MOSS Governance articles for guidance on this topic. You absolutely need to let your user community know who is and is not going to be allowed to use the many MOSS branding techniques you have at your disposal.

Approach

The branding design follows three principles:

1. Make no customizations to the SharePoint codebase.

2. Maximize simplicity, performance, and ease of deployment.

3. When rules #1 & #2 are in conflict –via a SEVERE impact on simplicity, performance, ease of deployment, or a SharePoint design limitation - make a backup of the original codebase and modify the copy.

Updates to images and CSS files generally fall under the scope of rule #3 due to their typically negligible impact on application stability.

References

The high-level technologies used to impose the branding appear below. References for specialized technologies and techniques are noted. You should be at least broadly familiar with the technologies described and should refer to the targeted articles for supplemental material.

· .NET 2.0 Framework

o References: Certification study resources for MCP exam 70-536.

· ASP.NET 2.0

o References: Certification study resources for MCP exam 70-528.

o Reference: Liam Cleary’s HttpModule Investigation

o Reference: Intercept, Monitor, and Modify Web Requests with HTTP Filters in ISAPI and ASP.NET

· Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 APIs and Customization Methods

o Reference: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SDK

o Reference: KB944105

· WSS 3.0 Features

o Reference: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SDK

· WSS 3.0 Feature Stapling Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SDK

o Reference: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SDK

o Reference: Customizing MOSS 2007 My Sites within the Enterprise - https://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2007/03/22/customizing-moss-2007-my-sites-within-the-enterprise.aspx

· WSS 3.0 Themes

o Reference: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SDK

· Visual C#

· Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

· HTML

· ASP.NET 2.0 Master Pages 

Terminology

For experienced MOSS and/or ASP.NET 2.0 developers, most of this will be review. Many thanks to my colleagues who authored the WSS 3.0 SDK, from whom I’ve shamelessly cut-and-pasted some of these definitions.

For you seasoned folks, don’t skip this section, I’m using some of my own specialized terminology that applies consistently throughout this post.

· Master Page - Master pages provide a mechanism for defining the look and feel and standard behavior for multiple pages in a site. Together with content pages, they produce output that combines the layout of the master page with content from the content page.

· Theme - A theme is a unified set of design elements and color schemes that you apply to pages to give them a consistent and attractive appearance. A theme affects all aspects of the appearance of a page:

o Colors. Uses a color scheme to set the color of body text, headings, hyperlinks, page banner text, link bar labels, table borders, and the page background. You can use a normal or vivid color set.

o Graphics. Uses graphics for several page elements, such as the background picture, the page banner, bullets, navigation buttons, and horizontal lines. You can use the normal or active graphic set. The active graphic set uses animated page elements, such as hover buttons, instead of plain buttons on navigation bars.

o Styles. Uses its own styles (fonts) for the body text and headings.

· Site Page – In general, the “content” of the site. These include the home/default/welcome page and any user-created web pages.

· System Page – In general, pages for adding/editing content. These include the list/library views, and new/edit item pages.

· LAYOUTS Page – Pages used for site administration. Some of the key System pages that Members (the most common role in collaboration sites) have access to include Upload Document, View All Site Content, Recycle Bin, Alerts management, People & Groups. For purposes of branding, there are two categories of LAYOUT pages, based on their master page:

o Simple.master child pages – These special-purpose pages do not (and should not) access site data. Includes the Error page, Access Denied page, Request Access page, and Site Deleted page.

o All other LAYOUTS pages – These include the remainder of the LAYOUTS pages, which use one of three master pages: application.master, dialog.master, or pickerdialog.master.

· “Embedded” Components – Web parts placed in areas of the page that users cannot edit via the browser.

· Stapling – Technique for associating a Feature (like a Theme, Logo, or Master Page setting) with a site definition WITHOUT modifying its codebase. The technical designation for Feature Stapling is a FeatureSiteTemplateAssociation.

· Site Definition - A site definition is a set of (sometimes hundreds) of files installed on a SharePoint server that defines a unique type of SharePoint site. Natively installed definitions in WSS include the STS type, which defines the Team Site, Blank Site, and Document Workspace configurations, and the MPS type, which defines the Basic Meeting Workspace, Blank Meeting Workspace, Decision Meeting Workspace, Social Meeting Workspace, and Multipage Meeting Workspace configurations. MOSS includes additional site definitions. Site and System Pages are defined in site definitions.

Branding Tasks

As an end result, branding tasks are changes to pages, nothing more and nothing less. They can be classified by the change type, page type, and scope.

Branding tasks typically consist of one of the following four activities:

· Non-structural page changes – i.e. styles

· Page layout changes

· Page functionality/component changes – i.e. web parts, images, web controls, other resources

Branding tasks typically impact one or more of the following of pages:

· Site Pages

· System Pages

· LAYOUTS Pages

As a footnote, the “Operation in Progress” page is a special case that falls out of scope or all other branding activities. The only reasonable branding approach for this page is to update the styles or images it references. See Part 3 for notes on this topic.

Branding tasks are executed across one of the following scopes:

· Site/Site Collection (combined for simplicity)

· Web Application

· Farm

Key Component Relationships

Page-level

For purposes of branding tasks, there are 5 key page-level elements whose relationships require examination. For sake of clarity, not every possible relationship is illustrated.

· Master Page

o Can be used by 0 or more child pages

o Always contain a SharePoint CSS reference. This is not a technical limitation, but is a design best practice.

o Can contain 0 or more Other CSS references. Simple.master should contain at least one Other CSS reference to implement theme-based styles.

o Can contain 0 or more Other Resources

· Child Page

o Always have one master page

o Can contain 0 or more Other Resources

o DON’T reference either SharePoint CSS or Other CSS. These should be inherited through a Master Page as a design best practice.

· SharePoint CSS – Styles imposed via the <SharePoint:CssLink/> element. These include styles inherited from the Site object, such as the theme.

o Referenced on all master pages

· Other CSS – Styles imposed via an explicit <link /> element. These are styles that are referenced via a virtual directory URL (i.e. .css files in the LAYOUTS directory). Child pages of simple.master must use these references to retrieve styles from a theme.

o Referenced on 0 or more master pages

· Other Resources – Catch-all for any referenced content on a page, such as web parts, web controls, and images. Can be installed in a variety of locations/scopes – virtual directory (i.e. LAYOUTS/CONTROLTEMPLATES), site definition, site content, etc.

o Referenced on 0 or more master pages

o Referenced on 0 or more child pages. It’s essential to determine whether a component that needs to be customized is inherited from the master page or is implemented in the child page itself.

  Page ERD

Global

The diagram below attempts to capture the essential relationships for analyzing scope and page type considerations in branding tasks. These should be used for reference to understand the “why” criteria behind the “how” in the Branding Method selection. Components and branding relationships (this is not a rigorous entity-relationship diagram and should not be interpreted as such) are as follows:

· Farm

o Always has 3 or more web applications (Central Admin, SSP Admin, Content Web App at a minimum)

o Always has multiple site definitions

o Always has multiple theme definitions

· Web Application

o Hosted by exactly 1 farm

o Always has exactly 1 LAYOUTS directory.

§ Individual web applications can have different LAYOUTS directories (and therefore different LAYOUTS directory contents) by creating a copy of the original LAYOUTS directory, as per KB944105 method 1.

§ Strictly defined, there is 1 LAYOUTS directory per Web Application Zone, but that is not usually a practical distinction for branding purposes since Features for branding site/system pages cannot be activated in a specific zone.

o Hosts 0 or more site collections

o Has NO direct relationship to Site Definitions – all Site Definitions available in the farm behave in exactly the same state across all web applications, subject to changes imposed by Features

· Site Definition

o Defines 0 or more Sites

o Installed on exactly 1 farm

· Theme Definition

o Installed on exactly 1 farm

o Defines the theme for 0 or more Sites

· LAYOUTS Directory

o Used by 0 or more web applications

o Always contains 1 or more LAYOUTS master pages (5 OOTB)

o Always contains 1 or more LAYOUTS pages (many dozens OOTB)

o Also contains many resources used LAYOUTS pages (not pictured)

· LAYOUTS Master Page

o Hosted in exactly 1 LAYOUTS directory

o Applies to 0 or more LAYOUTS pages

o May inherit theme from Site Theme Setting (exception is simple.master)

· LAYOUTS Page

o Hosted in exactly 1 LAYOUTS directory

o Uses exactly 1 LAYOUTS master page

· Site Collection

o Hosted by exactly 1 web application

o Hosts 1 or more sites

· Site

o Hosted by exactly 1 site collection

o Defined by exactly 1 site definition

o Hosts 1 or more site pages

o Hosts 1 or more system pages

o Has a theme defined by exactly 1 theme definition

o Hosts 1 or more site-level master pages. These are contained in its master page gallery.

o DOES NOT HAVE A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP TO LAYOUTS PAGES. These are hosted by the web application.

o Has exactly 1 System Master Page Setting

o Has exactly 1 Site Master Page Setting

o Has exactly 1 Site Theme Setting

· Site Page

o Hosted by exactly 1 site

o Uses the master page specified by the Site Master Page Setting

· System Page

o Hosted by exactly 1 site

o Uses the master page specified by the System Master Page Setting

· Site-Level Master Page

o Hosted by exactly 1 site

o May be used as the System Master Page Setting

o May be used as the Site Master Page Setting

o Always inherits theme from the Site Theme Setting

· Site Master Page Setting

o Exactly 1 per site

o Setting applies to all Site Pages

· System Master Page Setting

o Exactly 1 per site

o Setting applies to all System Pages

· Site Theme Setting

o Exactly 1 per site

o Applies to all Site-level Master Pages (and through these, all Site & System Pages)

o Applies to MOST LAYOUTS Master Pages (and through these, most LAYOUTS Pages when viewed through this site). Exception are pages that inherit from simple.master.

branding ERD

Branding Methods

There are many, many ways to change SharePoint pages, individually or collectively. This section enumerates a reasonably comprehensive list of all the techniques to keep in mind for your branding efforts. The final section will attempt to guide you in identifying the best technique for each branding scenario you encounter.

Page Settings and Browser-Based Customization

Applicable Scopes: Site/Site Collection Only

Applicable Pages: Site & System (individual)

Browser-based customization simply entails invoking the edit mode for a page via the browser. Page setting changes include changing title, description, icon, and (for content pages) layout, contact, and audience targeting. Page content changes include adding/removing/changing web parts (for web part pages) and updating content areas (for content pages).

Site Settings

Applicable Scopes: Site/Site Collection Only

Applicable Pages: Site & System (multiple), non-SIMPLE LAYOUTS (theme only)

Updating site settings includes changing any of the settings under the “Look and Feel” section of site settings – Title/description/icon, master page, navigation, welcome page, theme, etc.

SharePoint Designer

SharePoint Designer is used for a variety of Page, Site, and Site Collection-level customizations.

Customize Page

Applicable Scopes: Site/Site Collection Only

Applicable Pages: Site & System (individual)

SP Designer can be used to create new pages or modify any aspect of an individual page. Examples and/or explanations appear below.

· Non-structural – changing style/stylesheet references

· Page Layout – anything and everything - master page reference, web part zones, HTML content, static elements, etc.

· Embedded functionality – Placeholders and settings for web parts and web controls. OOTB or currently installed components can be incorporated entirely through SP Designer; new components require installation by a farm administrator before SP Designer can be used to reference their position on a page.

Customize Master Page

Applicable Scopes: Site/Site Collection Only

Applicable Pages: Site & System (multiple)

As with child pages, SP Designer can be used to create new master pages or modify any aspect of a master page in a site’s Master Page Gallery. If a master page is selected as the Site Master Page or System Master Page, any changes made to it impact an entire class of pages in the site.

OOTB Site Definition Copy

Applicable Scopes: Farm

Applicable Pages: Site & System (individual or multiple)

This is the supported method for customizing an OOTB site definition – create a new copy of the site definition and implement any necessary changes.

Custom Component (non-Feature) Install

Web Parts

The WSS 3.0 SDK provides detailed instructions for installing custom web parts.

New Functionality

Applicable Scopes: All (depends on where web part is used)

Applicable Pages: All (depends on where web part is used)

Branding tasks may require new functionality, which is often implemented through web parts.

Page Manipulation Web Part

Applicable Scopes: Farm, Web Application

Applicable Pages: Site Pages

Branding tasks may require adding/removing/updating web parts that appear by default in the Web Part Zones of a site page. The Page Manipulation Web Part – if it is hidden in the Site Master Page – can be used to apply these changes at any scope. Since SPDesigner is a much simpler option at the site/site collection scope, this technique is best used at the Farm and Web Application scopes.

My original source for this web part is the PartCheck.cs part offered by Steve Peschka in this post.

Custom Master Pages

Applicable Scopes: All (depends on how master page is applied)

Applicable Pages: All LAYOUTS Pages

Custom master pages for site and system pages should be installed in the Master Page Gallery either manually or via Features. NEW custom master pages for LAYOUTS pages should be installed in the LAYOUTS directory, optionally in a web application-specific customizations directory, i.e.:

· C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\LAYOUTS

o .\LAYOUTS\customizations

§ .\LAYOUTS\customizations\SSPAdmin

§ .\LAYOUTS\customizations\MySites

§ .\LAYOUTS\customizations\TeamSites

Configuration settings to specify custom LAYOUTS master pages will be set at the web application level in the web.config file. Implementation of these custom master pages – either as a replacement for a particular OOTB LAYOUTS master page, or as a replacement for a specific LAYOUT page’s master page - is best achieved through redirects applied by an HttpModule, discussed in the HttpModule section.

Global branding for all site and system pages requires developing custom versions of the following pages, the original copies of which are found in \Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\GLOBAL:

· Default.master

· MWSDefault.master

Global branding for the LAYOUTS pages requires developing custom versions of all 4 OOTB LAYOUTS master pages:

· Application.master

· Simple.master

· Dialog.master

· Pickerdialog.master

Customizing application.master and simple.master willsuffice for most branding efforts. The following lists enumerate where each master page is used

Application.Master

AclInv.aspx

addcontentsource.aspx

AddContentTypeToList.aspx

AddFieldFromTemplate.aspx

addfiletype.aspx

addrole.aspx

addservernamemappings.aspx

AddWrkfl.aspx

AdminRecycleBin.aspx

advsetng.aspx

approve.aspx

AreaCacheSettings.aspx

AreaNavigationSettings.aspx

AreaTemplateSettings.aspx

AreaWelcomePage.aspx

associatedgroups.aspx

AssocWrkfl.aspx

AuditSettings.aspx

avreport.aspx

BackLinks.aspx

bpcf.aspx

BulkWrkTaskHandler.aspx

BulkWrkTaskIP.aspx

category.aspx

ChangeContentTypeOptionalSettings.aspx

ChangeContentTypeOrder.aspx

ChangeFieldOrder.aspx

ChangeSiteMasterPage.aspx

checkin.aspx

contentaccessaccount.aspx

ContentTypeConverterSettings.aspx

ConverterSettings.aspx

copy.aspx

copyresults.aspx

copyrole.aspx

copyutil.aspx

crawledproperty.aspx

create.aspx

CreatePage.aspx

CreateWebPage.aspx

createws.aspx

CstWrkflIP.aspx

ctdmsettings.aspx

ctypedit.aspx

ctypenew.aspx

customizereport.aspx

DeactivateFeature.aspx

deleteweb.aspx

dladvopt.aspx

dmplaceholder.aspx

DocTrans.aspx

dws.aspx

EawfDocId.aspx

EawfGrpDispForm.aspx

EawfRoleDispForm.aspx

EawfRoleEditForm.aspx

EawfRoleNewForm.aspx

EawfTaskEditForm.aspx

EawfTmpltEditForm.aspx

EawfTmpltMainForm.aspx

EawfTmpltNewForm.aspx

EawfUserDispForm.aspx

EawfUserEditForm.aspx

EawfUserInvForm.aspx

EawfUserNewForm.aspx

EawfUserPrefForm.aspx

editcopyinformation.aspx

editcrawlrule.aspx

editgrp.aspx

editnav.aspx

editprms.aspx

editprofile.aspx

editrelevancesettings.aspx

editrole.aspx

EGEdtOrg.aspx

EGNewOrg.aspx

EGOrgCht.aspx

EmailDetails.aspx

EmailSettings.aspx

EnableAlerts.aspx

enhancedsearch.aspx

exemptpolicy.aspx

exportpolicy.aspx

FldEdit.aspx

FldEditEx.aspx

FldNew.aspx

FldNewEx.aspx

fldpick.aspx

folders.aspx

formEdt.aspx

getssploginfo.aspx

getsspscopes.aspx

getsspstatus.aspx

groups.aspx

hold.aspx

holdreport.aspx

htmltrredir.aspx

htmltrverify.aspx

importpolicy.aspx

indxcol.aspx

infopage.aspx

IniWrkflIP.aspx

irm.aspx

irmrept.aspx

ItemRWfAssoc.aspx

keyword.aspx

linkschecker.aspx

linkscheckerwiz.aspx

listcontentsources.aspx

listedit.aspx

ListGeneralSettings.aspx

listkeywords.aspx

listservernamemappings.aspx

ListSyndication.aspx

logsummary.aspx

logviewer.aspx

LongRunningOperationProgress.aspx

lstsetng.aspx

ManageCheckedOutFiles.aspx

ManageContentType.aspx

ManageContentTypeField.aspx

managecopies.aspx

managecrawlrules.aspx

managedproperty.aspx

ManageFeatures.aspx

managefiletypes.aspx

ManageItemScheduling.aspx

matchingrule.aspx

mcontent.aspx

mngctype.aspx

mngdisc.aspx

mngfield.aspx

myquicklinks.aspx

mysite.aspx

MySubs.aspx

navoptions.aspx

new.aspx

NewDwp.aspx

newgrp.aspx

newlink.aspx

newMWS.aspx

newnav.aspx

NewPageLayout.aspx

newsbweb.aspx

NewTranslationManagement.aspx

NewVariationSite.aspx

NoCrawlSettings.aspx

ObjectCacheSettings.aspx

officialfilesuccess.aspx

osssearchresults.aspx

PageSettings.aspx

password.aspx

people.aspx

permsetup.aspx

policy.aspx

policyconfig.aspx

policycts.aspx

policylist.aspx

Portal.aspx

prjsetng.aspx

publishback.aspx

qlreord.aspx

qstedit.aspx

qstnew.aspx

quicklinks.aspx

quiklnch.aspx

RecycleBin.aspx

reghost.aspx

regionalsetng.aspx

releasehold.aspx

RemWrkfl.aspx

reorder.aspx

reporting.aspx

ReqFeatures.aspx

ReqGroup.aspx

ReqGroupConfirm.aspx

role.aspx

savetmpl.aspx

schema.aspx

scope.aspx

scopedisplaygroup.aspx

scsignup.aspx

searchandaddtohold.aspx

searchreset.aspx

searchresultremoval.aspx

searchresults.aspx

searchsspsettings.aspx

selectuser.aspx

setanon.aspx

setrqacc.aspx

settings.aspx

SiteCacheSettings.aspx

sitedirectorysettings.aspx

SiteRss.aspx

SiteSubs.aspx

sledit.aspx

slnew.aspx

spcf.aspx

SubEdit.aspx

SubNew.aspx

success.aspx

SurvEdit.aspx

templatepick.aspx

themeweb.aspx

tnreord.aspx

topnav.aspx

TranslatableSettings.aspx

updatecopies.aspx

updateschedule.aspx

upload.aspx

usage.aspx

usagedetails.aspx

useconfirmation.aspx

user.aspx

userdisp.aspx

useredit.aspx

VariationLabel.aspx

VariationLabels.aspx

VariationLogs.aspx

VariationSettings.aspx

VersionDiff.aspx

versions.aspx

viewedit.aspx

viewlsts.aspx

viewnew.aspx

viewscopes.aspx

viewscopesettings.aspx

viewtype.aspx

vsubwebs.aspx

workflow.aspx

workspce.aspx

WPPrevw.aspx

WrkMng.aspx

WrkSetng.aspx

WrkStat.aspx

WrkTaskIP.aspx

XlateWfAssoc.aspx

EawfUserTitle.aspx

EawfViewAttachments.aspx

editcontentsource.aspx

mngsiteadmin.aspx

mngsubwebs.aspx

ModWrkflIP.aspx

mycontactlinks.aspx

mymemberships.aspx

SpUsageConfig.aspx

srchvis.aspx

StorMan.aspx

SubChoos.aspx

Simple.Master

· AccessDenied.aspx

· confirmation.aspx

· error.aspx

· login.aspx

· reqacc.aspx

· signout.aspx

· webdeleted.aspx

Dialog.Master

AddNavigationLinkDialog.aspx

AssetEditHyperLink.aspx

AssetImagePicker.aspx

AssetPortalBrowser.aspx

CmsSlwpAddEditGroup.aspx

CmsSlwpAddEditLink.aspx

CmsSlwpEditView.aspx

CmsSlwpSortLinks.aspx

editpropertynames2.aspx

excelcellpicker.aspx

PageVersionInfo.aspx

PickerTreeView.aspx

quicklinksdialogform.aspx

ResolveRecipient.aspx

ReusableTextPicker.aspx

RTE2ERowColSize.aspx

RTE2ETable.aspx

selectpicture2.aspx

SmtCommentsDialog.aspx

SpellChecker.aspx

UnapprovedResources.aspx

PickerDialog.Master

· CreateAdAccount.aspx

· picker.aspx

· ViewGroupPermissions.aspx

· webpartgallerypickerpage.aspx

Custom Themes

Applicable Scopes: All (depends on where theme is applied)

Applicable Pages: All (if the considerations listed above are addressed – otherwise, SIMPLE LAYOUTS pages will not be affected)

Implementation of custom themes is detailed in the WSS 3.0 SDK.

One important addendum to the implementation of custom themes concerns the LAYOUTS simple.master page – this page cannot access site theme data due to permissions restrictions, so it must reference a theme CSS that is located in the LAYOUTS directory. For example, if a user is hitting the Request Access or Access Denied pages, the user probably doesn’t have access to site properties, which includes the site’s theme. Similarly, if a user’s hitting the Error or Site Deleted page, there may be no way of using the theme.

OOTB, simple.master has a hard-coded reference to the theme.css in the LAYOUTS directory, which is the Default theme’s CSS. To impose a different OOTB or custom theme’s theme.css on simple.master-derived pages, impose a custom simple.master and install the CSS file in a LAYOUTS\customizations directory as described above for custom master pages. Implementing a custom theme’s CSS for LAYOUTS pages is best achieved through applying custom master pages to LAYOUTS pages (above).

Implementing custom themes also requires updating the SPTHEMES.XML file in the LAYOUTS\1033 directory. Follow KB944105 method 1 to manage this customization.

Other Customized “12 Directory” Components

Several other classes of components may require customization for branding tasks. The four most common are listed below:

Component Type

Location

Customization considerations

Applicability

Images

\12\TEMPLATE\IMAGES

Follow KB944105 method 1. Other effective approaches, such as ISAPI filters and custom site definitions, are simply impractical for these simple changes.

Scopes: All

Pages: All

Stylesheets

\12\TEMPLATE\LAYOUTS\1033\STYLES

Unless custom site definitions are involved, follow KB944105 method 1. ISAPI filters are also effective, but are not practical for most situations.

With a custom site definition, use the AlternateCSS attribute (see WSS v3 SDK) and place the alternate CSS file in \12\TEMPLATE\LAYOUTS\1033\Customizations. As site definitions are farm-level entities, no web application-specific versions are necessary.

Scopes: All

Pages: All

Controls

\12\TEMPLATE\CONTROLTEMPLATES

Approach depends on scope, page type, and change type.

For controls referenced in master pages, create a custom COPY of the OOTB component (or the new custom component), create a custom master page, reference the COPY in the new master page, and apply the master page. Techniques for applying master page vary by scope and page type.

For controls referenced in child pages, ISAPI redirects to a custom copy of the OOTB component are always an option, though KB944105 methods apply for particular scopes. See branding method matrices and ISAPI redirect implementation notes for details.

Place the new components or custom copies of OOTB components in a single directory - \12\TEMPLATE\CONTROLTEMPLATES\Customizations .

Scopes: All

Pages: All

Pages

\12\TEMPLATE\LAYOUTS

Approach is largely scope-dependent. HttpModule redirects to a custom copy of the OOTB component are always an option, though KB944105 methods apply for particular scopes. See branding method matrices and HttpModule redirect implementation notes for details.

Scopes: All

HttpModules

Applicable Scopes: All

Applicable Pages: All LAYOUTS Pages (not recommended for site or system pages)

Thanks to Liam for his excellent post on this subject that got me started down this particular rabbit hole…

For the Farm and Web Application scope, HttpModules are an alternative to the methods described in KB944105 for applying customizations to LAYOUTS directory components, and (along with ISAPI filters) are the only means of applying customizations to these components at the site/site collection level. HttpModules are registered at the web application level and can examine & participate in every request made to a web application (see https://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb398986(VS.90).aspx for a detailed overview). Since HttpModules participate in every request, they can incur a performance penalty, so should be kept a simple and as performant as possible. For branding purposes, a simple and highly effective technique is to implement a custom HttpModule that changes a page’s master page or redirects the page itself based on various criteria.

Using Liam’s code as the foundation, I added a number of configurable settings and process flows to create the MOSS.Branding.ResourceRedirect HttpModule. Code and design are described in detail in Part 3. It implements four types of configurable master page redirects that cover all LAYOUTS page customization scenarios: Master-page specific, URL Pattern-match (page- and path-specific), and Combination. ResourceRedirect also implements a full page redirect based on a pattern match.

An arbitrary number of redirects can be configured, but these must be used sparingly to prevent performance degradation! Use the methods described in KB944105 for extensive or complex customizations to LAYOUTS pages.

HttpModules should NOT be used to apply branding to site or system pages. Use features and feature stapling to brand these types of pages.

Master Page-specific Filtering

Master Page-specific filtering enables ResourceRedirect to swap Master Page X for all pages that use Master Page Y. This technique can be used apply customizations to ALL LAYOUTS pages at the web application scope (by registering the HttpModule with an individual web application) and farm scopes (by registering the HttpModule with all web applications). These types of filters will cover the broad majority of branding scenarios.

Example: Rebrand all LAYOUTS pages in the Team Sites Web Application descended from simple.master and application.master

1. Register ResourceRedirect with the https://teamsites.contoso.com web.config file.

2. Add web.config entries with the following mappings:
<Branding>
<masterRedirects>
<redirect masterPageUrl="~/_layouts/customizations/team/newsimple.master" originalMaster="simple.master"/>
<redirect masterPageUrl="~/_layouts/customizations/team/newapplication.master"
originalMaster="application.master"/>
</masterRedirects>
</Branding>

Page-Specific Pattern-match Filtering

Page-specific pattern-match filtering sets the master page for all LAYOUTS pages whose case-insensitive URL contains a particular string to Master Page X. These can be used to customize a single LAYOUTS page across an entire web application. For example, assigning a new master page to “settings.aspx” would apply a new layout to the Site Settings page for all site collections in a web application, but leave all other LAYOUTS pages unaffected.

Example: Rebrand all settings.aspx pages with a new master page:

1. Register ResourceRedirect with the https://teamsites.contoso.com web.config file.

2. Add web.config entries with the following mappings:
<Branding>
<pageRedirects>
<redirect masterPageUrl="~/_layouts/customizations/team/newapplication.master" pattern="settings.aspx"/>
</pageRedirects>
</Branding>

Path-Specific Pattern-match Filtering

Path-specific pattern-match filtering sets the master page for all LAYOUTS pages whose case-insensitive URL starts with a particular string to Master Page X. Thesepattern matches can be used to customize a single LAYOUTS page in a single site. For example, assigning a new master page to “https://teamsites.contoso.com/sites/team1/settings.aspx” would apply a new layout to the Site Settings page for the https://teamsites.contoso.com/sites/team1/ site but leave the Site Settings page for all other sites (and all other LAYOUTS pages) unaffected.

Example: Rebrand https://teamsites.contoso.com/sites/team1/settings.aspx with a new master page:

1. Register ResourceRedirect with the https://teamsites.contoso.com web.config file.

2. Add web.config entries with the following mappings:
<Branding>
<pathRedirects>
<redirect masterPageUrl="~/_layouts/customizations/team/newapplication.master"
pattern="/sites/team1/_layouts/settings.aspx"/>
</pathRedirects>
</Branding>

Combination (Path + Master Page) Filtering

Combination filters swap Master Page X for all pages that use Master Page Y AND whose URLs starts with a path-specific pattern. Combination filters can be used to customize ALL LAYOUTS pages in a single site or site collection.

Example: Rebrand all LAYOUTS pages in https://teamsites.contoso.com/sites/team1/ descended from simple.master and application.master

1. Register ResourceRedirect with the https://teamsites.contoso.com web.config file.

2. Add web.config entries with the following mappings:
<Branding>
<masterRedirects>
<redirect masterPageUrl="~/_layouts/customizations/team/newsimple.master"
originalMaster="simple.master" pattern="/sites/team1/_layouts/ "/>
<redirect masterPageUrl="~/_layouts/customizations/team/newapplication.master"
originalMaster="application.master" pattern="/sites/team1/_layouts/"/>
</masterRedirects>
</Branding>

Note: Include the “_layouts” path in the pattern to limit the redirect to a single site. Omit the “_layouts” path to apply the redirect to the site path and all subsites.

Destination Redirects

Destination redirects use pattern-match filtering to redirect one LAYOUTS page whose case-insensitive URL starts with a particular string to a customized copy of that LAYOUTS page. Depending on the pattern used, this can be applied to the web application, site collection, or site scope.

Example: Redirect all traffic to /_layouts/error.aspx on https://teamsistes.contoso.com to /_layouts/customizations/team/newerror.aspx:

1. Register ResourceRedirect with the https://teamsites.contoso.com web.config file.

2. Add web.config entries with the following mappings:
<Branding>
<destinationRedirects>
<redirect destinationPageUrl="/_layouts/customizations/team/newerror.aspx"
pattern="/_layouts/error.aspx"/>
</destinationRedirects>
</Branding>

Caution: Redirects to customized LAYOUTS pages may require extensive unit and regression testing.

Precedence

ResourceRedirect applies filters in decreasing order of restrictiveness to ensure that only the most specific rule is applied - i.e. “https://teamsites.contoso.com/sites/team1/settings.aspx” might fit both a combination filter for that URL and the application.master page, as well as a page-specific filter on “settings.aspx”, so if precedence was not applied, the site-specific customizations might be lost. Precedence is as follows:

1. Destination. Destination rules are identified in the Branding/destinationRedirects configuration section.

2. Combination. Combination rules are identified in the Branding/comboRedirects configuration section.

3. Path-specific. Path-specific rules are identified in the Branding/pathRedirects configuration section.

4. Page-specific. Page-specific rules are identified in the Branding/pageRedirects configuration section.

5. Master Page-specific. Master page rules are identified Branding/masterRedirects configuration section.

ISAPI Filter

Applicable Scopes: All

Applicable Pages: All

An ISAPI filter is a lower-level analog to an HttpModule. These can be used to redirect specific non-page resources, such as images and stylesheets. These are an alternative to KB944105 method 1, but can incur performance penalties. These are generally recommended only for broadly-skilled development teams (gotta know C++) – see https://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/02/08/HTTPFilters/ for a detailed discussion of this topic.

Features

The SharePoint Features framework is the preferred mechanism for applying customizations to site and system pages. Two specific feature types are described in the branding technique matrices: Custom Pages and Custom Master Pages.

Custom Page

Applicable Scopes: All (optimal for Web Application scope)

Applicable Pages: Site, System

Custom Page Features are simply replacements for the original pages defined by the site definition. To implement a feature that applies a custom page, copy the site definition page, apply the necessary changes, and create a feature that installs the page in the appropriate folder. In most branding scenarios, these should be hidden features that are stapled to a particular site definition. These are applicable to all scopes, but Farm-scoped custom site & system pages are more easily implemented via custom site definitions and site/site collection-scoped page changes are more easily implemented via SP Designer.

These features should be web-scoped, but their effective scope is determined by the feature stapler.

Custom Master Page

Applicable Scopes: All (optimal for Web Application and Farm scopes)

Applicable Pages: Site, System

Custom Master Page Features are new master pages that are added to a site’s Master Page Gallery. To implement a feature that applies a custom master page, create the page and create a feature that installs the page in the Master Page Gallery. In most branding scenarios, these should be hidden features that are stapled to a particular site definition (or set of site definitions that use the same master page) AND have a receiver assembly that sets the master page as the site and/or system master page. These are applicable to all scopes, but site/site collection-scoped custom master pages are more easily implemented via SP Designer.

These features should be web-scoped, but their effective scope is determined by the feature stapler.

Receiver Assembly

Applicable Scopes: All (optimal for Web Application and Farm scopes)

Applicable Pages: All

Receiver assemblies are components that are associated with features and execute code during particular events in the feature activation/deactivation sequences. For branding purposes, feature activation events can be used to execute the following key actions:

· Set the site theme

· Set site and/or system master page

· Set other site look & feel properties

Feature Stapling

Feature stapling is the use of FeatureSiteTemplateAssociations, which associate specific Features with specific site definitions or templates so that when Web sites are provisioned, the Features are automatically included. Implementation details are documented in the WSS 3.0 SDK. Feature stapling can occur at the web application and farm scopes.

You’ll need to staple one or more updated versions of MWSdefault.master to the various meeting workspace site definitions, and one or more updated versions of default.master to the other site definitions. Two custom master pages is the absolute minimum, though you can have site definition-specific master pages if you like.

Branding Methods by Scope and Scenario

The “methods matrix” tables show my take on the best method or methods for every type of branding task you may encounter, based on the taxonomy described in the Branding Tasks section. I’m sticking these in the Part 1.2 post since they’re really wide and I didn’t want to make you use the scrollbar on this entire article. J

Comments

  • Anonymous
    November 13, 2007
    If you're into MOSS customizations, check out Brett Geoffroy's MSDN blog. He's done a sweet job organizing
  • Anonymous
    November 17, 2007
    Branding Methods by Scope and Scenario The methods matrices referred to in Part 1a appear below. Refer
  • Anonymous
    November 17, 2007
    We’re finally starting to tie a little bow around the branding effort for my customer’s MOSS intranet
  • Anonymous
    December 16, 2007
    Ein sehr ausführliche Best-Practice Anleitung zum Theme SharePoint Anpassung mit vielen Hintergrundinformation
  • Anonymous
    January 04, 2008
    unbeliveably clear and brings up things I hadn't eventhoguht about yetTHANKS!!!!!!!
  • Anonymous
    January 09, 2008
    Eine sehr ausführliche Best-Practice Anleitung zum Theme SharePoint Anpassung mit vielen Hintergrundinformationen
  • Anonymous
    June 29, 2008
    Navigation http://www.helloitsliam.com/archive/2006/09/12/moss2007-%E2%80%93-look-and-feel-part-4-%E2%80%93-navigation-again.aspx