Create custom page layout

1. Create custom site columns for the custom page layout under new custom group

2. Create a site content type for page layout under new content group

3. Add the custom site columns created to the newly created site content type.

4. Launch SharePoint Designer and open the site

5. The custom page layout must reside in master page gallery

6. Create File --> new --> SharePoint Content --> SharePoint Publishing --> Page Layout

7. Select and create the Content groups and type

8. After adding the page, go to design view, and add the fields available under the Toolbox "SharePoint Controls" --> Content Fields

9. Save

10. Now the new custom page layout is available in the site page layouts (Site Actions --> Create Page)

SharePoint BDC

BDC can be used in SharePoint

1. Directly using BDC web parts
2. As SharePoint Lists
3. In Search
4. User Profile Data
5. Expose as a Web Service for other applications (Programmable API abstracts all the LOB data souces to a single and easy to use runtime object model)

-- Source
winsmarts.com

SharePoint - Approach

If we wanna do a task or resolve a problem in SharePoint, the approach should be in the given order

1. Browser -- Lets start with a browser and see if we can deliver the solution using point & click

2. SharePoint Designer -- Have a lot more stuff then you would do through the browser

3. Visual Studio 2005 --- Final resolve if something that cannot be done in browser and designer.


--Source
dnrTV, winsmarts.com

Web part Zones

Web part Zones live in the ASP file (eg: default.aspx) and not in Master pages, So ideally we can create various templates for the various pages, one template could have 2 web part zones and other could have 3 webpart zones or columns.

--Source
dnrTV, winsmarts.com

Shared Services Provider (Unprovisioning)

Cannot delete Shared Service in Sharepoint Central Administration, and the SSP is displayed with the message “Unprovisioning”. Run the below command to fix this issue

stsadm -o deletessp -title -force

SharePoint Designer 2007

The following article will show about User permissions and permissionlevels to customize SharePoint using SharePoint Designer 2007

http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepointdesigner/archive/2008/11/25/locking-down-sharepoint-designer.aspx