MOSS 2007 Differences Between a Publishing Site and a System or Team Site

Publishing Site General

Microsofts positioning Select this site template if you want to create a blank Web site and quickly publish Web pages. This template includes document and image libraries for storing Web publishing assets. Contributors can work on draft versions of pages and publish them to make them visible to readers. The site includes document and image libraries for storing Web publishing assets. Select this site template (Team Site) when you want to create a site that teams can use to create, organize, and share information. The template includes a document library, an announcements list, a calendar, a contacts list, and a links list.

System Site

Structure
Content Types Publishing sites are based on Publishing System sites are based on Document content types and Page Layout content types. content types, Publishing content types, and Page Layout content types.

Default home page (Rootfolder property)

Stored in the Pages library When you open a publishing site in SharePoint Designer, the home page is neither opened for editing nor visible in the Folder List, because it is located in the Pages document library instead of at the root of the site, and because pages created from a publishing page layout are editable only in the browser. (MS)

Stored at the top level

Ability to edit default home page in SharePoint Designer

Page layout can be edited; content must be edited in the browser. It is possible to detach the page from the page layout, but this changes it from the site definition.

Layout and content appear as one unit (excluding master page regions) in SharePoint Designer and can be edited there.

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Publishing Site
Default libraries

System Site

Publishing sites contain three document A blank system site contains no lists or libraries that are unique to them: Documents, libraries by default. Pages, and Publishing Images. The Documents library is used to store documents that are attached to or related to publishing pages. The Pages document library is where pages that were created in the browser are stored. Publishing Images is used to store graphics and photos that are attached or related to publishing pages. (MS) http://office.microsoft.com/enus/sharepointdesigner/HA101741271033.asp x

Actions and Settings

Site Actions menu

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Publishing Site
Web Parts Add web parts menu displays Suggested web parts for [this] zone; user must used Advanced Web Part gallery and options to find site-specific lists and libraries.

System Site
Lists and libraries specific to that site appear at the top of the Add web parts menu.

Home Page checkout, The home page has checkout and versioning No checkout, versioning or content approval versioning and content turned on by default. This toolbar is displayed is turned on by default. approval when changes are made to the home page:

Page Editing Toolbar

Can be turned on or off only if the site was created as a Publishing Site (not if the Publishing feature was activated after site creation).

Cannot be viewed, even if you activate the Publishing feature.

Master Page and Theme settings and behavior

Setting master page through Site Settings

Setting master page in SharePoint Designer

Master page inheritance

If a custom master page is set, when a new If a custom master page is set, when a new publishing site is created it will automatically team or blank site is created it will NOT inherit this master page IF it is created under inherit this master page. a top-level publishing site (Home, or a subsite of Home that is a publishing site). If a publishing site is created under a team site that does not have the master page applied, it will not inherit the master page. If it is created under a team site that has the master page applied, it will inherit the master page.

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Publishing Site
Theme inheritance If the theme is changed at the top-level publishing site (Home), all sub-sites (publishing or system) inherit the theme UNLESS they are using a different master page from the top-level site. If a custom theme is set, when a new publishing site is created it will automatically inherit this theme IF it is created under a toplevel publishing site (Home, or a subsite of Home that is a publishing site). If a publishing site is created under a team site that does not have the theme applied, it will not inherit the theme. If it is created under a team site that has the theme applied, it will inherit the theme.

System Site
If the theme is changed at the top-level publishing site (Home), all sub-sites (publishing or system) nherit the theme UNLESS they are using a different master page from the top-level site. If a custom theme is set, when a new team or blank site is created it will NOT inherit this theme. Note: if a system site is converted to a Publishing site (by activating the Publishing feature), the theme will inherit.

Template behavior
Save site as template There is no Save site as template command in the Site Settings of a Publishing Site. You can use _layouts/savetmpl.aspx. This creates its own tab next to the Custom tab in the Create Site form: Sites can be saved as templates in the Site Settings or using _layouts/savetmpl.aspx. Custom templates appear under the Custom tab in the Create Site form.

Bug when saving a site as a template

If the top-level SharePoint Server 2007 site of the SharePoint Server 2007 site that you are trying to save as a template has the publishing features turned on, you may receive this error:
Failed to apply template TemplateName.stp to web at URL SharePointSiteName, error The template you have chosen is invalid or cannot be found.

See: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925189

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