Enabling Multiple Items in the ‘New’ Drop down Menu (and filtering content types using folders)

One of the most common document management questions I get is “how can I get multiple document templates in the ‘new’ drop-down menu of a document library?” this blog will walk you through step-by-step for the entire process. We will also look at how to use folders to ‘filter’ the content types for a given documents library.

Update: Mikhail Dikov (SharePoint MVP) has a similar post using a different methodology here. You should check it out also.

First, you must create content types that have an associated template. Content types can have many items associated such as Document Information Panel, Site Columns (think metadata collection), workflows, expiration policies, and auditing policies. We are leveraging the Template functionality of content types here. For more information on content types, see http://blogs.msdn.com/martinkearn/archive/2006/03/27/561809.aspx.

We will create three content types named ‘Vacation Request’, ‘Sick Leave’, and ‘Salary Increase’, in a site content type group named ‘HR’.

To create a content type, browse to Site Settings à Galleries à Site Content Types. Select ‘Create’. IMPORTANT: To use a content type in a document library, it must inherent from ‘Document’ further up in the hierarchy. We will create a content type that inherits directly from Document.

First, create a new content type with the name Vacation Request. Be sure to select the parent content type from the Document Content Types group, and the parent content type Document. You can see I am creating a new logical group named HR.

Next, select Advanced Settings, and upload a document template. Check Upload a new document template and select Browse to choose one from your local computer.

Great! You now have a new content type and an associated template. Go back to your content type gallery. Create two more content types named Sick Leave Request and Salary Increase. Be sure to choose the HR group in the Existing group menu and define a document template.

Once you have created your content types, you should have a screen similar to this in your Content Type Gallery:

Now that you have created your content types, you need to prepare a document library to use them. Browse to any document library in the site where you created your content types. From the Settings menu of the document library, select Document Library Settings. Under General Settings, choose Advanced Settings. At the very top, select Yes, under Allow management of content types and select Ok. You can now go back to your document library settings and Add from existing site content types. Choose the HR group you created earlier.

When you now select the New drop-down, you will see all of your new templates!

If that’s all you were looking for, you’re done. But, if you want to create folders to filter the ‘New’ menu, then read on. First, create 3 Folders named Vacation Request, Sick Leave Request, and Salary Increase Request. Next, go back to your document library settings and Change new button order and Default Content Type.

If you go back to your document library, you will notice only Document is shown in the new menu.

Next, Select ‘Change New Button Order’ in the drop-down menu on the Vacation Requests folder:

Viola! You can now go into any folder and only get the associated template. Be aware this does not stop users from changing the content type in the browser or Office application.