How to create a custom Folder Content Type

Why would you want to create a custom Folder Content Type? If you need to have the same data entry fields (columns) that you have for your Documents or Items attached to the Folder and available during New and Edit Forms.

1. Go to your Site – Site Settings – Modify Settings
2. Under Galleries click Site content types
3. Click Create
4. I like to keep my Names short,
   1. so this example is FolderWithMetaData – you could use spaces I prefer not to, to remind users to keep names short.
5. Under Description this is what will appear in the NEW area under the Folder Icon so keep it short
   1. Add a new Folder to this Document Library that includes a TITLE field in the data entry form."
6. Under Parent Content Type select Folder Content Types
7. At Parent Content Types select Folder if this is for a Document Library.
8. At “Put this site content type into:”
   1. I prefer to create one custom group called “Company Name Custom Content Types” and put all custom ones I create there.
9. Then select OK
10. At the List Content Type: FolderWithMetaData page, go to the Columns and click on the columns such as Title that you want to appear in the data entry page and select Required or at least not hidden.
11. Select Update all content types inheriting from this type and OK
12. Go to your List or Library – Settings – Advanced Settings
13. Select Allow management of content type = Yes and OK
14. Under Content Type section click on the Add From Existing Content Types.
15. Select your new Custom Content Type Group you created
16. Then click your new Folder content type you created and click Add
17. Then OK
18. Then under the Content Types section again, select Change new button order and default content type
19. Reorder if you want, I prefer to have all new custom content types appear on top or first.
20. Then if you go to your List or Library under the NEW option you will now see your new Folder type and when they click New FolderWithMetaData the data entry form with have the

Now some will say, but if you put it in DataSheet Mode you can edit the Title. True, but you can not always edit all fields to a Folder in Datasheet Mode depending on the settings. Thus a custom content type can be a good easy solution.

And as you know, you can create Workflows to Content Types that may alert users when a new folder is created or some other type of workflow.

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