Creating Page Layout templates based on Purchased Package [closed]

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Hope everyone is doing well.

I have a few questions about sharepoint 2019 (Classic UI, On-prem Architecture) development.

My firm recently purchased a theme package from a vendor in order to speed up our development process for a new sharepoint project. The original intent was to purchase this package and then extend it further once we have the files to build upon.

Since then, we've been able to import all relevant aspects of the package, which is great. This includes .master/.preview files, page layouts, page templates, theme palettes, and webparts.

However, since then I've been tasked with creating pre-defined page layout templates based on the theme that we bought in order to expedite the content-creation process.

So for example, I'm attempting to implement a solution where content creators can create a new page, go to the 'Page' tab in the ribbon, select the 'Page Layouts' dropdown, and then select a custom page layout of their choosing. This page layout should include both 1) webpart zones and 2) predefined webparts in those zones.

That way, the user doesnt have to manually insert all relevant webparts into each relevant zone when a specific page layout is selected.

Based on my research, it seems like this can be accomplished by using Sharepoint designer to access files in combination with Sharepoint design manager in order to generate the code snippets associated with the predefined webparts.

However, the issue I'm seeing is that we were only provided with .master and .preview files for the master pages - there is no .html file in the bundle, so I cant insert webpart code snippets into the .html file, which is then transpiled into the .master file. Is this a common issue? Am I missing something here?

TLDR: Having a hard time creating page layout templates with predefined webpart zones and webparts, and then inserting them into master pages.

Does that make sense? Please let me clarify if needed. Thank you!

Answer 1

The issue I'm seeing is that we were only provided with .master and .preview files for the master pages - there is no .html file in the bundle, so I cant insert webpart code snippets into the .html file, which is then transpiled into the .master file. Is this a common issue? Am I missing something here?

This is normal. Many vendors never bothered to use the HTML files to create master pages. As a workaround, you will have to modify the master page directly. Designer manager might not help you in this case.

Themes bundles is not a very good idea in 2020

Even if you bought your bundles for cheap, the cost of ownership of these solutions will be too high:

• For example, you are already struggling with the Design Manager and the master pages.
• Upgrade and migration of your sites can be tricky and it can break your themes (branding).
• When one day, the site owners want to migrate to SharePoint Online, all of these customizations will be gone.

TLDR: Having a hard time creating page layout templates with predefined webpart zones and webparts, and then inserting them into master pages.

From what I recall, we are not supposed to insert page layouts directly to the master page. Instead, the master page has contentplaceholders. One of these placeholders will contain page contents. Pages then will have a page layout associated with them. You can have a single master page with any number of totally different page layouts. But in any case, all these page layouts will render in a predefined contentplacehodler on a master page.