Upload a file into new document upon folder creation

Question

I have a document library in which I want to store folders (people). Each folder have some metadata (person's properties). Then in each such folder I will hold documents (files) associated with this particular person.

In every case there is always at least one file associated with person. Now, it can be easily seen that user, each time when she creates new a person, will need to make two steps. First create folder with person's attributes and then create document inside this folder.

I would like to unify these two activites into one atomic activity. My idea is to provide custom form for folder creation. This form will have some kind of file upload field. Then I want to make hook into form's save functionality. I want to create new document of certain type with the file that has just been uploaded. This new document should be created inside the newly created folder.

I wonder if it is possible in Sharepoint 2007? I know that there are custom forms. But are they available for folder type content types? Is it possible to add file upload to such a form?

Answer 1

I would actually recommend using a grouped view to this instead. Each document can be tagged with the "Person" and the view grouped by this value. Any additional properties can be added to the content type.

This gives the additional bonus in that when you add the first document for that person, thier "folder" (or group in the view) is automatically created. This satisfies the criteria of unifying the creation of the document and the "folder" into one atomic step.

You also get the out of the box form when editing the list.

If the creation of the uses details is an automated activity, the webservices interface will allow any external system to keep SharePoint up to date.

I strongly recommend you do not use folders in the manner you have planned. If you use metadata instead. You will get greater flexibility this way, in that you then can group by different metadata properties.

There are downsides in that storing all the users properties on each document essentially de-normalises the data, but unless the document is actually required to be tagged by that users properties, a lookup column or user field would effectively tag the document to a users and allow the details of the user to be viewable in the central source.