Share via

Content Type Publishing in SharePoint Online

  • Article

Content type publishing is a feature that will allow you to publish content type to other site collections in SharePoint Online. So you need to create the content type just once and then just publish it so that rest of the site collections can make use of it.

Steps to achieve it:

1. Create a private site collection.

2. Create a content type. ( Do ONLY the first two items in the article)

3. Enable the content type publishing by going to Site Actions  -> Site Collection Features -> Activate Content type syndication hub

4. Once activated, Go to Site Actions -> Site Settings, Under Galleries click on Site content types.

5. Click on the content type that you created.

6. You will be shown the below screen. Click on "Manage publishing for this content type".

7. Then you will be given the below screen, choose publish in it.

9. SURPISE!!... You will hit an error....

The error says that there is already a site collection which has content type syndication hub enabled . But we know that we have enabled it in only one site collection.

Thats not true!!... By Default SPO gives us a site collection which is hidden ( not sure why) in which the content type syndication hub is enabled.  So next question is, if its hidden, how do we access it??. Follow the below step.

a. If your sharepoint online site is <somename>.sharepoint.com, then you can access the hidden site by appending your site with "/sites/contentTypeHub".

 

Redo Step1 till 7 in this new hidden site , and Voila... No error!!...The content type is published. The content type synchronization job runs every 15 minutes. So after 15 minutes, you should be able to see the publised content type in other site collections..

I am still looking into why is it a hidden site?? and why cant we have this done in other site collection??.. Once I have the answers, I'll update this blog.

ADIOS!..

Comments

  • Anonymous
    July 22, 2013
    Thanks so much!

  • Anonymous
    August 07, 2013
    Where in the documentation does it state that the synchronization job runs every 15 minutes? Can you provide a reference?

  • Anonymous
    January 09, 2014
    So are you not able to create your own content types (and link to Term Store) for public website?

  • Anonymous
    February 13, 2014
    Where Do we see the job schedule at 15 minutes And Can we disable the default content type and publish our custom site as content type hub

  • Anonymous
    December 15, 2014
    Suraj, there is no way to edit the Termstore Content Type hub settings to point it to a different site collection. This is why MS create one for you.

  • Anonymous
    June 30, 2015
    15 mins is not the time I'm seeing, waiting more than 30 mins, content type still isn't showing up on my site.   I'm guessing an hour?

  • Anonymous
    July 22, 2015
    Seeing information stating that it can take up to 48 hours for content type to appear.

  • Anonymous
    July 22, 2015
    Reference is here: support.microsoft.com/.../2893786 •It can take up to 48 hours for new or updated content types to propagate from the content-publishing hub to SharePoint Online sites.