inherit content type

Question

Hello

I am using sharepoint 2013. I have created a content type and it has a choice column, which has 3 options (a b c).

Now i want to create a sub site and this subsite need d,e options. So i determine to create sub content type.

but i am not clear with the inheritance. am i able to expand the choice column to have abcde options? Or i need to create a new column?

Thanks

Answer 1

choice field has it choices defined in field definition. I.e. if you will inherit base CT - by default your new CT will have the same choices. However also each CT contains own copy of each field in Fields property: How to: Reference a Column in a Content Type

The SPContentType object also has a Fields property that returns an SPFieldCollection object. You cannot add columns directly to this collection. When you add an SPFieldLink object to the FieldLinks collection, a corresponding SPField object is added automatically to the Fields collection. Each SPField object in this collection represents a "merged view" of the base column definition and any overwritten properties that are specified in the column reference.

So what you may try is to find reference on this choice field in inherited CT in it's Fields property and add more choices there programmatically. It should not affect base CT.

Answer 2

Hi @kong ,

As per my test, if you edit the choice column in the inherited content type, the source column will in the parent content type will be affected. As shown below, item22 inherited from item11, if I edit the options of choice column in item22 content type details page, the options of choice column in item11 are also modified.

You can expand the choice column to have abcde options if you want both the parent and inherit content types have abcde options. If you create a new column in the inherit content type, it will have two choice columns. You can remove the old one if you don't need it and that will not affect the parent content type.

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