Can the default column values be set automatically at site creation time

Question

When we create a project site, we'd like to automatically set the content of site columns (company and project name) to that content so that users don't have to enter that data for each document. (The data would be the same for each document.) Is there a way to do this with O365? If doing so requires scripting site creation (we have a custom site template) that's OK.

Answer 1

Hi BEC111,

As we create site collection based on the available site template, the "Preset" we would like to have would be based an the site template we can create.

However, we would not be able to save the site template with the library templates we have in the site, which leads to the fact that we cannot "preset" a Library template in the site template.

Basically, we need to create a library with the configurations of the default value and directly save the Site as template with Contents Included, the library will be preset in the site template.

We would appreciate your understanding.

Best Regards,

Rene

Answer 2

Thanks for the reply,

You're not quite right. What I'm hoping for is that when a project site is created the default values for certain fields are preset for the site. In this example, I'd want client name and project name set for the library so that when a document is created (using a library template) or uploaded and tagged with a content type, the relevant columns are already filled out with the appropriate default content. This works for Document Sets, but I don't see a straightforward way to do it for libraries that are created from a custom site template.

It's not a big deal if we can't do it or if setting up the automation takes more time than the time saved from using the defaults - we're not talking about thousands of sites or millions of documents, but I've found folks don't enter metadata if they don't have to and then complain when searches don't work the way the do when I demoed.

Thanks,

Barry

Answer 3

Hi BEC111,

Please allow me to confirm whether you need to achieve the following:

There is default selective column after we created the site, and when the users upload a file, he can choose one of the values in the default column. And you did not want to achieve this via creating site template.

Thanks,

James

Answer 4

The suggestion is only part of the answer: setting the default content for a column. The other half of the question is how to set that default based upon either a lookup from a "Managed Metadata" column or otherwise defined at library or site creation.

This is a feature of document sets, and I'd like to be able to do the same thing without the document sets and without having to manually configure the settings for the site columns for each new site.

Thanks

Answer 5

Hi BEC111,

Yes. We can create two site columns and add them to the document library, then use the column default value settings to automatically set the content of the columns. After doing the above, we can save a template of the site, next time we create a new site, choose the template, and the setting will be applied to the new site.

Here’re the detailed steps:

1. In a project site (created under site collections > New Private Site Collection), go to Site Settings > Site columns (under Web Designer Galleries) > Create the two site columns, for example company name and project name.
2. In the create column page, type a value under Default value.
3. Go to the document library > LIBRARY > Library Settings > Add from existing site columns > choose Custom Columns in the Select site columns > add the two columns > OK.
4. Go to Site Settings > Save site as template (under Site Actions) > Click solution gallery > click the template name and save it to the local.
5. Go to site collections > New Private Site Collection > choose Custom in Select a template.
6. Click the URL of the newly created site > Solution Gallery > Upload Solution > select the template file saved in step 4 > click Activate.
7. Click the site URL again > select Custom tab > choose the template > OK.

For your reference: Create and use site templates.

Best Regards,

James