About variation labels - SharePoint Server - Microsoft Office Online

Publishing sites can be tailored for different cultures, markets, and languages. Variation settings enable site owners to create and maintain a number of different versions, or "variations," of publishing sites or pages. Variation labels are the names given to each of the variants. For example, variant labels could be language names — such as English, French, or German — or devices, such as French personal digital assistant (PDA) or Spanish mobile phone.

Create a variation label

  1. On the Site Actions menuSite Action menu , point to Site Settings, and then click Modify All Site Settings.

  2. On the Site Settings page, under Site Collection Administration, click Variation Labels.

  3. On the Variation labels page, click New Label.

  4. In the Label and Description section, type the name you want in the Label Name box.

    The name you use will be the string that is used in the URL.

  5. In the Description box, type a description to help users understand the purpose of the label. This description is optional.

  6. In the Display Name section, type a name in the Display Name box. Display names are usually localized versions or user-friendly versions of a label.

    The display name will appear in the Site Management Tool hierarchy.

  7. In the Locale section, select the locale for the variation. The locale determines the formatting for items such as date, time, and currency.

    If you have Language Packs installed on your server, you can click the Language box to select a language. This will dictate what language the variation label's site will be provisioned in.

  8. In the Hierarchy Creation section, select the portion of the source hierarchy that you would like to copy. Do one of the following:

    • To create a hierarchy of publishing sites and all pages, click Publishing Sites and All Pages.
    • To create a hierarchy of just publishing sites, click Publishing Sites Only.
    • To create a hierarchy at the root, click Root Site only.
  9. To select the variation label you are creating as the source variation, select the Set this variation to be the source variation check box.

  10. In the Select the Publishing site template you want to use box, select the template to use to build this site.

    Important   The settings in the Source Variation section cannot be modified after variation hierarchies have been created.

  11. Click OK.

  12. On the Variation Labels page, click Create Hierarchies.

Note   When you navigate to the root of your site, you are redirected according to your browser's current language preferences.

Tip   On certain master pages that include the Variation Picker Control, a control in the upper-right corner of your browser enables you to switch between the variation labels in your site.