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Product: Windows® SharePoint™ Services Concept Site Package: Human Resources
In these instructions and in FrontPage, this template may be referred to as "SharePoint Human Resources". The package contains a FrontPage .fwp file designed to be restored to an 'empty web' created on a Windows 2003 Server running Windows SharePoint Services. The package contains a Windows SharePoint Services Database with sample data, Cascading Style Sheet, FrontPage Theme, and other image and graphic elements to provide design formatting on this sample SharePoint site.

Description: This product helps you get started with building a Windows SharePoint Services Site using a pre-designed Windows SharePoint Template. This process will involve the creation of an empty site on a Windows Server running Windows SharePoint Services, using the restore features in FrontPage 2003 and the included .fwp file to build a SharePoint site using a pre-designed template, followed by making some minor adjustments to finish the installation.

Requirements: You must already have Administrator or Publishing permissions to a Windows SharePoint Services virtual server. You must use Microsoft FrontPage version 2003 (non-Beta) or later to edit or customize sites created with Windows SharePoint Services. Your SharePoint server must be running a full release (non-Beta or non-evaluation) version of Microsoft Server 2003, and must have the latest version of Windows SharePoint Services.

Warning: By using the Backup and Restore features in FrontPage 2003, we're able to deliver a SharePoint Template Package that is easier to use, provides a better starting place, and saves time. We caution you that using the Restore feature, described in our instructions below, can overwrite existing content or data in a site if not used properly. We highly recommend that users strictly follow the instructions below, and take extra care when applying the template file. Always restore the .fwp file to an empty site. Please refer to the instructions below.

Getting Started - Installation

The zip file contains a FrontPage 2003 backup file (.fwp) that will restore a pre-built site to an empty web site. 

Step 1- Open FrontPage 2003 and create an empty site

There are two options for starting your new site:

Option 1: Use this option if you would like your new site to be the parent/top-level SharePoint Site.

Option 2: Use this option if you currently have a parent/top-level SharePoint Site and you want to create a subsite under the main Team Site.

Option 1 - New Parent/Top-Level Site:

  1. Contact the server administrator responsible for the Windows Server running Windows SharePoint Services.
  2. Have the administrator 'Create a new top-level Web site' using the SharePoint Central Administration tool.
  3. The Central Administration tool will give you a URL to take you to the new top-level site, after it has been created. DO NOT access the new site in a web browser.
  4. Open the new 'empty' top-level site in FrontPage 2003.
  5. Go to File > Open Site.
  6. Type in the URL of your SharePoint site in the folder field, for example, "http://www.yoursite.com".
  7. Click OK. FrontPage will attempt to open your Web. Type in your user/password information if necessary.
  8. Go to Step 2 - Apply the "SharePoint Human Resources" Template using Restore.

Option 2 - New Site under Parent:

  1. Open FrontPage 2003, and open the root parent site where you want to create your subsite.
  2. Go to File > Open Site.
  3. Type in the URL of your SharePoint web in the folder field, for example, "http://www.yoursite.com"
  4. Click OK. FrontPage will attempt to open your Web. Type in your user/password information if necessary.
  5. In the Folder List column, right-click on the top folder "http://www.yoursite.com"
  6. Select New > Subsite...
  7. In the Web Site Templates window that appears, select the 'Empty Web Site' template.
  8. On the right-side of the Web Site Templates window you will see a box titled 'Specify the location of the new Web site'. In this box you should see a URL like "http://www.yoursite.com/subsite". Change subsite to the name you want your new site to use, for example, "http://www.yoursite.com/mysite"
  9. This will build a new empty site, and should open a new FrontPage session showing the empty site.
  10. Go to Step 2 - Apply the "SharePoint Human Resources" Template using Restore.

Step 2 - Apply the "SharePoint Human Resources" Template using Restore.

Warning: By using the Backup and Restore features in FrontPage 2003, we're able to deliver a SharePoint Template Package that is easier to use, provides a better starting place, and saves time. We caution you that using the Restore feature, described in our instructions below, can overwrite existing content or data in a site if not used properly. We highly recommend that users strictly follow the instructions below, and take extra care when applying the template file. Always restore the .fwp file to an empty site. Please refer to the instructions below.

  1. With your web open, go to Tools > Server > Restore Web Site....
  2. Navigate to and select the FrontPage 2003 backup file "hr2_sharepoint_v2.fwp"
  3. Click Open.
  4. FrontPage will ask you to press OK to restore the template to your site. Click OK.

Step 3 - Reapply the Theme

In some cases the Theme associated with this template may not appear to apply to the new site. If you view the site in a browser, you should see formatting that indicates that the theme is applied. Note: reapplying the theme can’t hurt your site, so if you are in doubt reapply the theme. To make the Theme show properly in FrontPage, do the following:

  1. Go to Format > Theme
  2. This will open the Theme Task Pane on the right-side of your FrontPage window.
  3. At the top of the list, under 'Web Site default theme', you will see the SharePoint Human Resources 2003 Theme
  4. Mouse over the image and click on the drop-down arrow that appears.
  5. Select 'Apply to selected pages...'
  6. Close the default page and reopen
  7. You will see that the Theme is now showing on the page in FrontPage.

Step 4 - Start Using the Power of SharePoint

Congratulations! You can now start working with SharePoint and building out your new site. Please see the section below for some helpful tips.

Helpful Tips for Working with your New SharePoint Site...

Custom Link Bars

There are many places within the template that use custom link bars. The two primary link bars are: Quick Launch* (home page) and SharePoint Top Nav Bar. These can be easily modified in FrontPage 2003.

  1. Right-click on the link bar you would like to modify and choose Link Bar Properties.
  2. To add a link to the link bar, click Add Link. To remove a link, select it from the list of Links and click Remove Link. To modify the text that a link displays, or to change the page that it links to, click Modify Link. To change the order of links, select the link and click the Move Up or Move Down buttons.

Note: Updating a link bar will update the link bar on all the pages where it is used.

About FrontPage Themes

FrontPage Themes can be applied to Web pages or Web sites created with FrontPage or with Windows SharePoint Services. Themes give sites consistent fonts, formatting, bullets, and other design elements across all of the pages on which they are used. When we created the custom sites, we created a custom Theme for each site that you can use to apply to your own site. Keep in mind that Themes change the fonts and formatting of what you already have in the site; they don’t create new pages or new content on your pages.

Note for Windows SharePoint Services-based sites: if you want to use the custom Theme on a Windows SharePoint Services-based site, you will want to provision the site first, and then apply the Theme. The same FrontPage Theme can be used on FrontPage or Windows SharePoint Services-based sites.

About Cascading Style Sheets

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) perform many, but not all functions that FrontPage Themes provide. They can be applied to Web pages or Web sites created with FrontPage or with Windows SharePoint Services. CSS gives sites consistent fonts, formatting, bullets, and other design elements across all of the pages on which they are used. When we created the custom sites, we used CSS within the FrontPage Theme. This provides the best of both design-tool options.