Essential SharePoint 2007, 2nd Edition

Modifying Master Pages

SharePoint defines the layout, web zones, navigational web parts, and styles used on pages through the site's master page. Modify a site's master page to change:

• The appearance of a site

• The navigational web parts used throughout the site

How you make those changes depends on whether you have MOSS or WSS. In MOSS, you can select from a list to swap the default master page to one of the other designs. In WSS, you must edit the default master page to make changes. The following sections cover each of those approaches.

Swapping the Master Page in MOSS

In MOSS, you can swap the master page of a site to quickly change its appearance. These changes are similar to applying a theme to the site, but they go deeper because they change the page layout and the navigational web parts as well as the styles and fonts.

To change the appearance of the top-level portal site:

1. Navigate to the top-level site and click Site Actions → Site Settings → Modify All Site Settings, and then click "Master page" under the Look and Feel heading. SharePoint displays the Master Page Settings page.

2. In the Site Master Page section, select "OrangeSingleLevel.master" as shown in Figure 6-15.

3. Scroll to the System Master Page section, select "OrangeSingleLevel.master," and click OK. SharePoint changes the layout and styles used on the pages in the site.

Figure 6-15. Changing the master page in MOSS

I chose the ...