Add a column to a content type

Applies To: Office SharePoint Server 2007

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Topic Last Modified: 2008-09-09

A site column defines a property that can be associated with a content type, list, or library. When you add a site column to a content type, the property represented by the column is available for content of that content type, so you do not need to reproduce the site column for each content item that you add to the list or library. For example, suppose you define a site column named Customer. Users can add that column to their document library, and reference it in their content types. This ensures that the column has the same attributes, at least at the outset, wherever it appears. If you add a site column to a content type for which content already exists, that site column will be added to all content associated with the content type. Much like site content types, you define a site column at the site level, independent of any actual list or content type.

To add a column to a content type

Use this procedure to add a column to a content type.

Add a column to a content type

1. From the home page of the top-level site in the site collection, on the Site actions menu, point to Site Settings, and then click Modify All Site Settings.

2. In the Galleries section, click Site content types.

3. On the Site Content Type Gallery page, click the site content type that you want to configure.

4. On the Site Content Type page, in the Columns section, click Add from existing site columns.

   The Add Columns to Site Content Type page appears.

5. In the Select Columns section, select the group that you want to filter on from the Select columns from list.

6. In the Available columns list, click the column that you want to add, and then click Add.

   Note

   To quickly add multiple column types, press CTRL while you click each available column that you want to add.

7. In the Update List and Site Content Types section, specify whether the child site content types that inherit from this site content type will be updated with your changes. Child content types refers to both child content types of that content type (as listed in the site content type gallery) and copies of that content type that have been added to document libraries.

8. After you finish adding the columns, click OK.

See Also

Concepts

Associate a document template with a content type
Managing content types for a document library
Managing documents