SharePoint University

When I create a new sub site, it defaults to a new page with 2 web parts. One on the left and one on the right with the Windows logo.

Ultimately an answer to the first question would be greatly appreciated. 

1) How do I make the new default page to come up with only one webpart?

But while on the subject should anyone know the answer: 

2) How can you completely delete the webpart without it still taking page real estate after clicking "delete"?

For example: After deleting the webpart with the Windows logo, the web part to the left does not absorb it's layout space. 

3) How do you change the webparts from going horizontal to vertical on an existing page?

Thanks in advance.

CB
 

For the first question, edit the page to set it up as you want (removing/adding webparts as required), then save the site as a template...making sure to check the box to include content if there's anything you want to show up on the site by default.

For the second, this will require a little bit more work to accomplish, but is still a relatively simple operation. 

Connect to your site through SharePoint Designer.  Once there, open the default.aspx page for the site (should be at the bottom of the list) and select the "right" zone through the designer.  When selecting this, you'll see the html highlighted in the upper window. Hit the "delete" key to remove the html for the zone.  Once you've done this, you'll need to remove a few extra table cell tags to make it so the left column will stretch over to take the rest of the page.  Immediately above the part of the html you removed, delete the remaining tags between the first "</td>" (immediately after the closing "</WebPartPages:WebPartZone>") and the closing "</table> tag.

It will look like this before:

</ZoneTemplate></WebPartPages:WebPartZone>
     </td>
     <td>&nbsp;</td>
     <td valign="top" width="30%">
      &nbsp;
     </td>
     <td>&nbsp;</td>
    </tr>
   </table>

It should look like this after:

</ZoneTemplate></WebPartPages:WebPartZone>
     </td>
    </tr>
   </table>

After you make these changes, save the page.  Go back to the site and refresh the default page of your site and you'll see the changes applied.  Now, go back and save the site as a template (as mentioned in the first answer - also making sure to check the "include content" box if you need to have any default content show up on the site) so you can use this new layout to build additional subsites.

For the third question, I'm sure there may be an easier approach, but here's what I normally do.  Open the site in SP Designer, select the table that contains the zones and modify the html to rework the layout (ie: instead of a 2 column table where the zones are layed out side-by-side, make it a 1 column table with them layed out vertically).  If you're familiar with formatting tables through html, this shouldn't be a problem.  Additionally, if you just want to modify a specific *zone itself, you can "right-click" the zone in the designer and look at its properties (or in the html "right-click" and choose "tag properties") and change it to either vertical or horizontal layout (*this has no impact on how the 2 zones stack, just for the webparts in the individual zones themselves).

Hope this helps,

- Dink

Dink, you rule!

Thank you SO much for your diligent reply and help.
It's so much more than I could hope for!

So many helpful , knowledgeable folks here. I'll make sure to perpetuate the kindness.

Cheers,

 CB

Glad to have helped

- Dink

Say Dink, one quick question if I may?

Once I make a template, how do I apply it to a page?

 Thanks again. :)

CB
 

Are you asking how to update an existing site to a new template, or how to create a new site from a template?

For the first, I'm not really sure...aside from possibly working with a custom site definition that overwrites what the original was (maybe using a "reset to site definition" operation to fool the site to reset to something new...hmmm...might try playing with that myself).

For the second, simply create a new site in the standard manner but use the new template you created (should show up on the list).

- Dink

A little clarification, if I may, to Dink's solution.

Before a template can be used, it must be uploaded to the template gallery. Once in the gallery, look for it under the 'Custom' tab when creating the new site type.

Hope that helps.
Mark
EndUserSharePoint.com

Hey Dink, thanks again. Sorry for not being clear, yes it was the former of the two.
But the second Q&A also resolves for me as well, cheers!

Ah yes , thank you Mark that sheds light indeed!
Thank you kindly. :)

Mark,

Thanks for adding in what I neglected to mention about uploading the template I kinda ran through it quick when I posted earlier and forget to mention that.

- Dink