If you
find a different solution, please report it as a comment to this post. Be sure
to double-verify it: undo your solution and verify that the problem comes back,
then redo it and verify that the problem goes away.
Today we are going
to discuss a content type “Link to a Document”.
Basically these are
summary points:-
1. How to use and add this
content type?
2. Why this content open read
only documents?
Let’s start with –
How to use and add this content type?
By default only one
content type is a part of any document library i.e. New Document – How to check
this?
1) Open your SharePoint
document library
2) Click on new
3) You will see the content
type named as “New Document”
Now I want another
content type listed over there as “Link to a Document” – How to enable this?
a) Open your SharePoint
document library
b) Top section ->Ribbon
c) Library
d) Library settings
e) Advanced settings
f) Enable this option – ‘Allow
management of content types’
g) Click OK
h) You will again come back
to the library settings page
i) Scroll down to the same
page
j) There you go - you will see a new section named as “content
types”
k) Click this options – “Add
from existing site content types”
l) You will see several
content types under “Available site content types” gallery
m) Scroll down to the list
and select “Link to a document”
n) Click Add
o) Hit OK
By this way, we
have successfully added the “Link to a document” content type (CT).
Now how to use this content type?
1. Open your document library where we have
enabled this content type
2. Top Ribbon ->Library Tools
3. New Document
4. Select ‘Link to a document’
5. You will see two fields Document Name
and Document URL
6. Enter the name as per your requirements
and enter the document URL (How to get document URL? – Go to the document
library where the document resides ->Right on that document for which you
want to create a link ->Copy shortcut)
By this way – a link
to document will be successfully created!
Now the times
arrive to discuss issues w.r.t. this functionality.
Why the document which has been created
by “Link to a document” content type opens only in “Read only” mode?
Not understanding
the exact behavior – let’s try to reproduce it J
Let us create one hyperlink
/ link to a document in my document library – here is the screenshot
Click on it and you
will get these options – Open, Save and Cancel.
Where is the edit
option?
If you click on
open ->document will open without any problems ->but if do any changes and
try to save it then it will ask you to save locally
Is this I want? NO –
I want that this document should be saved directly to SP and not locally!
Let’s try to understand this / check
what is under the hood – How is this functionality working?
When we use the
content type “Link to a document” then it will not be an office compatible
component that we can use with word, excel or PowerPoint. It is simply an aspx
page and it’s not possible to edit these pages in office version.
I have created a
document share for this document library where I placed the “linked to
document” content type.
Default visibility
will show you that it’s an excel compatible as we have linked the excel
document to it.
But if you create a
network share for the same document library then it will reveal the real facts,
like above.
From the
screenshot, you will understand that it’s showing as aspx page and not an
office document. ASPX page are not office compatible so it’s quite obvious it
will give you the prompt of open, save and cancel.
I think the above explanation;
most importantly the screenshot will clear the queries/doubts you have
regarding this functionality.
Let me know in case
of any, I would be more than happy to address your queries/issues, Thank you.
