Converter Settings and Content Types

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The document conversion infrastructure includes the ability for an administrator to specify configuration settings for a converter per site content type. These configuration settings are stored as part of the site content type, and passed to the converter when you choose to convert a document of that content type.

These configuration settings are generated as an XML node and stored in the site content type definition as an XMLDocument element. Therefore, a given site content type will contain an XMLDocument element for each document converter enabled for that content type.

For example, the configuration settings an administrators can specify for the document to page converters included in Office SharePoint Server 2007, per content type, include the following:

  • Whether to inherit the converter configuration settings of the parent content type.

  • The page layout to apply to the page, and the field on that page in which to place the document content.

  • The location to which to publish the page.

  • Whether to create the page immediately or as an asynchronous background operation.

For more information on document to page converters, see Page Publishing Using Document Converters.

Custom Configuration Settings

Developers can add a control to the page administrators use to configure converters that represents additional configuration options. This .ascx control must implement the IDocumentConverterControl interface. The control generates XML that is stored as part of the configuration settings in the site content type definition. For more information, see Additional Converter Settings Controls.

You can also replace the configuration settings page entirely with your own custom settings page. In this case, your custom .aspx page is responsible for updating the specified site content type definition. For more information, see Custom Converter Configuration Settings Pages.

Excluding Converters from a Site Content Type

Administrators can select which document converters to enable for a given site content type. Document converters that are not selected are excluded from working on documents of that site content type. The list of excluded document converters is stored in the site content type definition as an XML node that is an XMLDocument element. For more information, see Content Type Excluded Converters Schema Overview.

Note

If the converter was configured first, and then excluded from use with a content type, that content type definition may still contain an XMLDocument element with the configuration settings for the excluded converter. Excluding the converter does not remove its configuration settings from the content type.

For more information about content types, and the content type definition schema, see Content Types in the Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SDK.

See Also

Concepts

Page Publishing Using Document Converters
Custom Document to Page Converters
Content Type Excluded Converters Schema Overview
Document Converters Overview
Custom Converter Configuration Settings Pages
Additional Converter Settings Controls