Content Types

One of the best new things about SharePoint 2007 is the Content Type.  Content types are simply a collection of Site Columns (with additional benefits).  Content types are used throughout SharePoint to describe the different elements of a piece of content.  For example, a content type can describe the template to be used when a user clicks the “new” button, columns which are relevant to a specific piece of content (sometimes called metadata), any workflows associated with the content, information management policies which may apply to the content, and more… 

All lists in SharePoint 2007 originate from a content type.  For example, the Announcement and Blank Document content types and of course you can create your own custom content types without writing any code. 

Content Types are stored in a central location (top level site collection) and can then be used throughout the entire site (including sub sites).  Content types can be applied to document libraries, page layouts and lists.  The point of a content type is to set the attributes of a given piece of content.  For example, a content type called “Press Release” might have the following columns:  Title, Body, Author, By Line.  Additionally, the Press Release content type may have a Workflow called “Press Release WF” assigned to it.  This means anytime a piece of “Press Release” content is created and/or otherwise modified, it would need to confirm to not only the Press Release content type specifications (contain the proper metadata), but also follow the Workflow process applied to the Press Release content type.