Auto-Create Docs With SharePoint Document Sets

When you work with projects within an organization, you often create different kinds of documents built on templates. With a SharePoint Document Set you can have such documents created automatically from your specified templates when a new project item is created, and the documents are stored together in one single item.

If you plan to use folders for project documents or similar, I recommend you to study the Document Sets option first. Document Sets is a better option in many ways. In two tutorials in the kalmstrom.com Tips section I explain how to create and use Document Sets in SharePoint Online.

All docs created in one item
One of the advantages with SharePoint Document Sets is that you get all documents connected to the same project in one item. Create a new library item, and the documents you have specified will be created and named automatically.

In the image above the specified documents are an Excel cost break-down, a PowerPoint executive overview and a Word specification. By default the auto-created documents are named with the name of the project item (here ‘Support system’) + the name of the template.

The content writer can just open each document and start writing, instead of creating and naming three new documents, and all documents connected to that project are gathered inside the project item.

Content Type
To use Document Sets in a SharePoint library, you must connect the library to a Document Sets content type. Create a content type that builds on the Document Sets parent and specify which templates you want to use with this content type.

You can of course have several Document Sets content types and use them in different libraries. My Tips articles about SharePoint Document Sets have the demos above as well as step by step instructions, so I hope they will be easy to follow. Give it a try!

Peter Kalmström
CEO and Systems Designer
kalmstrom.com Business Solutions