Create a new document with tagging in SharePoint 2013

As I have been using SharePoint Online a lot lately with various clients the ability to create new documents inside the browser comes up as a really nice to have feature.  It basically enables devices without Microsoft Office on to create and publish a document in a library.

Additionally the interface to do this is greatly improved with the ‘new document’ pop out functionality and so far clients are really liking this.

But I notice it comes at a price and that is once content types start getting assigned in a library this functionality will disappear.  The setting that changes this behaviour can be found in Library settings – Advanced Settings and then ‘Allow Management of Content Types’.

The outcome being we are asked to browse to our new file.

What I have found though is a way around this which in my testing so far works well.  My requirements are to have a content type with required fields that need completing but to maintain the nice pop out option to create a new document in my library.  To do this I follow the below steps.

·         Enable management of content types in our library.

·         Find the Content Type you want to assign to the library.

·         In my example I also removed the Document Content Type.

·         Once set up now go back to the Advanced Settings.

·         Change the ‘Allow Management of Content Types’ to No.

·         From your library now try to create a new document.

 

We are now presented at the library level with a pop out for creating a new document.  In my example I have chosen Word and named the document in the next step of the process.

 

Once named I click OK and am presented with the metadata that I need to apply to my new document.

When filled in and ready I click Save to open Office Web Apps allowing me to write and publish my document.  Once you have completed your document you will have to check in from within the library which is required step commonly found with new documents and content types. 

Additionally if you use the drag and drop functionality available to a library you will again have to check in the document after required metadata is applied but that is similar to multiple uploads.

So cool document creation functionality and controlled document tagging all rolled in to one solution.