Customising layouts in SharePoint has changed over time as newer versions are introduced so let’s take a look at the differences between the 2007 and 2010 versions.

In SharePoint 2007, we used to have ‘Web Part Pages.’ With this, page content had to be inserted inside containers on the page called Web Parts. Web Parts were great because they enabled you to put certain functionality on your page such as Slide Shows, Lists, Libraries, Business Data, etc. However, the problem with Web Part Pages was that you were limited as to where to put the content as every page had a definite and pre-defined layout of Web Parts that you had to choose. SharePoint 2007 offers roughly 10 different layouts for your page and you were restricted to put your content only within those layouts. Another issue with these layouts was that some of the Web Parts on your page would disappear if you were to change the layout, which is something I personally didn’t like.

Then SharePoint 2010 came along. In this version, when you create a new page, SharePoint gives you a ‘Wiki Page’ by default rather than a ‘Web Part Page’. Wiki Pages are blank pages where you can put content in almost any way you like, similar to how you would arrange content in Microsoft Word. Given this, SharePoint Designer is a great tool to assist with creating the layout of a page the way you want.

In SharePoint Designer, you can create a page layout by clicking on ‘Manage Layers’ in the ‘Layout’ tab. This will activate the ‘Manage Layers’ pane on the right hand side of the window. The ‘Draw Layer’ button on this pane will allow you to trace out a rectangle anywhere you want on your page. This rectangle is really a HTML ‘div’ area. Any Web Part you put inside this layer attempts to adjust its width or height with this layer so that it completely lies inside the layer. With this method, you can easily create complicated design layouts.

Another way to control the layout of Web Parts is by inserting them within ‘Web Part Zones’. Web Part Zones gives you further control over Web Parts inside it. You can insert Web Part Zones inside a layer by using the “Insert” tab from the ribbon. Once you insert a Web Part Zone and place multiple Web Parts in it, you can change the layout of the Web Parts further by choosing the tab “Web Part Zone Tools Format.”

Evidently, it’s now easier to create complex page layouts via SharePoint Designer’s ‘Manage Layers’ pane and putting Web Part Zones inside layers. You can only imagine what other great features the 2013 version offers but I’ll save that for another day.