Create a Context Sensitive Navigation Wiki with SharePoint 2010 Foundation Part 1

This blog post will cover the first part of building a context sensitive navigation system with SharePoint 2010 Foundation Wiki.

In a Context sensitive site the links on the side navigation are different for different links on the top navigation.  With out of the box SharePoint Foundation the best way to do this is to make each top navigation tab its own sub-site.  This means that rather than having 1 wiki you have a separate wiki for each tab.  So you need to decide if this will work for you first. 

First Create A New Site Collection to site in a SharePoint Web Application.  The site we will create is a Team Site.  We will make the system administrator the administrator of the site. 

This creates a SharePoint Team.  We are going to change this to a Wiki, so first we selection Site Actions and Show All Site Content. 

Key Step 1: Make a Team Site in to a Wiki Site

With the All Site Content Page showing we select Create at the top of the table, this will bring up a creation page.

On the SharePoint Create page we will select Wiki Page Library

This creates a new Wiki with a Home Page at the top of the Wiki.  To make the site in to a Wiki Site click on the Page Tab, and in the Ribbon that shows up click Make Homepage.

This has made the Wiki Home Page the Home page of the site.  Now to add new tabs across the top we are going to create new Sub Sites.  Again click Site Actions and New Site to create a new Sub Site.  Be certain that you are at the top of the Site Collection each time you do this.

Provide Title, Description and URL for the new sub Site.  The Title will show up on the top navigation.  Select Team Site.

Make certain that you Select Display this site on the top link bar of parent site and Use the top link bar from the parent site. 

Now you have created a new Sub Site.  Perform Key Step 1 to convert this in to a Wiki Site.

Continue until you have created all the top navigation elements.