Table of Contents

SharePoint Advanced

Table of Contents

SharePoint Advanced Guide

Security and Permissions

APAN uses SharePoint’s standard, out-of-the-box (OOTB) security model. SharePoint security groups are designed to manage permissions efficiently: each group contains users and comes with settings such as group ownership and who can add or remove members. Below is a summary of the default security groups and permission levels in SharePoint.

Note: Site Owners or Site Collection Administrators (SCAs) can create additional security groups if needed.

User Groups

Creating a SharePoint User Group

The recommended way to control permissions is to use user groups. Without groups, you’d need to adjust permissions for each user individually—a hassle as your site grows. Here’s how to create a permission group:

  1. Click Site Settings.
  2. Select Site Permissions.
  3. Click Create Group.
  4. Enter a group name and description in the appropriate fields.
  5. Choose the group owner. APAN Best Practice is to use the Site’s Owner group to own any new user groups.
  6. Adjust group settings as needed.
  7. Click OK to finish.

Adding Users to a Group

As a group owner, you can add users at any time:

  1. On your site, click Share.
    • If you see Members instead, click that, then Add members.
  2. The sharing dialog lets you invite people to the default Members group. To pick a different group, click Show options and pick the desired group or permission level.
  3. Enter APAN usernames. As you type, select from the suggestions.
  4. (Optional) Add a personal message
  5. Click Share.

Alternate method:

  1. Click the gear icon to open the menu to Site Settings
  2. Click Site Permissions
  3. Select the user group the new user belongs in for the permissions they need
  4. Click "New"
  5. Enter APAN usernames. As you type, select from the suggestions.
  6. (Optional) Add a personal message
  7. Click Invite

Best Practice: Only use Site Owners, Members, and Visitors. If you’re unsure about permissions, ask APAN for help.

Deleting a User Group

Caution: Don’t delete default APAN SharePoint groups—you could lock yourself (and others) out.

  1. Select Site Settings
  2. Under Users and Permissions, click People and Groups.
  3. Choose the group to delete.
  4. Click Settings > Group Settings.
  5. At the bottom, click Delete, then confirm.

Best Practice: Only delete groups you created.

Removing Users from a Group

  1. Select Site Settings
  2. Under Users and Permissions, click People and Groups.
  3. Select the group you want.
  4. Check the boxes next to users to remove.
  5. Click Actions > Remove Users from Group. Confirm your choice.

Finding a Deleted Group or Verifying a Group Exists

To check if a permission group exists (if you know its name), navigate to Site Settings > People and Groups and use the available filters.

To re-add or restore a group, use Site Settings > Site Permission and Grant Permissions.

Anonymous Access

Anonymous access (allowing people without APAN accounts to view your site) is not allowed without APAN leadership approval. If you need anonymous access, contact APAN to set up a public site.

Subsite Security Inheritance

Subsites inherit permissions from their parent sites by default. APAN recommends breaking this inheritance for subsites to avoid accidental permissions issues. If you need assistance with permissions, consult APAN’s guidance or support.

List and Library Permissions

By default, lists and libraries inherit permissions from the site. If you need to set unique permissions:

  • Break inheritance for the list/library.
  • Assign new permissions as needed.
  • Be aware: Changing parent permissions won’t affect this list anymore, and all items in the list will inherit the new settings unless they also have unique permissions.

Best Practice: Instead of setting unique permissions on lists or libraries within a site, create a new subsite with its own permissions for easier management.

To restore inheritance:

  1. Go to the list or library.
  2. Click List Settings or Library Settings.
  3. Under Permissions and Management, select Permissions for this list/library.
  4. Click Delete Unique Permissions and confirm.

Note: Restoring inheritance will wipe out any unique permissions you’ve set. If you do this for a main site, contact the APAN Help Desk—it could cause broader issues.

Guest Registration List Permissions

A guest registration list lets users register for events or exercises even if they aren’t approved site members. The security requirements:

  • Users can register and view only their submissions.
  • Site owners can view all registrations.
  • Non-members can’t upload content.
  • The list shouldn’t be searchable.
  • The APAN Team should create a separate site for this registration list on the Public site collection.

To set it up:

  1. Break permission inheritance on the new registration list.
  2. Go to the list, open the List tab, and select List Settings.
  3. Under Permissions and Management, click Permissions for this list.
  4. Click Stop Inheriting Permissions.
  5. Grant “Contribute No Delete” access to the “Everyone” group.

Members and Permissions

For content meant only for specific users or groups, break inheritance on the relevant library or list and adjust permissions as needed.

Click here for more details on creating a Registration List.

Approving or Declining Access Requests

As an owner:

  1. Click Settings > Site Settings > Site Permissions.
  2. Click Show access request and invitations (if any pending requests).
  3. Under Pending Requests, use the menu to approve or decline, and set the appropriate permission level.

Tips:

  • Only use Owner, Member, or Visitor roles.
  • Verify the user’s identity—ask for a military or government email, understand their reason for joining, and if they’re from another country, check with your Country POCs first.

If you’re unsure about a request, don’t approve it. Report suspicious users to APAN Support.

Best Practice: Limit the number of owners who manage access to no more than 5.

Sending Invites

Site owners can invite users as owners, members, or visitors:

  1. Select Share site.
  2. Enter the APAN Username(s) of those you want to invite.
  3. Choose the appropriate permission level.
  4. (Optional) Add a message or disable the notification email.
  5. Click Share.

Site Look and Feel

Change Site Title, Description, and Logo

  1. Go to your site and click Settings > Site Settings.
  2. Under Look and Feel, click Title, Description and Logo.
  3. Update the title and description as needed.
  1. To add a logo:
    • Click From Computer to upload a file, or
    • Click From SharePoint to use an existing image.
  2. Enter an optional description or alternate text.
  3. Click OK to save.

Best Practice:

  • Use a logo less than 100px tall (100px x 100px for square, up to 700px wide for rectangular).
  • Use JPG or GIF files under 50kb.

Site Notifications and Alerts

Alerts let you know when content changes. You can manage your alerts from your user info page or the site’s manage alerts page. Owners can also manage alerts for others.

To set an alert:

  1. Go to the list or library.
  2. Select the item, then click the ... (ellipses), and choose Alert Me.
  3. In the dialog, set your alert preferences and save.

To cancel or view alerts:

  • Use the Manage My Alerts option under the Alert Me menu.
  • Owners can use User alerts under Site Administration.

Technical Limits:

  • Alerts may not work with folders using special characters.
  • Filters on multi-value, lookup, or calculated columns may interfere.
  • Libraries requiring content approval may affect alerts.
  • There are limits on alert email frequency and volume.

Creating a Subsite

To create a subsite:

  1. Navigate to the main site.
  2. Under Site Contents, click New Subsite.
  3. Fill in the title, description, and web address (no special characters; underscores only if needed).
  4. Choose the desired permissions.
  1. Click Create.

If your parent site is CUI:
Notify APAN immediately if you add a subsite to a Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) parent site.

Managing Access Requests:
By default, access requests go to whoever created the site. Update the settings under Site Permissions > Access Request Settings as needed.

To add a logo:

  1. Upload a JPG or GIF under 300x300px and 50kb to your document library.
  2. Use the Title, description, and icon settings

Adding and Editing Web Parts or Apps

Adding Apps:

  • Go to Site Contents and click Add an app

Creating a Web Part Page:

  1. For Document Template, pick Web Part Page.
  1. Click Create.
  1. In the new library, go to Files > New Document.
  2. Follow the prompts to create your web part page.
  3. To make it your homepage, use Page Actions > Make Homepage.

Adding a Web Part:

  • On the page, click Edit.
  • Select the Insert tab, choose a category and web part, then click Add.
  • To edit properties (such as appearance, layout, advanced options), use the tool pane.

Note:
Some properties may be hidden based on permissions or developer settings.

SharePoint Designer and InfoPath

Note: APAN does not support SharePoint Designer or InfoPath. Both tools have been deprecated in SharePoint 2019.

 

Troubleshooting

Can’t Save a List Item or Document?

If you get a SharePoint error like "The server was unable to save the form at this time. Please try again," and you’re a site owner:

  1. Click Settings.
  2. Select Advanced Settings.
  3. Under Content Types, select Yes to allow management of content types.

Permission Groups and Levels – Quick Reference

Security Group

Permission Level

Summary of Rights

Site Owners

Full Control

Add/edit/delete content, manage sites and permissions

Site Members

Contribute

Add/edit/delete content

Site Visitors

Read

View and download content

To view or manage groups:

  • Go to Site Settings > People and Groups.
  • Use More... and filters to find groups and see members.
  • Use Site Settings > Site Permission > Grant Permissions to add groups.

Web Part Properties – Quick Reference

  • Web Page, Folder, or File: Choose content type for the Page Viewer Web Part (web page, folder, or file).
  • Link: Enter URL or path for the content.
  • Title: Title displayed on the web part.
  • Height/Width: Size of the web part.
  • Chrome State/Type: Show/hide the web part’s title bar and frame.
  • Hidden: Hide the web part from users (for use as a data provider).
  • Zone/Zone Index: Control placement/order on the page.
  • Allow Minimize/Close/Hide/Zone Change/Connections/Editing in Personal View: Control user interactions.
  • Title/Description/Help URLs: Add extra info and tooltips.
  • Target Audiences: Restrict web part to specific audiences or groups.

 (Updated 2 JUL 25)

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