Create a custom content type to be used with CreateTaskWithContentType activity in SharePoint Workflow

Create a folder at C:Program FilesCommon FilesMicrosoft Sharedweb server extensions12TEMPLATEFEATURES for e.g. MyCustomContentTask.

Now add three xml files over there

Name them as

· Feature.xml

· MyCustomContentType.xml

· MyCustomContentTypeColumns.xml

First define your custom content type as following (MyCustomContentType.xml)

Our custom content type would be including two custom columns i.e. one for FirstName and other for LastName.

<?xml version=“1.0“ encoding=“utf-8“?>

<Elements xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/“>

<ContentType ID=“0x0108010011D80FDA18534a3f9A162A1F5D6187F0“

Name=“My Custom Content Type“

Group=“Custom Content Types“

Description=“Custom Content Type“

Version=“0“

Hidden=“FALSE“>

<FieldRefs>

<FieldRef

ID=“{9A447D6C-5BB8-4890-80E5-056B60FF6462}“

Name=“_FirstName“

/>

<FieldRef

ID=“{76CC8E55-59C9-40d6-B46B-A4C1D95B16CB}“

Name=“_LastName“

/>

</FieldRefs>

<XmlDocuments>

<XmlDocument NamespaceURI=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/v3/contenttype/forms/url“>

<FormUrls xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/v3/contenttype/forms/url“>

<New></New>

<Display></Display>

<Edit></Edit>

</FormUrls>

</XmlDocument>

</XmlDocuments>

</ContentType>

</Elements>

ID- Id of the custom content type

0x0108010011D80FDA18534a3f9A162A1F5D6187F0

0x010801 –The id of the base content type the custom content type should derive from

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms452896.aspx

Followed by 00.

And a new guid 11D80FDA18534a3f9A162A1F5D6187F0.

Name- Name of the custom content type.

Hidden – Whether or not the users should see the content type.

FieldRefs – Collection of column references. Can contain one or more FieldRef.

FieldRef- Define the fields.

Id – Give a new guid.

Name – Name of the field

XmlDocument – Here we could define our custom form that should open when users creates, edit  task or when the task is displayed.We can simply let it blank if we want to use the same forms that SharePoint uses for the default task.

Now to define the columns that we have just added we’ll put the following information in our MyCustomContentTypeColumns.xml file

For your custom columns (MyCustomContentTypeColumns.xml)

<?xml version=“1.0“ encoding=“utf-8“?>

<Elements xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/“>

<Field ID=“{9A447D6C-5BB8-4890-80E5-056B60FF6462}“

Name=“_ FirstName “

DisplayName=“First Name“

Group=“Custom Columns“

Type=“Note“

NumLines=“10“

Required=“ TRUE “>

</Field>

<Field ID=“{76CC8E55-59C9-40d6-B46B-A4C1D95B16CB}“

Name=“_ LastName“

DisplayName=“ Last Name“

Group=“Custom Columns“

Type=“ Note “

NumLines=“10“

Required=“TRUE“>

</Field>

</Elements>

Here we have two field tags corresponding to the FieldRef field defined in MyCustomContentType.xml.

ID- It should the same as defined for Field Ref field

Name- Same as defined for Field Ref field.

Type – Note i.e. appear as multiline text box.

Required – To make the field mandatory.

For more info for Field

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms437580.aspx

And for the Feature.xml

Id – Generate a new guid for the feature

Title – The name for the feature

ElementManifest- Defining the location of the above two files defining our custom content type.

<?xml version=“1.0“ encoding=“utf-8“?>

<Feature Id=“64CB36F5-BF1A-470e-A27F-213A9F170DA4“

Title=“My Custom Feature“

Description=“Represents a custom content type“

Version=“12.0.0.0“

Scope=“Site“

xmlns=“http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/“>

<ElementManifests>

<ElementManifest Location=“ MyCustomContentTypeColumns.xml“ />

<ElementManifest Location=“ MyCustomContentType.xml“ />

</ElementManifests>

<Properties>

<Property Key=“Globallyavailable“ Value=“TRUE“ />

</Properties>

</Feature>

Now install the feature and activate it using the stsadm tool

stsadm.exe -o installfeature -filename MyCustomContentTask Feature.xml

stsadm -o activatefeature -filename MyCustomContentTask Feature.xml -URL http://localhost:82

Now to use it

Go to your Lists à Settings àListSettings

Scroll down to find Add from existing site content types

Click on it and Select your new content type from Available Site Content Types.

That’s it..