Changing the Custom Tab on SharePoint's Site Template List
One of the great features of SharePoint is the ability to create a site, organize content the way that fits your business needs, then stamp it as a template for creating other sites. These site templates will be visible, along with the out-of-the-box templates, when you choose 'Create Site' from SharePoint's Site Action context menu. SharePoint organizes the various templates with tabs, based on logical groupings. By default, your templates will be in the last tab labeled 'Custom'. The term 'Custom' does not make sense to many business users. Doesn't it make more sense to call it 'Acme' if that is the name of your company? This way, you clearly identify those templates that are specific to your organization. Here's how...
Find the file core.en-US.resx in the \Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\Resources folder.
Edit the value for "TemplatePickerControl_Custom", changing it from 'Custom' to whatever you want.
Do an IISRESET (I always do this to be sure my changes are picked up).
That's it! Create a site and you'll see your re-labeled tab.
While we're talking site templates, I'd also like to mention some best practices around naming convention...
- Be consistent; have the template names make sense (i.e. use prefixes for business units; use small words)
- Don't mention version numbers (i.e. Project Template Version 12). The version number doesn't help.
- Don't use date stamps (i.e. Project Template 061307). Same reason.
- Don't use people names (i.e. Joe's Really Cool Template). Same reason.
- Most importantly, delete the templates you no longer need. Clutter happens in a hurry!