Quick Launch (left navigation) Missing in Web Part Pages – Solutions

In SharePoint 2007, When we create a web part page, it doesn’t come up with left navigation! SharePoint quick launch missing in web part pages!!

Well, there are 3 approaches to resolve this issue.

1. Editing the Site definition Template files – Farm level (NOT RECOMMENDED!)
2. Editing the Master page – Site level
3. Editing the individual page – Page level

Option 1: Editing the Site definition Template files – Farm level
in the WFE(s), Navigate to : “C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\web server extensions\12\TEMPLATE\1033\STS\DOCTEMP\SMARTPGS”

Open the files spstdX.aspx and comment out these lines:

<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderPageImage” runat=”server”></asp:Content>
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderLeftNavBar” runat=”server”></asp:Content>
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderNavSpacer” runat=”server”></asp:Content>

In case you need the Place holder Image for the site, then you can add that by
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderPageImage” runat=”server”>
<div style=”padding:20px 0;”>
<img alt=”” width=”150″ height=”50″ src=”/_layouts/images/generic.png” /></div></asp:Content>
</asp:Content><%–<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderPageImage” runat=”server”></asp:Content>
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderLeftNavBar” runat=”server”></asp:Content>
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderNavSpacer” runat=”server”></asp:Content–%>

Option 2: Editing the Master page – Site level, to solve SharePoint quick launch bar missing issue:
Open the site in SharePoint Designer, Edit your master page, it would be “default.master” by default.
Find the following 2 segments of code:
<asp:ContentPlaceHolder id=”PlaceHolderLeftNavBar” runat=”server”>
      .
      .
      . 
      .
 </asp:ContentPlaceHolder>
<asp:ContentPlaceHolder id=”PlaceHolderNavSpacer” runat=”server”>
      .
      .
      .
      .
</asp:ContentPlaceholder>

All you have to do is: Move the closing tag </asp:ContentPlaceHolder> right after the opening tag. for e.g.:

<asp:ContentPlaceHolder id=”PlaceHolderLeftNavBar” runat=”server”>
</asp:ContentPlaceHolder>
       .
       .
       .
       .

Save and publish your Master page.

Option 3: Editing the individual page – Page level to fix SharePoint 2007 quick launch missing:
Open the Page in site in SharePoint Designer, Find the line :
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderLeftNavBar” runat=”server”></asp:Content>

and comment or Remove it! In Case, you are getting some consistency in page width, try removing these place holders too.

<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderPageImage” runat=”server”></asp:Content>
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderLeftNavBar” runat=”server”></asp:Content>
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderNavSpacer” runat=”server”></asp:Content>

and finally, our web part page will have Quick launch 🙂

Some times, You may feel the Quick launch width is not enough! Here is the fix:

Add this CSS: just below:
<asp:Content ContentPlaceHolderId=”PlaceHolderTitleAreaClass” runat=”server”>

<style type="text/css">
 .ms-quicklaunchouter
   {
     width:150px!important;
    }
</style>

For SharePoint 2010 quick launch missing issue, refer: Show Quick Launch in SharePoint 2010 Web Part Pages