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I have a custom master page called "arx.master" that I use all over my portal. I am wondering if I could put it in c:\program files\common files\microsoft shared\web server extensions\14\TEMPLATE\GLOBAL where I can have direct file-system access to the file via notepad - this will keep me from having to connect with Sharepoint Designer every time I want to make a tiny edit.

Would that cause me any issues?

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1 Answer

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Yes. You can put your master page in the SharePoint Root. And yes, editing with notepad may cause issues. There are a few good reasons to avoid this practice.

  1. Updates from Microsoft may overwrite or delete files in the SharePoint Root
  2. SharePoint is designed to support multiple web servers deploying the necessary files to the SharePoint Root pulled from the Configuration Database
  3. There is a better way to deploy files to the Root

It is recommended that you always deploy files to the SharePoint Root using a Solution Package. Read Bob German's explanation of how to design in SharePoint Designer and then deploy with Visual Studio.

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From number 1. I understand about MS updates, but they would only overwrite files that have MS names, no? Thanks for the answer and for the links. – BGM Jan 2 at 14:58
I don't think it's safe to count on only some files being updated. The general rule of thumb is that files not deployed with solution packages are subject to removal or change by updates to the product. It's best to consider the SharePoint Root off limits to manual changes. – Tom Resing Jan 2 at 20:42
What about putting it in _layouts? That's still the 14 hive, but there are plenty of other custom things there, you know. – BGM Jan 2 at 23:42
_layouts is a good destination for files deployed by your solution package. – Tom Resing Jan 3 at 21:22

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