How to create new Document Template for pages library

Question

We have a pages library that has two content types: CustomLink and CustomPage. CustomLink is based on the Link to Document and CustomPage is based on the Page. Both add some metadata, but nothing particularly complex.

We don't like the current user experience for creating new items in our pages library and are looking to change how that happens. I see that creating a new link goes to _layouts/15/NewLink.aspx. A new page goes either to _layouts/15/CreatePublishingPageDialog.aspx or _layouts/15/CreatePage.aspx depending if the user selects Add a page from the gear menu or New > CustomPage from the library's listview control bar or Ribbon.

In Library Settings > CustomPage > Advanced Settings I can change the document template. I was able to change the CreatePage one to the CreatePublishingPageDialog and at least now there is only one user experience for creating a new page. One that we don't like is better than two that we don't like, but we would prefer to set up our own document template!

I've searched for instructions on how to do this, but everything I find is about document libraries and setting up a .dotx or other office template. Like this MS documentation.

I can't seem to find anything about how to make a document template for a pages library. I'm only a Site Collection owner with now access to _layouts so I can't even reverse engineer the existing ones.

Anybody know how to create custom document templates for a pages library?

Edit

Just to be clear. I'm looking to replace this page with a custom page. We don't like that there is no connection between the content-type page you chose and its related page layouts here. We don't like that it then just dumps you back into the page library. There are so many things about this user experience.

Or this one, which doesn't give you the opportunity to choose the contenttype or pagelayout.

Answer 1

I think you are looking for Page Layouts. This link have a lot of information regarding creation of page layouts in sharepoint https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/general-development/how-to-create-a-page-layout-in-sharepoint

But to get you started you need to enable publishing on the page you want to use the design manager.

All created page layouts end up in the masterpage directory. https://tenant.sharepoint.com/sites/[site]/_catalogs/masterpage/Forms/AllItems.aspx

Here you can access both the required html and aspx page.

Then add this page layout to the content type of your choice. The link above describes the procedure quite thoroughly.

Answer 2

If I understood correctly, you want two things:

a) your own, highly customized page/form that allows users create new page instances

b) hook up your new page with the library

for a), nothing stops you from setting up a brand new .aspx page somewhere, add a couple UI fields and javascript logic, to ask the user which content type and which page layout they want, and then programatically create the page/link. you don't need to rely on any existing pages or objects (and it's usually a good idea to not touch ootb files), you can just implement it however you want.

sure it will take some effort, to fetch the data, conditional logic, etc., but it's doable.

example on how to create a publishing page programatically (no UI):

https://www.c-sharpcorner.com/article/create-a-publishing-page-in-sharepoint-using-javascript-object-model/

now for b), I'm sure that there are many options, but as long as you have an URL you can use for your custom form, the hard part is done

other refs

https://www.sharepointpals.com/post/how-to-create-a-publishing-page-programmatically-in-sharepoint-2013/

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/29154160/trying-to-create-publishing-page-using-jsom-sharepoint-2013-and-changing-page-la

Create a link to "New Document" template link

hope that I'm not too far from what you seek and that this helps in some way