Forum Discussion
What is the plan for "modern" Document Sets?
- Its too early to put specifics on the roadmap - but we will update document sets. We are not being "classic Microsoft" here - there is a steady stream of requests for docsets (along with other parts of classic ECM) and I've never pretended otherwise. Fear is not part of the plan. I hope to be able to give roadmap updates at SPC or Ignite this year, if that helps.
MicrosoftHi Brent,
We're looking closely at Document Sets currently. They get significant usage in the service, and it's clear that they're in need of a UX update. We want to make them great at what they're currently good at - managing a set of related files together. We will keep the "bones" of the feature intact - shared metadata, distinct content types, and customizable homepage. We'll likely add modern pages and page editing, modern library views, Flow integration, and other features that will help collaboration happen on files inside a set.
Thanks for your feedback!
I'd like to bump this thread again, since there hasn't been any information (or I haven't found them yet) on document sets at Ignite and nothing since then either.
I've discovered a few issues with document sets and their behaviour and even some showstoppers than make working with them impossible
- Welcome Page webparts are shown twice instead of once
- (as already mentioned) Modern Document Libraries revert back to the old UI once you click on a document set
- (now starts the fun part) when you create a document in the old UI, then for example jump to word (edit in browser) and then click on the top left text navigation which takes you back to the folder where the document was created, you're suddenly in the new UI, even though you're at the exact same spot as in bullet point 2. So, all this works already and there shouldn't be any reason why clicking on a document set, except that you lose the Welcome Page. Here are the URL differences:
- when click a documetn set: Forms/Document%20Set/docsethomepage.aspx
- when returning from an Office Online App: Forms/AllItems.aspx?RootFolder=
- (not an document set exclusive error) when adding a required column (e.g. date/choice) with no default value you cannot save the required metadata, as it jumps to new UI and shows this error: The file is locked for exclusive use by i:0#.f|membership|firstname.last@domain.com.
- this I'll have to further investigate.
- LincolnDeMaris
Thanks for the feedback. Document set content types are supported inside modern document libraries. The intent is that these content types show up under the New menu in modern, and clicking a document set takes you to the classic document set homepage with all functionality intact.
For the bugs you specifically mentioned:
- I am not seeing this - you're talking about the web parts on the classic document set welcome page, right? We haven't made any intentional changes to this page.
- Yes, that's the intended behavior - inside a modern document library, if you click on a document set, the UI returns to classic. Going back to the library page takes you back to modern; I just tested this. Do you have an environment where you're seeing otherwise?
- You're right, there are definitely issues with the breadcrumb. In my environment, when I click the breadcrumb to go back to the library, I get taken to SharePoint Home! I have logged a bug.
- I can't get a repro on this bug. Required properties are working fine on my end. If this continues, call support.
Now, even if this experience was totally bug free, we acknowledge that having classic document set welcome pages within modern document libraries is a disjoint user experience. We want to bring the document set homepage, and all the functionality inside, to the modern world. This is on our backlog, but I can't guarantee we'll get to this item in CY2017.
- "Can't guarantee we'll get to this item in CY2017" ... i appreciate the honesty, but YIKES! Document sets are key piece of SP functionality that's missing from the modern experience. Mobile first, sure, but not at the expense of key functionality. I like the mobility and other features in "modern", but for many of my clients will need to wait until all the key plumbing is there before fully adopting.
- Any news ?
Not sure why you rushed out modern ui and have left half done for so long. I am trying to roll out to non tech users and it is just too baffling to explain.
Thanks Lincoln.
You said you 'can't guarantee we'll get to this item in CY2017'. If (as I expect) we roll out SPO to our users during 2017 replacing their SP2013 on-prem experience, the relative inaccessibility of document sets will hasten their disuse in favour of folders in our environment where Site Owners created document libraries.
Document sets will remain useful in specific cases.
- I'll admit, I would never put it on regular end users to try and implement document sets, but building robust/formal document management solutions (built by our SharePoint team who understand it, for our users who will USE it not BUILD it), it has always been the most valuable building block for our organization.
AndrewWarland, i'd do a fair bit of playing with the settings to understand how to turn off the modern stuff in SPO before you really start transitioning, if you are anything like us, having "older/non prioritized" features is a must have. You won't lose anything, but you have to set defaults for tenants/libraries on whether to use the old (which contains document set functionality) or the modern (other benefits, but still missing lots of key stuff)
- <dislike>
will have to maybe create a uservoice for this if there isnt one already to try and get some public traction to help boost priority
Since Modern team sites were introduced I have 'more or less' abandoned Document Sets except for specific use cases where they are useful. They were already too hard to set up let alone add (New Document - Document Set). They are even harder to add in the new look. Folders are so much more obvious to users but their use will only replicate the file share structures on SharePoint.
Here is another question I asked during the AMA that didnt get traction either: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/SharePoint-AMA/When-will-we-see-Modern-Document-Sets/m-p/29035/highlight/true#M25
Document Sets, Search Web Parts, Publishing-Style Navigation (with audiences/permissions), and List/Library web parts are all the primary missing elements (what I would consider sharepoint staples) that are preventing us from even considering rolling out modern SharePoint at this point
