SharePoint Manager And Deleting The Drop Off Library
SharePoint Manager (download from Codeplex) is a great tool for SharePoint Administrators. You have to install it on a front end server and run it as Administrator to be able to use it (also make sure you unlock the zip file before installation – basically unzipping the files and creating a default config file). The tool works as an object model explorer at the farm level and allows you to view properties and set some. You could, in principle, use PowewShell to accomplish similar tasks (if you know the commands and can do PS scripting), but SPM makes it easy and provides a GUI interface to do things – plus, it is free.
You have to explore the program to see what it offers. You can look at the object model on a minimal, medium or full scale. The navigation is divided into admin service (CA), content (web applications, sites and their contents), feature definitions, servers, services and farm solutions.
For example, you will see timer jobs or list count or list IDs (those GUIDs) and also feature IDs like saved web parts, but that’s not all. You can also set various (not all!) properties. I mention deleting the drop off library in the title (this is the document library that gets created when you activate the site feature: Content Organizer), but can’t we just do that from library settings in the browser? Actually, no. There is even no such link as delete this document library under library settings (for the drop off library settings – permissions and management).
In SPM, you browse to the site and select the library (under lists in the site tree), then change the Allow Deletion property to True. You can mediated delete the library then from SPM (right click and hit delete), but you can also do that from the browser after the property change.
You can also use SPM to delete sealed fields – those site columns that cannot be deleted (you create a custom content type or adjust an existing one – not a good idea) and add a site column to discover later that you can’t delete it. An example is the Byline column. In SPM, you navigate to site collection fields, select the field and set its All Deletion property to True and its Sealed property to False. You can also do that and remove them from dependent content types using Powershell (more on sealed columns in this blog post).
So, do not underestimate the power of SharePoint Manager and make sure you put it to a good use.
