A subsite that you create in SharePoint Server 2007 does not inherit master page settings from its parent site, and you receive error messages on the Site Master Page Settings page

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SYMPTOMS

You create a new subsite in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 by using a template other than one of the templates on the Publishing tab of the New SharePoint Site page. For example, you create a subsite that is based on the Team site template. When you view the Site Master Page Settings page of the subsite, you experience the following symptoms:

The subsite does not inherit the master page settings from its parent site. That is, the subsite does not inherit the system master page or the site master page that is configured for the root site of the site collection. Instead, the subsite uses the default system master page and the default site master page.
You receive the following error messages:
The site master page setting currently applied to this site is invalid. Please select a new master page and apply it.
The system master page setting currently applied to this site is invalid. Please select a new master page and apply it.

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CAUSE

This behavior occurs if the following conditions are true:

The parent site is based on a template on the Publishing tab of the New SharePoint Site page.
The subsite is based on a template other than one of the templates on the Publishing tab of the New SharePoint Site page.

Master page settings are inherited from a parent site if the Office SharePoint Server Publishing feature is activated on a site. By default, the Office SharePoint Server Publishing feature is activated on sites that are based on a publishing template. The Office SharePoint Server Publishing feature is not activated on sites that are based on templates other than a publishing template.

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WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, use one of the following procedures:

Manually set the site master page and the system master page that you want for the subsite.
Activate the Office SharePoint Server Publishing feature on the Site Features page of the subsite.

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MORE INFORMATION

You can create a stapling feature to staple the Office SharePoint Server Publishing feature to specific site templates. For example, see the Feature.xml file in the "Drive:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web server extensions\12\Template\Features\PublishingStapling" folder. To staple the Office SharePoint Server Publishing feature to all site templates, use the TemplateName="GLOBAL" property. This property staples a particular feature to a site definition if the site definition does not specify the AllowGlobalFeatureAssociations property. (Only the Shared Services Provider site template and the Blank Site site template use the AllowGlobalFeatureAssociations="FALSE" property.)

For example, when you use the TemplateName="GLOBAL" property to staple the Office SharePoint Server Publishing feature, a site that is based on the Team site template uses the system master page that is configured for the root site of the site collection.

For more information about the AllowGlobalFeatureAssociations property, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.sharepoint.spwebtemplate.allowglobalfeatureassociations.aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.sharepoint.spwebtemplate.allowglobalfeatureassociations.aspx)

For more information about features and about site templates, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms439657.aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms439657.aspx)

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