You cannot change the master page that is associated with a specific page layout in SharePoint Designer 2007

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SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007, you try to change the master page that is associated with a specific page layout. To do this, you try to click Master Page on the Format menu. However, the commands on the Format menu are unavailable. Therefore, you cannot change the master page that is associated with a specific page layout.

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CAUSE

This problem occurs because all the page layouts use the master page that is specified in the custom master page settings.

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WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, do not use the page layouts. To do this, follow these steps:

Start SharePoint Designer 2007.
Instead of using the page layouts, create a simple page from a custom master page. To do this, point to New on the File menu, and then click Create from Master Page.

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MORE INFORMATION

All the page layouts inherit from the PublishingLayoutPage class. The PublishingLayoutPage class guarantees that all the page layouts use the master page that is specified in the custom master page settings for the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 site.

For more information about how to create a SharePoint Server 2007 custom master page and the page layouts for a Web content management site, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727372.aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb727372.aspx)

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