Page Recipes
News & Communication Recipe
Build a news and announcements page with important messages and news rollup.
Communication2 Web Parts30-45 min (first time)
Overview
This recipe creates a central news and communication hub with targeted announcements at the top and a comprehensive news feed below.
Page Layout
Section 1: Full Width — Important Messages
Section 2: Full Width — News Rollup
Step-by-Step Setup
1
Create the News & Communication Page
- Go to Site Contents → Site Pages → + New → Page
- Name the page "News & Communication"
- Add to site navigation
2
Add Section 1: Important Messages
Add a full-width section for announcements.
Add web part: Bonzai Important Messages
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Important Announcements |
| List Name | Important Messages |
| Max Items | 10 |
| Enable Content Targeting | Yes |
| Show Dismiss | Yes |
| Title Icon | Info |
| Chrome Type | Title and Border |
| Fixed Height | 300 |
Place at the top for maximum visibility
3
Add Section 2: News Rollup
Add another full-width section for the news feed.
Add web part: Bonzai News Rollup
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Company News |
| List Name | Site Pages |
| Showcase Value | News Rollup |
| Template | List |
| Items Per Page | 10 |
| Show Pagination | Yes |
| Title Icon | News |
| Chrome Type | Title and Border |
Category column required
News Rollup queries the Category field on Site Pages even when you are not filtering. Add a Category column (text or choice) to avoid load errors.
4
Add to Navigation and Publish
- Save and publish the page
- Add to site navigation
- Test important messages appear correctly
- Verify news articles display with correct styling
Use Content Targeting for relevance
Enable Content Targeting on both web parts to show different announcements and news to different departments or locations. This keeps content relevant and reduces noise for users.
Required SharePoint Lists
| List Name | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Important Messages | Alert messages with type, dates, dismissal |
| Site Pages | News articles (built-in library) |
Site Pages requirements: Add a Category column (text or choice) and set Showcase to News Rollup for each news page you want displayed.
Important Messages List Schema
| Column | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Single line of text | Message headline |
| Body | Multiple lines (Rich text) | Full message content |
| MessageType | Choice | Info, Warning, Critical, Success |
| StartDate | Date and Time | When to start showing |
| EndDate | Date and Time | When to stop showing |
| Dismissable | Yes/No | Can users hide it |
Final Checklist
- ☐ Important Messages showing active announcements
- ☐ Message types displaying with correct colors
- ☐ Dismissal working for dismissable messages
- ☐ News Rollup displaying news articles
- ☐ Pagination working for long news lists
- ☐ Page added to site navigation