Create a Web Part Page WITH a Quick Launch Menu

This is just a very quick how-to post.  I can’t stand those default web part pages for anything besides testing, because you lose the Quick Launch navigation, so I usually create a blank ASPX page instead.  These are the steps to take to create your own web part page.  This is also a useful method for creating custom form pages for your lists.

1. Create a document library to put your web part pages in.
2. Open your site in SharePoint Designer, and click File –> New –> ASPX
3. Click the Format menu, choose Master Page, and click Attach Master Page
4. Click OK for the Default Master Page.
5. Click the PlaceHolderMain section in the middle of the page, click the little chevron (the little gray button with an arrow on it), and click Create Custom Content.
   
6. Put your cursor inside of the PlaceHolderMain section.  On the Insert Menu, choose SharePoint Controls, and click Web Part Zone.
   
7. Click File and Save As, and save it to the document library that you created at step one.

Now you have a blank web part page that DOES contain the Quick Launch navigation on the left.  You can either add web parts here in SharePoint Designer, or from the browser.  F12 will take you directly to that page in the browser.

Another hint:  If you’d like to have multiple web part zones, step 6 would be to create a table first, and then insert the web part zones into each cell of the table.

Here is my video on this whole process:  Web Part Pages – Making Your Own