SharePoint 2010 Web Part Pages don’t Show the Left Navigation by Default

In this blog you will learn how to solve the error "Web Part Pages don’t Show the Left Navigation by Default" in SharePoint.

Introduction

When you create a new web part page in SharePoint, its left navigation column becomes empty. The reason for this is that the left side navigation is defined in the Master Page using the “PlaceHolderLeftNavBar” content place holder and templates for Web Part Pages shipped with SharePoint and overrides this content place holder and deletes its content, thus displaying empty left navigation.

The solution for this is to change the page so it will not override the menu place holder, but inherit it from the Master Page. The place holders we are interested in are:

Solution

1. There is this tag that needs to be deleted or commented (this one hides the left nav):
   
   
   
   
2. Delete only this tag since this is what overrides the default nav coming from the master page.
   
   
   
   
3. Leave this tag as it is, if this is deleted (as said in other posts) it leaves a blank row on top of the left nav which is not what you would want.
   
   
   
   
4. Save the file. 

You will get a warning saying you are about to customize the page. Just go ahead and open that web part again. It should have that good left navigation.