SharePoint comes with a lot of features. Project and Task for managing task, issues for issues management, employee directory for employees, workflows automation for manual process and so on. However, what how do you implement the idea to create a list in SharePoint. Assume an Excel file and make a custom list in SharePoint with your own unique columns? This may sound hard but it is not at all to accomplish in SharePoint.
SharePoint Custom Lists can be the right way to organize non-document information. There are many lists with us in the organization like the list of issues, celebration or even vacation requests. Organizations can leverage the features of SharePoint while allowing for a great web-based alternative to old and tradition excel spreadsheets.
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How to Create a List in SharePoint?
For creating a list in SharePoint follow the below mentioned steps:
Step 1: Custom List web Part Creation
The very first thing you need to do at the initial level is to create a custom list web part. Interestingly in SharePoint there is a web part specifically for SharePoint custom lists. Follow these steps for doing:
- Select Gear Icon and in the dropdown, menu click Site Contents
- Click on New, then on List
- Provide it with a SharePoint List name
- Click Create
- A blank custom link will appear on your screen
Step 2: Enable Versioning
Column creation is the secondary things, but the primary focus is to enable versioning. If we talk about the default versioning, then SharePoint online enables this for document libraries. However, it is not enables by default on lists. You have to manually enable versioning while creating SharePoint list.
Now you made wonder what the needs to enable versioning. With versioning you can track the history of an item. You may not feel it useful when you create it by it is of use when you are tracking project status and updates.
How to enable versioning for custom list in SharePoint
To enable versioning, you can:
- Click on Gear Icon then on List Settings
- Now select the “Versioning Settings” option
- Now you can set the “create a version each time you edit an item in this list” button to Yes. Then click on the OK.
Step 3: Disabling Attachments
After enabling versioning another important thing to take of is to disable attachments. In rare cases user enable the attachments, but for most of the custom lists it is often advised to disable the attachments.
Another housekeeping step to take care of is to disable attachments. There might be some unique situations where you would leave them on, but for most custom lists, it is a good idea to disable them.
Step 4: Custom columns Creation
Since we have fixed all the needful things we can create come custom columns. Also you must remember that the columns types you will create will totally depend on what are you planning to build.
If you are in SharePoint Online and using a modern list, you have 2 ways to create columns (from front-end and back-end). If you are using classical list or have SharePoint on-premises, you can create columns only from the back end.
- To create Project Manager column from the back end, click the Gear Icon then List Settings
- In the Columns section, click the Create column
- Fill in the Column Name, select the appropriate column type and click OK.
- The column will now appear in the list
- To make Department drop-down (via front-end), go back to the list and click the "+" sign, then select Choice option (Choice means drop-down)
- On the right-hand panel, fill in the column name, choices for the drop-down and click Save
- Add that column to the list-it looks so good!
- Repeat the above procedure and add all the remaining columns to the list.
Step 5: Re-purpose the Title Column
Title is default (and obligatory) metadata, part of any custom list. However, the SharePoint List name of this column does not make too much sense for us. We can either hide it or re-purpose it.
Step 6: Insert some sample data
Fine, so we have reached a stage at which we can put some data in our list. You can do this by clicking the New button and filling out the blanks!
Repeat a few times to get several rows of information in.
Step 7: Create custom views
The coolest thing about custom lists in SharePoint (like any lists with metadata) is that you can create many different views. For example we can group our projects by Status or Project Manager or have filtered views by Status (i.e., Active projects only). And by the way, when you create a new view, DO NOT EDIT THE EXISTING ALL ITEMS VIEW.
Learn More: Create a SharePoint Employee Directory
Things You Can Do with Custom Lists in SharePoint
The following are optional and will extend your SharePoint custom list functionality based on your business scenario. Note that some of those suggestions below are only available for modern lists (SharePoint Online/Office 365 only).
Enable Item-Level permissions
Not particularly necessary, but you might be interested in doing so if you want to allow item-level permissions. For instance, maybe you have some entries (rows) which only the people who created those entries should be able to view. Item Level Permissions is your best friend here!
Enable Content Approval
Another optional but potentially useful one. Let's say you don't want entries to be automatically add list to SharePoint. Instead, you want them to go through some approval first.
Think that's impossible? Think again – you can actually enable the Content Approval feature so that entries are approved first by those with special privileges before they are visible to everyone on the dashboard.
Create a workflow
If you are working in SharePoint Online/Office 365, you might build and execute a workflow by using Microsoft Flow. Perhaps you would build an applications list in SharePoint for Vacation or Purchase Order Approvals and then let a workflow take it through a round of approvals.
Create a Power App
It gets even better and you can actually build your very own app out of a SharePoint list as the base. All this, thanks to PowerApps functionality. However, this does require a rather above the average power user know-how though. Pretty advanced, but powerful!
Conclusion
With custom lists in SharePoint, you can organize and manage all of the non-document information within your organization. This tutorial contains step-by-step instructions that you can apply to easily build your customized lists with unique columns which really respond to your needs. Also, be sure to check out the other optional features like item-level permissions, content approval, workflows, and PowerApps for better empowering the functionality of the list in SharePoint.
Read More: Workflow automation alternative to Power Apps
FAQ’s
- What is a list in SharePoint?
SharePoint lists are very handy and convenient for storing data and viewing content as well as in terms of easily offering lots of different options concerning formatting, access, and workflows.
- Can I add a SharePoint list to a SharePoint page?
Yes, you can add a SharePoint list to a SharePoint page.
- Can you upload a list to SharePoint?
The Access dialog box opens Get External Data – SharePoint Site. In the wizard, enter the address of the source site. You can also choose the option Import the source data into a new table in the current database and then click Next. In the wizard displays list, select the lists which you want to import.
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