Creating and Modifying Columns in a Custom List


Once you have created a custom list, or even if you want to extend some of the default lists SharePoint creates, you can modify it to include the type of information you want the data to contain. For example, you may have a Contacts list that contains phone numbers, addresses, and so on, but you also want it to include a picture of the individuals or maybe even their employee IDs. To add in these extra fields to the data, you need to add "columns" of metadata. SharePoint allows you to create multiple types of columns. For more information on the types of columns, see Lesson 9, "Introduction to Metadata."

To add a column of data to an existing list, follow the procedure outlined here:

1.

Navigate to the custom list you just created. To get there, click Documents and Lists from the navigation bar and then click the name of the list you created.

2.

Click Modify Settings and Columns from the action bar on the left.

3.

From this page, you can perform several options, such as changing views, adding columns, changing general settings, and changing permissions. In this example, we will be adding columns, so click the Add a new column link in the Columns section. In this example, we want to set up multiple regions to associate our data with, so choose the option Choice (menu to choose from), as shown in Figure 20.1.

Figure 20.1. Entering columns in a custom list.


4.

You can also enter a description in the Description field.

5.

The next radio button is important: It signifies whether the column of data must be entered in for each item in the list or is optional. In this example, choose Yes (that it is required).

6.

For the Choice (menu to choose from) option you chose before, you are now given the option to enter your choices in the next text box, also shown in Figure 20.1. Enter your choices, with each one on a separate line.

7.

You can choose to display the choices using a drop-down menu (the option used in this example), radio buttons, or check boxes (which allow multiple selections for a response).

8.

Finally, fill in the remaining options. You can choose whether to allow "fill-in" choices, what the default will be, and whether to add the column to the default view of the list.

9.

Click OK when you are finished.

Repeat this procedure as necessary to make sure that you have the right type of data for your list. In addition, you may want to practice adding data to the list to ensure that the columns are being displayed the way you want them and that you are capturing the right type of data for your list.



    Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft SharePoint 2003 in 10 Minutes
    Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft SharePoint 2003 in 10 Minutes
    ISBN: 672327236
    EAN: N/A
    Year: 2004
    Pages: 181

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