Summary

This chapter discussed how to customize column types and views that are associated with lists and libraries. From it, you learned the following:

• The advantages of creating a work environment that more closely reflects the users’ actual business activities. By customizing SharePoint to operate in accordance with common business processes, users can focus more on their specific work duties rather than on technology. However, it is always important to remember not to over-customize. You should only implement changes that offer value to the business and operational environment.

• The types of columns that you can create in SharePoint 2007 and their specific configuration alternatives. Understanding what is possible from a configuration perspective is a key element in recognizing the appropriate customization approach.

• The importance of a list-centric column versus a site column. Unlike list-centric columns that you must manually create on every single list in which they appear, site columns are stored in a central gallery on a SharePoint site, and are available for use on all lists and libraries of the current site and each site below it.

• The various view types in SharePoint and the process for creating each. This included some new view types in SharePoint 2007 such as the Gantt view and Access views, which help provide a greater level of presentation to a standard SharePoint list.

• The importance of working with your stakeholders to gain an understanding of their specific needs for information on specific subject areas. You then discovered how you can take all the concepts covered in this chapter to create a completely customized list in SharePoint, comprised of multiple custom columns and a custom view that can address those needs.