Names assigned to new lists should be descriptive to describe the contents of the list, but not too long, to control the length of URLs that point to the list.
Customized lists can be very powerful, and add greatly to the value of site collections and portal areas. Custom lists can be created in standard or datasheet view, and data can be imported from an Excel 2003 spreadsheet if the Import Spreadsheet option is chosen.
New lists may need to be added to the Home page public view. This requires List View Web Parts, and these can be added to the site home page by accessing the Modify Shared Page link, selecting Add Web Parts, and Browse for the list by name.
If SharePoint Portal Server 2003 is in use, the Add to My Links action allows the user to create a link from his personal site to a specific list, making it very easy for the person to access that list in the future. Groups can then be created to better manage these links as they accumulate.
List items can be exported to a Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheet. Updates then made in Excel can be synchronized with the SharePoint list at a later date. This is an important method to use for taking snapshots of the list data, or for formatting the data prior to printing, or to take advantage of Excel's more advanced functionality.
Content approval can be required within a list, so that when an item is added to the list, it will not be visible to other users until it has been approved by a user who has the Manage Lists right or by a site administrator. This ensures that some approval is necessary before new content can be viewed by the general community.
Item-level permissions in a list provide the ability to restrict or enable which individual list items a user has access to for viewing and changing. The options are as follows:
Users can read (view) all list items
Users can read (view) only list items they have created
Users can edit only their own items
Users cannot edit any list items
Lists can be saved as templates, which can be very useful when creating another list that has similar characteristics. Content can be included in the template if needed.
Carefully consider which users and groups require access to a list, and give permissions to each list accordingly. A general rule of thumb is to be more restrictive initially and only provide read access, and only allow insert, edit, and delete item permissions to users who require elevated permissions.
Alerts can be set for most list items, on entire lists, or at the portal level on searches, areas, news listings, and sites in the site directory. While alerts can be very helpful and powerful, testing and training on their use is important to ensure they are used properly. The email address that alerts are sent to can be changed, allowing administrators to set alerts that notify groups of users, or specific users who may neglect to set alerts themselves.
A powerful option available on the portal but not on a Windows SharePoint Services site is the ability to determine which audiences can view a Web Part in the area. This ensures that only the intended audience will be able to see the contents of the list.
Tasks and issues lists seem similar at first glance but have a number of important differences that the site administrator should become familiar with. For example, the issues list maintains history when issues are edited, and an issues list also has the option of sending an email notification to users when issue items are assigned to them, and when the item is changed.
To be thorough, a site administrator should review the additional lists available with meeting workspaces. These include: attendees, agenda, decisions, objectives, and things to bring. These lists may be useful for team sites or other site collections.
