SharePoint Lists and Libraries: A Tutorial on Customizing Views and Filters

SharePoint is a powerful platform that allows organizations to effectively manage their documents and improve project collaboration. One of the key features of SharePoint is its ability to create and customize lists and libraries. These lists and libraries provide a structured way to store and organize data, making it easier for users to find and work with the information they need. In this tutorial, we will explore how to customize views and filters for SharePoint lists and libraries. By customizing views and filters, you can tailor the way data is displayed and accessed, making it more efficient and user-friendly. We will cover various customization options and provide step-by-step instructions on how to implement them. Whether you are new to SharePoint or already familiar with its basic functionalities, this tutorial will help you take your document management and project collaboration to the next level.

Understanding SharePoint Lists and Libraries

Before we dive into customizing views and filters, let's first understand what SharePoint lists and libraries are and how they work.

SharePoint Lists

SharePoint lists are a fundamental building block of SharePoint. They allow you to store, organize, and manage structured data. A list is essentially a collection of rows and columns, similar to a spreadsheet. Each row represents an individual item, and each column represents a specific attribute or property of that item. Lists can be used for a wide range of purposes, such as task tracking, issue tracking, contact management, and more. SharePoint provides several built-in list templates that you can use as a starting point, or you can create your own custom list from scratch.

SharePoint Libraries

SharePoint libraries, on the other hand, are designed specifically for storing and managing documents. Just like lists, libraries are made up of rows and columns, but instead of storing structured data, libraries store files. SharePoint libraries offer powerful document management capabilities, such as versioning, check-in/check-out, metadata management, and more. They also support various file types, including Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and more.

Customizing Views

Views in SharePoint allow you to control how data is displayed in lists and libraries. By default, SharePoint provides a few pre-defined views, such as All Items, Calendar View, and Datasheet View. However, you can create your own custom views to meet your specific requirements. Customizing views allows you to tailor the way data is presented and accessed, making it easier for users to find and work with the information they need. You can choose which columns to display, apply sorting and filtering, group data, and more. Now, let's walk through the process of customizing views in SharePoint.

Step 1: Accessing the List or Library

To begin customizing views, you first need to access the list or library you want to work with. You can do this by navigating to the site where the list or library is located and clicking on its name. Once you are on the list or library page, you will see a ribbon at the top of the screen with several tabs. The tab you need to access for customizing views is the "List" or "Library" tab, depending on whether you are working with a list or library.

Step 2: Opening the List or Library Settings

After accessing the list or library, click on the "List" or "Library" tab in the ribbon. This will open a dropdown menu with several options. Look for the "List Settings" or "Library Settings" option and click on it.

Step 3: Navigating to the Views Settings

In the list or library settings page, you will see a section called "Views". This section contains all the views that are currently configured for the list or library. To customize the views, click on the "Views" link.

Step 4: Creating a New View

In the views settings page, you will see a list of all the views that are currently available. To create a new view, click on the "Create View" button. This will open a new page where you can configure the settings for the new view. You will need to provide a name for the view, select the view type (standard view, calendar view, or datasheet view), and choose the columns you want to include in the view.

Step 5: Configuring View Settings

After creating the new view, you can further customize its settings to meet your specific requirements. Some of the settings you can configure include:

• Sorting: You can specify the default sorting order for the view.
• Filtering: You can define filters to limit the items displayed in the view based on specific criteria.
• Grouping: You can group the items in the view based on a specific column.
• Column Formatting: You can change the formatting of the columns in the view, such as font size, color, and alignment.

Step 6: Saving and Applying the View

Once you have configured all the settings for the view, click on the "OK" or "Save" button to save the changes. The new view will now be available in the views dropdown menu, and you can apply it by selecting it from the menu.

Customizing Filters

Filters in SharePoint allow you to narrow down the data displayed in lists and libraries based on specific criteria. By applying filters, you can quickly find the information you need and focus on the items that are most relevant to you. SharePoint provides several filter options, including text filters, date filters, number filters, and more. You can apply filters to individual columns or combine multiple filters to create complex queries. Let's explore how to customize filters in SharePoint.

Step 1: Accessing the List or Library

To begin customizing filters, you first need to access the list or library you want to work with. You can do this by navigating to the site where the list or library is located and clicking on its name. Once you are on the list or library page, you will see a ribbon at the top of the screen with several tabs. The tab you need to access for customizing filters is the "List" or "Library" tab, depending on whether you are working with a list or library.

Step 2: Opening the List or Library Settings

After accessing the list or library, click on the "List" or "Library" tab in the ribbon. This will open a dropdown menu with several options. Look for the "List Settings" or "Library Settings" option and click on it.

Step 3: Navigating to the Filters Settings

In the list or library settings page, you will see a section called "Columns". This section contains all the columns that are currently configured for the list or library. To customize the filters, click on the "Filters" link next to the column you want to apply a filter to.

Step 4: Configuring the Filter Settings

In the filter settings page, you will see several options for configuring the filter. The available options will vary depending on the type of column you are applying the filter to. For example, if you are applying a filter to a text column, you can choose to filter by specific text values, such as "contains", "equals", "begins with", and more. If you are applying a filter to a date column, you can choose to filter by specific date ranges, such as "this week", "next month", "last year", and more.

Step 5: Applying the Filter

Once you have configured the filter settings, click on the "OK" or "Apply" button to apply the filter. The data displayed in the list or library will now be limited based on the filter criteria you specified.

Conclusion

Customizing views and filters in SharePoint is a powerful way to improve document management and project collaboration. By tailoring the way data is displayed and accessed, you can make it easier for users to find and work with the information they need. In this tutorial, we covered the basics of customizing views and filters in SharePoint. We walked through the step-by-step process of creating custom views and applying filters to lists and libraries. We also highlighted some of the key settings and options you can configure to further customize the views and filters. Whether you are a SharePoint beginner or an experienced user, we hope this tutorial has provided valuable insights and practical guidance on how to leverage SharePoint's customization capabilities. By applying these techniques, you can enhance your document management and project collaboration, ultimately improving productivity and efficiency within your organization.