SharePoint Online Modern List Features

Nowadays Microsoft is recommending to use of the modern features of SharePoint lists. In this tutorial, we will go through various key features of SharePoint Online modern lists.

SharePoint Online Modern List

Modern lists are part of the modern SharePoint experience, designed to provide a more user-friendly, intuitive, and responsive interface compared to the classic SharePoint experience.

Key features of modern lists in SharePoint Online include:

1. Improved look and feel: Modern lists offer a clean, responsive, and visually appealing interface that adapts well to various screen sizes and devices.
2. Customizable views: Users can create and customize views to display specific columns, sort or filter data, and apply conditional formatting for better visibility and organization of list data.
3. Inline list editing: Modern lists allow users to quickly edit list items directly within the list view, making data management more efficient.
4. Integration with Power Apps and Power Automate: Users can leverage Power Apps to create custom forms and Power Automate to build workflows, further enhancing the functionality and automation capabilities of their lists.
5. Column formatting and custom field types: Users can customize the appearance of columns and use custom field types like image or hyperlink fields to store and display rich information.
6. Search and filtering: Modern lists feature an improved search functionality and easy-to-use filtering options to help users find and access the information they need quickly.
7. Integration with Microsoft Teams: Modern lists can be integrated into Microsoft Teams as a tab, enabling better collaboration and communication among team members.
8. Accessibility features: Modern lists come with built-in accessibility features to make them usable by people with disabilities.
9. Version history and item-level permissions: Users can view version history and set item-level permissions to control access to specific list items.
10. Mobile support: Modern lists are accessible and optimized for use on mobile devices through the SharePoint mobile app.

Now, we will see in detail, the below things with practical examples.

• Convert classic SharePoint Online list to modern SharePoint list
• SharePoint Online List Features
  • SharePoint Modern List Look and Feel [Including Proper Column Formatting]
  • Easily Create a New Column
  • Add a new item easily
  • Modern SharePoint List Views
  • Modern SharePoint list Attachment Column
  • Display Images in Modern SharePoint List
  • Set Location in modern SharePoint list
  • Select Single or Multi-Choices in Modern SharePoint List
  • Person type column in modern SharePoint list
  • Title column in modern SharePoint list
  • Column Features in Modern SharePoint List
  • Shift a column in the modern SharePoint list
  • Resize the column in the modern SharePoint list
  • Bulk Edit List Items in modern SharePoint List
  • Share a modern SharePoint list or list items
  • Export a modern SharePoint list
  • Set up an alert in the modern SharePoint list
  • Filter in Modern SharePoint list
  • List setting page in modern SharePoint list
  • Connect a list directly to Microsoft Teams
  • Add SharePoint list as a favorite in modern SharePoint
  • Details pane in Modern SharePoint list

Convert Classic SharePoint Online list to Modern SharePoint Online list

If you are still using SharePoint Online classic list, then we can easily switch to modern SharePoint Online list. So that we can be able to use the new features available in the modern lists.

Open the SharePoint Online list, then scroll down and you can see an option as Exit classic experience.

SharePoint Online Modern List Features

Now, let us explore a list of modern list features in SharePoint Online.

1. SharePoint Modern List Look and Feel [Including Proper Column Formatting]

• The below screenshot represents a SharePoint Modern List that displays various columns and records in a properly modern formatted way.

• But, if you will go to the Classic SharePoint list, then the list look and feel is displayed as shown below (you can see the data is not in a proper format):

2. Easily Create a New Column

• We can easily add or create a new column in SharePoint Online modern list without navigating to another page. There are three approaches to create a new column in SharePoint Modern list.

Approach – 1:

• On the SharePoint Online list, Click on the + Add column -> Choose the data type -> Click on Next.

Approach – 2:

• In the below SharePoint Modern list (Semiconductor Issue Tracker), we have some columns like Issue ID, Issue, Issue Status, etc.
• Now I would like to create a new column after the Issue column. In this case, just hover over the + icon -> Select the data type -> Click on Next.

Approach – 3:

By navigating to the list setting page, we can also create a column, by following below steps:

• Click on the settings icon -> Choose list settings.

• On the list setting page, scroll down and click on the Create column

• On the Create a column window, Provide the below field values:
  • Name = Provide a name for the new column in SharePoint online list.
  • Description: Provide the details of a SharePoint online list.
  • Type: Choose the type of column.

Once it is done, Click on Save.

later, the new column will be created in the modern SharePoint list.

3. Add a new item easily in a modern SharePoint Online list

We can easily add an item to the list without navigating to another page in a Modern Sharepoint list.

• Click on the + New button (from the top of the list) -> In the New item pane, provide all the item details or information -> Click on Save.

4. Modern SharePoint Online List Views

• Here we can see another new feature in the Modern SharePoint List as ‘View‘.
• Modern SharePoint Online List views help to organize and visualize the data in a list as per the User-Requirement. Whenever we are creating a SharePoint Online list, a default list view is getting created i.e. known as “All Items“.
• Click on “All Items” (from the top right corner). Here, you can see all the Modern SharePoint list views.

• It can allow users to create a custom view in Create new view and it can be customized to display specific columns, sort orders, filtering, and grouping options.
• Also, we can Edit current view, to customize to display specific columns, sort orders, filter, and group options.
• We can Set current view as default. We can share the SharePoint list custom view with other users on the same site.
• We can set a modern view SharePoint list, as Compact list and Gallary.

1. Compact list: Compact list view for modern lists, having all the items in the list conveniently shaped together.

2. Gallery View: The Gallery View is one of the newly released view options that can be applied to the contents of our SharePoint Lists.

5. Modern SharePoint Online list Attachment Column

When we want to add items to the column, by default the attachment column is displayed. Unlike classic SharePoint list, we do not need to navigate to another page.

Check out, SharePoint Online List Attachment Column

6. Display Images in Modern SharePoint Online List

This is the most important feature in a SharePoint Online modern list where we can display images.

To view the images, we can use the SharePoint Image type column. Where we can add an image to a SharePoint modern list, it displays an image preview as well.

Else when we add an image to a SharePoint classic list, it displays a link or URL path of an image.

7. Set Location in modern SharePoint list

In the modern SharePoint list, the location type column is where we can add rich location data from Bing Maps to any SharePoint online list. It contains fields such as Street address, city, state, country or religion, postal code, coordinates, and Name.

We can also sort, filter, or even search with the location data such as an address, city, street, state, etc. The location type column is available in modern lists.

Later, we can create a column in SharePoint modern list, when we are adding an item to the location type column, we can add a location based on the user’s requirement. Example: We are adding a location of the client organization.

Later, we can see added client location.

8. Select Single or Multi-Choices in Modern SharePoint List

In the modern SharePoint list, the choice type column is where we can add different choices and fields that may accept a single value or multiple values. The choice type column is available in modern SharePoint Online lists.

• While creating a column based on the user requirement, provide a name, description, and choices (Paid, balance, draft). Then set a “Default value” as “None”.
• In the More Options, Select the “Drop-Down Menu” and enable the option Require that this column Contains information. Then click on to “Save” option.
• Later, when we are adding an item to the choice type column, where the choices will be presented as a drop-down menu, we can select based on the user’s requirements.

• Else if we did not fill the choice column it displays as “Required info” notification appearing in that column. That’s why a yellow mark mandatory field validation is coming to the list.  If we fill the choice column of all items, Then the yellow marker will not display further.

9. Person type column in modern SharePoint list

In the modern SharePoint list, where a Person or Group column type is used to get a searchable list of people and groups of the organization, users can choose when adding or editing a list item.

It can be customized to allow multiple selections, include or exclude groups of people, limits the list to specific users, and specify certain information to display in the SharePoint Online list. The person type column is available in modern lists.

• Create a column form on the same page, where we need to provide the column name and description, also we can allow Show the profile picture.
• In the More Options, Select checkbox “Allow selection of Groups” and also we can allow multiple selections.

• Else, By navigating to list settings we can add a show field, which displays the column based on user requirements. For example: when the user is already added and needs to display only their department, phone number, first name, etc. We can choose them and display them. Then click on to “Save” option.

• The person or group type column displays the employee’s image and shows their department too.

10. Title column in modern SharePoint Online list

In the Modern SharePoint list title column, in show more actions for this item, we can see more options are available rather than in the classic SharePoint list.

This is how we can see the show more actions for this item, we can see more options are available in the modern SharePoint list.

This is how we can see the show more actions for this item, we can see fewer options are available in the classic SharePoint list.

11. Column Features in Modern SharePoint List

Easily we can order the List column as ascending or descending, filter by column items, group by column name, column settings, and total.

1. Ascending or descending: We can order the List column as ascending or descending in the Modern SharePoint Online list. Example: We want to sort the column “Issue ID” in ascending or descending order.
2. Filter by column items: We can filter the column by using the items of a column in the SharePoint modern list.
3. Group by column name: We can group the column using the list items in the SharePoint modern list.
4. Column settings: Here we can see the rename, widen, move, format, narrow, pin to filter pane, also we can show or hide the columns and Add a column.
5. Totals: We can count the number of items and we can set it to none.

12. Shift a column in a modern SharePoint Online list

We can shift the columns based on the user requirement from left to right else right in a SharePoint Online list view.

Example: If there are five (5) columns, a 5th column as Issue Assigned to and a 2nd column as Issue but we need a 2nd column as Issue Assigned to, so we can drag it and drop down it to the 2nd column.

13. Resize a SharePoint Online modern list column

We can increase or decrease the width of a list column by using Dragging the column in a modern SharePoint list. Example: In the below screenshot, we can see that the arrow mark of the Issue description column is used to increase or decrease the width of a list column in a modern SharePoint list.

14. Bulk Edit List Items in modern SharePoint List

We want to edit, update or modify some bulk list items, then we can use Edit in grid view -> click on it, which is present at the top of the Modern SharePoint List

After clicking the “Edit grid view” option, the list of items will be displayed. Here, we can modify or edit our list items whatever we want. After editing the List item, click on the “Exit grid view” to exit which is present at the top of the List.

15. Share a modern SharePoint list or list items

By using the Share option we can share an item with another user.

1. To share the item, select the SharePoint list item -> Click on the “Share” option which is present on the right side of the list item.
2. To share the SharePoint list, then go to the “Share” option which is present at the top of the list.

By clicking on the ‘Share‘ option -> we can provide the name or enter an Email ID of the person to whom we want to give the details of that specific item. Then click on to “Send” option. After clicking on the “Send” option, a message will be sent.

A message will be sent as shown below:

16. Export a modern SharePoint list

By using the Export option, we can export the modern SharePoint list to CSV, excel, and power bi.

17. Set up an alert in a SharePoint Online modern list

We can set up an alert without navigating to another page in a Modern Sharepoint list. Click on the more options -> We can set up Alert Me and Manage my alerts.

Alert me: This option allows you to set up an alert to a specific SharePoint list.

Manage my alerts: Where we can add an alert, for lists and libraries.

18. Filter in SharePoint Online modern list

Modern SharePoint List filter which is used for filtering the column value without navigating to another page in a Modern SharePoint list.

We can filter a value by the columns. For Example, We can Filter the column where we have to give the filter value to a column of Issue Assigned to and apply it to whatever we want to filter by items. Here, we apply for a column of Issue Assigned to and apply to Chandrika Kambala

19. List setting page in modern SharePoint list

In SharePoint Online modern list, we can access the List Settings page by using the “Gear” icon or settings icon. From there we can find the “List settings” icon as shown below:

20. Connect a list directly to Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is providing users with a desktop, web, and mobile experience. It comes with designing interfaces efficiently with other Microsoft solutions like SharePoint, Planner, PowerBI, and more.  Lists are now available as a solution that can be accessed and operated directly from SharePoint and Microsoft Teams. 

As Teams is a collaboration for users, these processes help them to get most tasks and processes done without leaving the platform. We have an option that we can connect our list to teams, where users can operate it.

• When we open the SharePoint list, a notification appears as add Microsoft teams, click on it as shown below:

• Then continue the process, Select a list that we want to add for teams -> Click on the Add Teams

• Then our list will be added to a team as shown below:

21. Add SharePoint list as a favorite in modern SharePoint

In SharePoint modern list, Favourites are particularly useful when working with a large SharePoint list, allowing users to quickly locate areas of a list to work on, saving time to search a list. Without navigating to another page we can make our list a favorite -> Click on the star mark beside the list name as shown below:

When we make our list a favorite, it will be stored in a Microsoft list. Navigate to the Microsoft Lists-> We can find the Added SharePoint list as a favorite.

22. Details pane in Modern SharePoint list

Without navigating to another page we can check the details pan in our modern SharePoint list by clicking on the i icon on the top-left corner of the page as shown below:

Once the details pane has been exposed you’ll typically see a preview of that file along with all the information about that item and the people who have access to it as shown above.

23. Add and reply to comments in the Modern SharePoint online list

SharePoint Online list comment allows users to leave comments on individual list items. We can add comments by selecting an item, and we can find two approaches, to add comments they are:

• Choose a Comment from any one approach, and a pop-up appears on the right, enter your comments, else use the @mention feature, mention someone, and add a comment.

• Then click on the send button, which will send the recipient an email notifying them about the mention.

Once the comment has been sent you’ll typically see a preview of the comment along with all the information about that item and the people who have been sent to it as shown above.

Check out, How to Add Comments to SharePoint Online List Item?

Conclusion

After reading this article, I am sure, you will like to use the modern SharePoint Online with all the useful features.

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