SharePoint provides powerful collaboration features to users including lists and libraries, and while transparency is crucial, there are instances where hiding a list or library becomes essential for optimizing user experiences and/or maintaining data integrity. Example: Power Apps often relies on SharePoint lists as data sources. However, not all lists are meant for end users to view directly. By hiding lists or libraries from SharePoint UI, you can prevent end users from editing the data directly from SharePoint lists.
In this blog post, we’ll explore how to hide a SharePoint list or document library using PnP PowerShell & CLI for Microsoft 365 and view all hidden lists/libraries in SharePoint site using PnP PowerShell & CLI for Microsoft 365.
Hiding a SharePoint List or Library using PnP PowerShell
You can use below PnP PowerShell script to hide a SharePoint online list or document library from SharePoint UI (Site Contents page):
# SharePoint Online site URL $siteUrl = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter your SharePoint online site URL (e.g https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/work)"
# Display name of SharePoint online list or document library $listName = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter the display name of your SharePoint list or library (e.g My List)"
# Connect to SharePoint online site Connect-PnPOnline -url $siteUrl -Interactive
# Hide SharePoint online list from UI Set-PnPList -Identity $listName -Hidden $true
Hide a SharePoint List or Library using CLI for Microsoft 365
Use below CLI for Microsoft 365 script to hide a SharePoint list or document library from SharePoint UI:
# SharePoint Online site URL $siteUrl = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter your SharePoint online site URL (e.g https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/work)"
# Display name of SharePoint online list or document library $listName = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter the display name of your SharePoint list or library (e.g My List)"
# Get Credentials to connect $m365Status = m365 status if ($m365Status -match "Logged Out") { m365 login }
# Hide SharePoint online list or library from UI (Site Contents) m365 spo list set --webUrl $siteUrl --title $listName --hidden true
View hidden lists/libraries in SharePoint site using CLI for Microsoft 365
Use below CLI for Microsoft 365 script to view all hidden lists and document libraries in the given SharePoint online site:
# SharePoint Online site URL $siteUrl = Read-Host -Prompt "Enter your SharePoint online site URL (e.g https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/work)"
# Get Credentials to connect $m365Status = m365 status if ($m365Status -match "Logged Out") { m365 login }
# Hide SharePoint online list or library from UI (Site Contents) m365 spo list list --webUrl $siteUrl --properties "Id,Title,Url" --filter "Hidden eq true" | ConvertFrom-Json
The internal name of a SharePoint column is a unique name that is automatically generated by SharePoint when a column is created. It is used by SharePoint internally to reference and retrieve the value of a particular column associated with an item or document. The internal name is generated based on the display name you provide but all special characters and spaces will be replaced with Unicode’s by SharePoint. Internal name is generated only once while creating a new column and it cannot be changed even if you change the display name of SharePoint column.
The internal name is not visible to users in the SharePoint user interface by default, but it is commonly used in various scenarios, such as in SharePoint REST APIs, Power Automate flow expressions, Power Apps formulas, PowerShell, etc. to interact with column data programmatically.
Where are Internal names of SharePoint columns used?
Custom Scripts: When creating custom scripts, such as JavaScript or PowerShell, the internal names of columns are required to reference and manipulate the values of the columns while interacting with SharePoint data.
Workflows: In SharePoint Designer workflows or Microsoft Power Automate (formerly known as Microsoft Flow), the internal names of columns are used to reference the values of the columns as inputs or outputs in the workflow actions and in expressions.
Custom Solutions: When building custom solutions, such as SharePoint apps, SharePoint framework (SPFx) web parts, or custom code, the internal names of columns are required to interact with the columns programmatically.
Power Apps: Few of the Power Apps functions like ShowColumns, SortByColumns, etc. requires using internal names of SharePoint columns in formula.
JSON Formatting: Internal name of SharePoint column is required in JSON formatting to reference the column value with [$InternalNameOfColumn] syntax.
How to find the Internal name of a SharePoint column?
Using Modern experience list view
You can use sorting or filtering options from SharePoint online modern experience list view to find the internal name of a SharePoint column. Sort by and Filter by options are supported by most of the column types in SharePoint like Single line of text, Choice, Number, Date and Time, Yes/No (Boolean), Person or Group (single selection), etc.
For this afticle, we will use sorting based on SharePoint choice column as an example:
1. Go to the SharePoint online list for which you want to check the internal name of a column.
2. Click on column name/header from the list view and select either Ascending (A to Z) or Descending (Z to A) option from the popup menu:
Find internal name of SharePoint column by sorting choice column
3. SharePoint will sort the list view based on selection and the browser URL will be changed like:
Where column name (ChoiceColumn) after sortField= is the internal name of your SharePoint choice column.
4. Similarly, when you use Filter by option in SharePoint modern experience to filter the list view based on Date and Time column (named as Start Date), SharePoint changes browser URL like:
Where column name (Start_x0020_Date) after FilterField1= is the internal name of your SharePoint date and time column. Notice _x0020_ in internal column name which is an Unicode encoding of the space character in the display name of date and time column (Start Date).
Using Classic experience List settings page
Few of the SharePoint column types like Multiple lines of text, Hyperlink or Picture, Image, etc. does not support sorting or filtering from SharePoint modern experience list views. So, you have to use the classic experience list settings page to find the internal name for such SharePoint columns.
Follow below steps to find the internal name of multiple lines of text column using SharePoint classic experience list settings page:
1. Go to the SharePoint online list for which you want to check the internal name of a column.
2. Click on Settings (gear) icon from the top right corner and select List settings:
Open SharePoint online list settings page
3. From list settings page, scroll down to the Columns section and click on the column name for which you want to find the internal name:
Open SharePoint online Column settings page
4. SharePoint will open column settings page for the respective column with browser URL like:
SharePoint online column settings page showing internal name of column
Where column name (MultilineTextCol) after Field= is the internal name of your SharePoint online multiple lines of text column.
Note: You can use this classic experience method to find out the internal name of SharePoint columns for all column types.
Using SharePoint REST API
You can use SharePoint REST API endpoint like below to get the internal name of SharePoint column based on it’s display name. Open URL in below format directly from browser tab:
https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/SPConnect/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('InternalNames')/fields?$select=Title,InternalName&$filter=Title eq 'Multiline Text Column'
Find internal name of SharePoint column using SharePoint REST API
Using PnP PowerShell
You can use below PnP PowerShell script to find the internal name of SharePoint online list column using PnP PowerShell:
# SharePoint online site URL
$siteUrl = "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/wlive"
# Display name of SharePoint list
$listName = "InternalNames"
# Display name of SharePoint list column
$columnName = "Multiline Text Column"
# Connect to SharePoint online site
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $siteUrl -Interactive
# Get internal name of SharePoint list column
Get-PnPField -Identity $columnName -List $listName | Select Title,InternalName
Find internal name of SharePoint column using PnP PowerShell
Using CLI for Microsoft 365
You can use below CLI for Microsoft 365 script to find the internal name of SharePoint online list column using CLI for Microsoft 365:
# SharePoint online site URL
$siteUrl = "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/wlive"
# Display name of SharePoint list
$listName = "InternalNames"
# Display name of SharePoint list column
$columnName = "Multiline Text Column"
# Get Credentials to connect
$m365Status = m365 status
if ($m365Status -match "Logged Out") {
m365 login
}
# Get internal name of SharePoint list column
m365 spo field get --webUrl $siteUrl --listTitle $listName --title $columnName --output text
Find internal name of SharePoint column using CLI for Microsoft 365
Best practices for naming SharePoint columns
When creating columns in SharePoint, it’s important to follow best practices for column naming to avoid using special characters or Unicode characters in internal names. Here are some recommended best practices:
Use only alphanumeric characters: Stick to using letters (A-Z, a-z) and numbers (0-9) in column names. Avoid using special characters such as @, #, $, %, _, etc. Avoid column names beginning with numbers.
Avoid spaces: Use PascalCase to separate words in column names instead of spaces. For example, use ColumnName instead of Column Name. This can help prevent issues with URLs, Unicode encoding, and referencing column names in scripts or code.
Avoid reserved words: SharePoint has reserved words that are used for system functionality, and using them in column names may cause conflicts. Examples of reserved words include “ID”, “Modified”, “Created”, “Title”, etc. Avoid using these reserved words as column names.
Keep it concise and meaningful: Use descriptive and meaningful names for columns that clearly indicate their purpose. Avoid using vague or generic names that may be confusing or ambiguous to users. Use column description to provide more information about the columns.
Be consistent: Establish a consistent naming convention for columns across your SharePoint site or site collection to ensure uniformity and ease of management. This can also help with documentation, training, and maintenance of your SharePoint environment.
I hope you liked this article. Give your valuable feedback & suggestions in the comments section below and share this article with others.
In my previous blog post Creating Colored Folders in SharePoint Online and OneDrive, we saw how to create colored folders in SharePoint online document libraries and OneDrive for Business using user interface (UI) from browser. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to create colorful folders in SharePoint Online using CLI for Microsoft 365, a powerful command-line tool that extends SharePoint’s capabilities.
This new feature of coloring SharePoint & OneDrive folders allows users to assign a color label to folders, providing a visual cue for organization and categorization. However, it’s essential to understand how this works internally and what values are used for coloring folders in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business.
Thanks to Tetsuya Kawahara and his PnP PowerShell script sample at Create Colored Folder which explains SharePoint uses the column with internal name as _ColorHex to store the color setting information of folders. The _ColorHex field is a hidden field within SharePoint libraries, and it is not visible by default in standard views. This field stores the color as a numeric value corresponding to each color.
SharePoint supports a predefined set of 16 numerical color values that can be used to color folders. The following table shows the numerical values corresponding to each color:
Color
_ColorHex value
Yellow
Empty or 0
Dark red
1
Dark orange
2
Dark green
3
Dark teal
4
Dark blue
5
Dark purple
6
Dark pink
7
Grey
8
Light red
9
Light orange
10
Light green
11
Light teal
12
Light blue
13
Light purple
14
Light pink
15
We will see how to use these _ColorHex column values to create a new folder in SharePoint online document library using CLI for Microsoft 365 below:
Step 1: Install the CLI for Microsoft 365
Before we can start working with the CLI for Microsoft 365, we need to install it. You can install the CLI for Microsoft 365 by using below NPM commands or by following the instructions on the official documentation page: CLI for Microsoft 365 – Installation.
npm install -g @pnp/cli-microsoft365
You have to use below command if you want to install beta version of CLI for Microsoft 365:
npm install -g @pnp/cli-microsoft365@next
Step 2: Create colored folder using CLI for Microsoft 365
After installation of CLI for Microsoft 365, you can use below CLI for Microsoft 365 script to create a new colored folder in SharePoint online document library using CLI for Microsoft 365:
# Set Variables
$siteUrl = "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/work"
$relativeUrlOfParentFolder = "/ColoredFolders"
$documentLibraryDisplayName = "Colored Folders"
$folderName = "Confidential"
$folderColor = 1
try {
# Get Credentials to connect to SharePoint Online site
$m365Status = m365 status
if ($m365Status -match "Logged Out") {
m365 login
}
# Create the folder
$newFolder = m365 spo folder add --webUrl $siteUrl --parentFolderUrl $relativeUrlOfParentFolder --name $folderName | ConvertFrom-Json
# Get the created folder item
$newFolderItem = m365 spo listitem get --webUrl $siteUrl --listTitle $documentLibraryDisplayName --uniqueId $newFolder.UniqueId | ConvertFrom-Json
# Change the value of the _ColorHex column of the created folder to change the color
m365 spo listitem set --webUrl $siteUrl --listTitle $documentLibraryDisplayName --id $newFolderItem.Id --_ColorHex $folderColor
Write-Host "Folder created and color changed successfully." -ForegroundColor Green
Write-Host "Folder URL: $siteUrl/$relativeUrlOfParentFolder/$folderName" -ForegroundColor Green
}
catch {
Write-Host "An error occurred: $_" -ForegroundColor Red
}
finally {
# Disconnect from SharePoint site
m365 logout
}
Once you run above script successfully and navigate to SharePoint document library, you will see that new colored folder is created inside the SharePoint document library as given below:
Colored folders created in SharePoint Online using CLI for Microsoft 365
Conclusion
Adding color to your folders in SharePoint Online document libraries using CLI for Microsoft 365 is a simple yet effective way to enhance the visual organization and management of your documents. This can improve user experience and help users quickly identify and access the content they need. Experiment with different colors and organizational schemes to find what works best for your team or organization.
As of August 17, 2021, Microsoft 365 apps and services no longer supports Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11). As a result, Microsoft recommends using the OneDrive sync app to sync SharePoint files with your computer, rather than using View in File Explorer feature in IE11. The OneDrive sync client provides Files On-Demand, which helps you to work with all your cloud files in File Explorer without having to download all the files and use storage space on your device.
In some special cases, some customers may still have a need to use View in File Explorer feature to access modern document libraries. So, starting in Microsoft Edge Stable version 93, you can enable the View in File Explorer capability on SharePoint Online for Modern Document Libraries. For this experience to be visible and work for your users, you will need to enable the Microsoft Edge policy “Configure the View in File Explorer feature for SharePoint pages in Microsoft Edge” and update your SharePoint Online tenant configuration.
Configure View in File Explorer with Microsoft Edge
After enabling the feature, you can find the View in File Explorer option by navigating to the DocumentLibrary > Select the Library View Menu on the right-hand side > Select View In File Explorer.
View in File Explorer feature in SharePoint Online document library
Release Timeline
Targeted Release: This feature will start rolling out in early October.
Standard Release: This feature will begin rolling out in early November and complete by the end of November.
What you need to do to prepare
By default, there will be no impact to your organization and the View in File Explorer menu option will not be visible to admins and end users on the SharePoint Online modern document library interface. Microsoft recommends using the OneDrive sync app to sync SharePoint files with your computer, rather than using View in File Explorer feature.
However, if your organization has a need for the “View in File Explorer” feature in SharePoint Online modern document libraries, admins will be able to opt-in to turn on this feature in their tenant, to work on Edge browsers.
Note
While View in File Explorer feature will be available, it is not recommended to use this feature always. Whether you’re using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or another browser, Sync feature is a faster and more reliable method for putting SharePoint files into folders you can see in File Explorer. To learn more, visit SharePoint file sync.
In today’s digital age, organizing and managing your files and folders efficiently is crucial. SharePoint Online and OneDrive, both part of the Microsoft 365 suite, offer powerful tools for document management and collaboration. While they provide a variety of features to help you stay organized, adding a touch of color to your folders can make a significant difference in terms of visual clarity and user experience. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to create colorful folders in SharePoint Online and OneDrive, making your document management experience more visually appealing and efficient.
Microsoft is currently rolling out a new feature for SharePoint Online document libraries and OneDrive for Business which will allow users to colorize their folders with a pre-set range of 16 colors. This colorization is applicable to both new and already existing folders. You can find more details about this feature and release timeline with Microsoft Roadmap ID 124980.
Create a new colored folder in SharePoint Online
Follow below steps to create a new colored folder in SharePoint Online document library:
1. Go to your SharePoint online document library
2. Click on + New button from document library command bar and select Folder
3. Enter name for your new folder, select desired color under Folder color option and click Create to create a new colored folder:
Create a new colored folder in SharePoint Online document library
Create a new colored folder in OneDrive for Business
Follow below steps to create a new colored folder in OneDrive for Business:
1. Go to your personal account in OneDrive for Business and select My Files from left navigation pane
2. Click on + Add New button from top left corner and select Folder
3. Enter name for your new folder, select desired color under Folder color option and click Create to create a new colored folder:
Create a new colored folder in OneDrive for Business
Note: Colored folders can only be viewed in My Files in OneDrive for Business with this feature rollout.
Change color of existing folder in SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business
If you already have existing folders in SharePoint Online or OneDrive for Business and you want to change the color, you can do it directly from the folder context menu or through the rename folder option.
1. Go to your SharePoint online document library or OneDrive for Business
2. Locate the folder for which you want to change the color
3. Select the folder and open folder context menu – click on ellipses (…) if you are using List view OR right/second click on folder if you are using Tiles view
4. Use Rename or Folder color options to update the color of existing folders in SharePoint online document library or OneDrive for Business:
Change color of existing folder in SharePoint Online document library
Conclusion
Adding color to your folders in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business is a simple yet effective way to enhance your document management experience. It brings visual clarity, simplifies organizing folders, and helps prioritize tasks. Whether you’re using SharePoint for team collaboration or OneDrive for personal file storage, this feature can be a game-changer in keeping your digital workspace neat and efficient. Give it a try and experience the benefits of a visually appealing and well-organized document library!
SharePoint Online provides a modernized and responsive user interface that offers improved collaboration, customization, and integration capabilities. It provides a clean and intuitive design, responsive layouts, and enhanced mobile support. Modern SharePoint sites include modern lists and libraries, modern web parts, and modern pages.
On modern SharePoint list and library pages, there’s a link in the lower left of the page below quick launch (left navigation) that says Return to classic SharePoint. This link allows users who are working in the SharePoint modern experience to switch the current list or document library to classic experience. On the classic page, there’s a corresponding link that says Exit classic experience which reverts the current list or document library back to modern experience.
You may want to hide Return to classic SharePoint link from list and library pages to promote the adoption & utilization of the modern experience and have consistent modern user experience across the SharePoint site.
Luckily, as a tenant administrator you have control to show or hide these links from SharePoint online modern experience using one of the ways shown below:
Using SharePoint Online PowerShell
Use below SharePoint Online PowerShell script to enable or disable the Return to classic SharePoint and Exit classic experience links from SharePoint list and document library pages:
# SharePoint online admin center URL
$adminCenterUrl = "https://contoso-admin.sharepoint.com/"
# Connect to SharePoint online admin center
Connect-SPOService -Url $adminCenterUrl
# Enable Return to classic SharePoint and Exit classic experience links
Set-SPOTenant -DisableBackToClassic $false
# Disable Return to classic SharePoint and Exit classic experience links
Set-SPOTenant -DisableBackToClassic $true
Using PnP PowerShell
You can use below PnP PowerShell script to show or hide the “Return to classic SharePoint” and “Exit classic experience” links from SharePoint online modern experience list and document library pages:
# SharePoint online admin center URL
$adminCenterUrl = "https://contoso-admin.sharepoint.com/"
# Connect to SharePoint online admin center
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $adminCenterUrl -Interactive
# Show Return to classic SharePoint and Exit classic experience links
Set-PnPTenant -DisableBackToClassic $false
# Hide Return to classic SharePoint and Exit classic experience links
Set-PnPTenant -DisableBackToClassic $true
Conclusion
Enabling or disabling the “Return to Classic SharePoint” and “Exit classic experience” links in SharePoint Online can be accomplished using SharePoint Online PowerShell or PnP PowerShell scripts. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can manage the user experience and tailor it to your organization’s specific requirements. Whether you embrace the modern SharePoint experience or occasionally need access to classic features, these PowerShell scripts provide the flexibility to adapt SharePoint Online to your needs.
The internal name of a SharePoint column is a unique name that is automatically generated by SharePoint when a column is created. It is used by SharePoint internally to reference and retrieve the value of a particular column associated with an item or document. The internal name is generated based on the display name you provide but all special characters and spaces will be replaced with Unicode’s by SharePoint. Internal name is generated only once while creating a new column and it cannot be changed even if you change the display name of SharePoint column.
The internal name is not visible to users in the SharePoint user interface by default, but it is commonly used in various scenarios, such as in SharePoint REST APIs, Power Automate flow expressions, Power Apps formulas, PowerShell, etc. to interact with column data programmatically.
Where are Internal names of SharePoint columns used?
Custom Scripts: When creating custom scripts, such as JavaScript or PowerShell, the internal names of columns are required to reference and manipulate the values of the columns while interacting with SharePoint data.
Workflows: In SharePoint Designer workflows or Microsoft Power Automate (formerly known as Microsoft Flow), the internal names of columns are used to reference the values of the columns as inputs or outputs in the workflow actions and in expressions.
Custom Solutions: When building custom solutions, such as SharePoint apps, SharePoint framework (SPFx) web parts, or custom code, the internal names of columns are required to interact with the columns programmatically.
Power Apps: Few of the Power Apps functions like ShowColumns, SortByColumns, etc. requires using internal names of SharePoint columns in formula.
JSON Formatting: Internal name of SharePoint column is required in JSON formatting to reference the column value with [$InternalNameOfColumn] syntax.
How to find the Internal name of a SharePoint column?
Using Modern experience list view
You can use sorting or filtering options from SharePoint online modern experience list view to find the internal name of a SharePoint column. Sort by and Filter by options are supported by most of the column types in SharePoint like Single line of text, Choice, Number, Date and Time, Yes/No (Boolean), Person or Group (single selection), etc.
For this afticle, we will use sorting based on SharePoint choice column as an example:
1. Go to the SharePoint online list for which you want to check the internal name of a column.
2. Click on column name/header from the list view and select either Ascending (A to Z) or Descending (Z to A) option from the popup menu:
Find internal name of SharePoint column by sorting choice column
3. SharePoint will sort the list view based on selection and the browser URL will be changed like:
Where column name (ChoiceColumn) after sortField= is the internal name of your SharePoint choice column.
4. Similarly, when you use Filter by option in SharePoint modern experience to filter the list view based on Date and Time column (named as Start Date), SharePoint changes browser URL like:
Where column name (Start_x0020_Date) after FilterField1= is the internal name of your SharePoint date and time column. Notice _x0020_ in internal column name which is an Unicode encoding of the space character in the display name of date and time column (Start Date).
Using Classic experience List settings page
Few of the SharePoint column types like Multiple lines of text, Hyperlink or Picture, Image, etc. does not support sorting or filtering from SharePoint modern experience list views. So, you have to use the classic experience list settings page to find the internal name for such SharePoint columns.
Follow below steps to find the internal name of multiple lines of text column using SharePoint classic experience list settings page:
1. Go to the SharePoint online list for which you want to check the internal name of a column.
2. Click on Settings (gear) icon from the top right corner and select List settings:
Open SharePoint online list settings page
3. From list settings page, scroll down to the Columns section and click on the column name for which you want to find the internal name:
Open SharePoint online Column settings page
4. SharePoint will open column settings page for the respective column with browser URL like:
SharePoint online column settings page showing internal name of column
Where column name (MultilineTextCol) after Field= is the internal name of your SharePoint online multiple lines of text column.
Note: You can use this classic experience method to find out the internal name of SharePoint columns for all column types.
Using SharePoint REST API
You can use SharePoint REST API endpoint like below to get the internal name of SharePoint column based on it’s display name. Open URL in below format directly from browser tab:
https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/SPConnect/_api/web/lists/getbytitle('InternalNames')/fields?$select=Title,InternalName&$filter=Title eq 'Multiline Text Column'
Find internal name of SharePoint column using SharePoint REST API
Using PnP PowerShell
You can use below PnP PowerShell script to find the internal name of SharePoint online list column using PnP PowerShell:
# SharePoint online site URL
$siteUrl = "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/wlive"
# Display name of SharePoint list
$listName = "InternalNames"
# Display name of SharePoint list column
$columnName = "Multiline Text Column"
# Connect to SharePoint online site
Connect-PnPOnline -Url $siteUrl -Interactive
# Get internal name of SharePoint list column
Get-PnPField -Identity $columnName -List $listName | Select Title,InternalName
Find internal name of SharePoint column using PnP PowerShell
Using CLI for Microsoft 365
You can use below CLI for Microsoft 365 script to find the internal name of SharePoint online list column using CLI for Microsoft 365:
# SharePoint online site URL
$siteUrl = "https://contoso.sharepoint.com/sites/wlive"
# Display name of SharePoint list
$listName = "InternalNames"
# Display name of SharePoint list column
$columnName = "Multiline Text Column"
# Get Credentials to connect
$m365Status = m365 status
if ($m365Status -match "Logged Out") {
m365 login
}
# Get internal name of SharePoint list column
m365 spo field get --webUrl $siteUrl --listTitle $listName --title $columnName --output text
Find internal name of SharePoint column using CLI for Microsoft 365
Best practices for naming SharePoint columns
When creating columns in SharePoint, it’s important to follow best practices for column naming to avoid using special characters or Unicode characters in internal names. Here are some recommended best practices:
Use only alphanumeric characters: Stick to using letters (A-Z, a-z) and numbers (0-9) in column names. Avoid using special characters such as @, #, $, %, _, etc. Avoid column names beginning with numbers.
Avoid spaces: Use PascalCase to separate words in column names instead of spaces. For example, use ColumnName instead of Column Name. This can help prevent issues with URLs, Unicode encoding, and referencing column names in scripts or code.
Avoid reserved words: SharePoint has reserved words that are used for system functionality, and using them in column names may cause conflicts. Examples of reserved words include “ID”, “Modified”, “Created”, “Title”, etc. Avoid using these reserved words as column names.
Keep it concise and meaningful: Use descriptive and meaningful names for columns that clearly indicate their purpose. Avoid using vague or generic names that may be confusing or ambiguous to users. Use column description to provide more information about the columns.
Be consistent: Establish a consistent naming convention for columns across your SharePoint site or site collection to ensure uniformity and ease of management. This can also help with documentation, training, and maintenance of your SharePoint environment.
I hope you liked this article. Give your valuable feedback & suggestions in the comments section below and share this article with others.
I documented the mechanism of OneDrive Sync quite extensively on my blog previously. However, one thing I did not mention before was the difference between syncing the whole library vs. just a folder within a document library. So in this article, I want to explore what will happen when you Sync a folder instead of a document library and some unexpected consequences that might occur.
What is OneDrive Sync?
If you are wondering what I am talking about, please check out this post, where I explain in great detail OneDrive Sync and how it works.
OneDrive Sync of a Document Library
When you sync the whole document Library (which is probably the most common occurrence), by clicking the Sync button at a library level, it syncs the entire document library to your PC, all the folders and subfolders inside of it.
Syncing the entire library from SharePoint
This is how the synchronized document library appears on the PC
The naming convention for the synchronized library on your computer is “Site Name – Document Library Name.” For example, in my case, it is HR Team – Documents, where HR Team is the site name and Documents is the name of a document library.
OneDrive Sync of a folder within a document library
If, instead, you decide to sync just a specific folder from your SharePoint site, by clicking the button at a folder level, it will only synchronize that folder and everything inside.
Syncing a specific folder from SharePoint
This is how the synchronized folder appears on the PC
The naming convention for the synchronized folders on your computer is “Site Name – Folder Name.” For example, in my case, it is HR Team – Clients, where HR Team is the site name and Clients is the name of a folder within the Documents library.
Syncing a folder and a library together – unintended consequences
Since nothing stops you from clicking the Sync button at both folder and library levels, I want to highlight a few unintended consequences that might occur as a result.
Scenario 1: Sync the document library first, then sync a folder
In case you sync the library first and then decide to sync the folder inside of that library – nothing will really happen. Since you are already syncing the entire library, clicking the Sync button at a folder level won’t do anything extra. So all is good in this case.
Scenario 2: Sync the folder first, then sync the entire document library
If you do this in the opposite order, this will lead to potential confusion for the users and even possible loss of information/track of changes. This only occurs when you disable Files On-Demand – in other words, physically download the files and folders on your PC.
Here is an issue:
In the example below, I have a document library with a few folders inside
I then sync one of the folders first (the Clients folder in my case). It syncs it onto my PC and makes it available from Windows Explorer (as expected).
I then click the Sync button on the entire document library. At this point, it syncs the entire document library with all of its subfolders inside to Windows Explorer, but simultaneously, it stops the sync of the folder I synchronized previously.
It does not remove the folder from Windows Explorer. It just leaves it in place and synchronizes a document library next to it. It does remove the “green checkbox” over the folder, indicating that the folder is no longer synchronized to SharePoint. However, if the user continues to access files in that folder or update them, none of those changes will make it to the cloud! 😠
So to summarize, if you sync any folders first and then decide to synchronize the entire document library, you must immediately delete the folder from your PC to avoid confusion and possible data loss.
Alternatives to folder syncing
So the best practice to avoid the above-described headache would be to sync the entire libraries and not sync folders.
If you do need to sync just a certain folder or set of folders and not the entire library, I highly recommend syncing the entire library, but then doing the selective sync. I described it in this article.
SharePoint Online is a powerful platform that enables organizations to efficiently manage their documents and collaborate with colleagues in a secure manner. One of the most valuable features of SharePoint Online is its ability to automate document approval workflows, streamlining the document review process and ensuring that all documents are properly reviewed and approved before they are published or shared.
In this blog post, we will explore how to use SharePoint Online for document automation and approval, and how to leverage Power Automate to create a more streamlined approval process.
Create a Document Library
The first step in automating document approval workflows in SharePoint Online is to create a document library. A document library is a container that stores documents, and it provides features such as versioning, check-in and check-out, and document approval workflows.
Enable Document Approval
Once you have created your document library, the next step is to enable document approval. Document approval ensures that all documents are properly reviewed and approved before they are published or shared. To enable document approval in SharePoint Online, follow these steps:
Go to your document library and click on the gear icon in the top right corner.
Select “Library settings” from the drop-down menu.
Click on “Versioning settings” under the “General Settings” section.
Scroll down and select “Yes” under “Require content approval for submitted items?”.
Click on “OK” to save your changes.
Create a Power Automate Flow
The final step in automating document approval workflows in SharePoint Online is to create a Power Automate flow. A flow is a sequence of actions that are triggered by a specific event, such as a document being uploaded to the document library. To create a Power Automate flow for document approval in SharePoint Online, follow these steps:
Go to Power Automate and click on “Create” in the top navigation menu.
Select “Automated cloud flow” and give your flow a name.
Under “Choose your flow’s trigger”, select “When a file is created or modified (properties only)”.
Select your SharePoint Online site and document library.
Under “Choose an action”, search for “Start and wait for an approval”.
Configure the approval settings, such as approver, due date, and approval outcome options.
Save your flow.
Using SharePoint Online for document automation and approval can significantly improve your organization’s efficiency and productivity. By creating a document library, enabling document approval, and creating a Power Automate flow for approval, you can streamline the document review process and ensure that all documents are properly reviewed and approved before they are published or shared.
If you are new to SharePoint Online or Power Automate or are looking for more advanced automation capabilities, consider partnering with a SharePoint consulting firm. SharePoint consultants can help you maximize the potential of your SharePoint Online platform and ensure that you are leveraging all of the features and functionalities available to you.
Microsoft Teams has quickly become one of the most popular collaboration tools for businesses around the world. However, when it comes to managing documents and files, Teams has its limitations. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to use SharePoint as a document repository for Teams and discuss best practices for managing files and documents.
Understanding SharePoint as a Document Repository:
SharePoint is a powerful document management system that can be used to store, manage, and share documents and files. It provides a range of features and capabilities, including version control, co-authoring, and security controls. By using SharePoint as a document repository for Teams, you can take advantage of these features and provide a centralized location for all of your files and documents.
Setting Up SharePoint for Teams
Before you can use SharePoint as a document repository for Teams, you need to set it up properly. Here are the steps:
Create a SharePoint Site:
First, you need to create a SharePoint site where you’ll store your documents. This site should be configured with the appropriate permissions and security controls.
Create Document Libraries:
Next, you need to create document libraries within your SharePoint site. These libraries should be organized in a logical manner and should reflect the way your team works.
Connect SharePoint to Teams:
Once your SharePoint site and document libraries are set up, you can connect them to Teams. This can be done by adding the SharePoint site as a tab in a Teams channel.
Managing Documents in SharePoint
Now that your SharePoint site is set up and connected to Teams, you can start managing your documents. Here are some best practices for managing documents in SharePoint:
Use Version Control:
SharePoint provides version control, which allows you to keep track of changes made to a document over time. This is especially useful when multiple people are working on the same document.
Co-Author Documents:
SharePoint also provides co-authoring capabilities, which allow multiple people to work on a document at the same time. This is useful when collaborating on a document with your team.
Use Metadata:
Metadata can be used to categorize and organize documents within SharePoint. By using metadata, you can make it easier for team members to find the documents they need.
Set Permissions:
SharePoint provides a range of security controls that allow you to set permissions for your documents. By setting permissions, you can ensure that only the right people have access to sensitive documents.
By using SharePoint as a document repository for Teams, you can take advantage of its powerful document management capabilities and provide a centralized location for all of your files and documents. With proper setup and management, SharePoint can be a valuable tool for any team looking to collaborate on documents and files.
SharePoint and Teams are two powerful collaboration tools in the Microsoft suite. SharePoint is a content management and collaboration platform that provides organizations with document libraries, lists, workflows, and other features that make it easy to share and manage content. Teams is a chat-based collaboration platform that brings together people, conversations, and content in a virtual workspace. By integrating these two platforms, you can unlock even greater collaboration capabilities. In this blog post, we’ll explore how to integrate SharePoint and Teams and discuss best practices for using them together.
Understanding the Benefits of Integrating SharePoint and Teams:
The integration of SharePoint and Teams provides a seamless collaboration experience, allowing users to work together in one unified environment. Here are some of the benefits of integrating SharePoint and Teams:
Access SharePoint Content in Teams:
With the integration of SharePoint and Teams, you can easily access SharePoint content within Teams. This means that you can collaborate on documents, lists, and other content without having to leave Teams.
Collaborate on SharePoint Content:
You can collaborate on SharePoint content with your team members in real-time within Teams. This enables team members to work together more efficiently, and it ensures that everyone is on the same page.
Improved Communication:
With the integration of SharePoint and Teams, you can communicate with team members using Teams chat, voice, and video features. This makes it easier to collaborate on content and discuss ideas in real-time.
Setting up the Integration Between SharePoint and Teams:
To integrate SharePoint and Teams, you need to set up a few things. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Set up a SharePoint site:
The first step is to set up a SharePoint site that you want to integrate with Teams. You can do this by going to SharePoint Online and creating a new site.
Create a Team:
Next, you need to create a new Team in Teams. This will be the virtual workspace where you and your team members will collaborate.
Add the SharePoint site to Teams:
Once you have created the Team, you need to add the SharePoint site to it. You can do this by selecting the “Add cloud storage” option within the Files tab of the Team.
Collaborate on SharePoint content in Teams:
Now that you have set up the integration between SharePoint and Teams, you can collaborate on SharePoint content within Teams. You can access SharePoint files and lists from the Files and Lists tabs of the Team. You can also create new documents and lists directly from within Teams.
Exploring the Capabilities of the SharePoint and Teams Integration
The integration of SharePoint and Teams provides a wide range of capabilities that can enhance collaboration in your organization. Here are some of the key capabilities of the integration:
Co-authoring:
With the integration of SharePoint and Teams, you can co-author documents in real-time with your team members. This means that multiple people can work on the same document at the same time, making collaboration more efficient.
Access control:
SharePoint provides powerful access control features that allow you to control who can access and edit content. With the integration of SharePoint and Teams, you can apply these access control features to the content that you collaborate on in Teams.
Mobile access:
With the integration of SharePoint and Teams, you can access SharePoint content from anywhere using the Teams mobile app. This means that you can collaborate on content with your team members even when you’re on the go.
Integrating SharePoint and Teams provides a powerful collaboration experience that can enhance productivity and improve communication in your organization. By following these best practices for integrating SharePoint and Teams, you can collaborate on content in real-time, improve communication, and achieve better results.
If you are accessing Office documents from within SharePoint and Teams and not Windows Explorer, I am sure you noticed that by default, MS Office file types (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote) always open up in the browser. It is quick and straightforward, but you probably need a full desktop experience majority of the time (for formatting in Word, additional functionalities in Excel, etc.). Luckily, we have a way to change the default. In this article, I would like to summarize the available options we have – the one you choose depends on how and where you open files from.
To change the default in SharePoint
If you primarily access Office files from the SharePoint site/interface, you would be better off adjusting a setting on a document library that I describe in this post.
Important Notes
This change will affect everyone using this site/document library
If you access the same files from the Teams interface, this change will not affect it
To change the default in Teams
If you primarily access Office files from the Teams interface, you can do the following.
In the upper-right-hand-corner of Teams, click three dots > Settings
Under Settings, click on the Files section
Change the default to Desktop app
Important Notes
This change will only affect you, and not the other members of the team
This change does not affect how files are opened from SharePoint
This setting can only be adjusted in the Teams Desktop application – you will not be able to adjust this in Teams if you access Teams via Browser
Sometimes this setting might not be available – for the above to work you must purchase and install Office application via the same licensed subscription you have with Teams (check out this article from Microsoft for additional information)
If you recently navigated to a SharePoint team Sites, you probably have noticed an interesting breakdown of files and folders on that site. Suddenly, all the folders are grouped into two groupings: In Site Library vs. In Channels. So today, I want to explain why we have such a grouping in the first place.
The impact of Microsoft Teams
The phenomena described above only occur on Team Sites connected to Teams. As you probably already know from reading my blog posts, when you create a new Team in Teams, it also creates a SharePoint site behind the scenes.
The Teams application uses SharePoint for file management capabilities. You can read more about this here.
How folders are created on a Team Site
There are three types of folders you can have on a Team Site.
Folders that look like folders but are just links to Private and Shared Channels
I will explain all three types of these folders further below.
1. Standard Channels = Folders
As I described pretty extensively in this article, every time you create a Standard Channel in Teams, a folder is created with the same name on an associated SharePoint site. So when you click on a Files Tab inside a given channel in Teams, you are just viewing the contents of the channel folder on a SharePoint site.
Example of a Files Tab inside the Standard Channel in Teams
Example of the same channel folder on a SharePoint Site
2. Manually created folders
And, of course, the second type of folder you can create is the one you create manually within the SharePoint site/document library. Those folders are just a way to organize your files and folders outside of any channel.
3. Folders that are links to Private and Shared Channels
If you expand a drop-down under In Channels on a SharePoint site, you might notice folders corresponding to Private and Shared Channels on your Team. I say “might” because not all Teams have private or shared channels; you obviously will not see those folders if your Team does not have any.
The folders will have the same icons as in Teams, designating either a Private or Shared channel.
However, these Private and Shared folders are not really folders. As documented in an earlier post, every time you create a Private or Shared Channel in Teams, it creates a separate SharePoint site for that channel. So these “folders” are just links to respective Private Channel and Shared Channel Sites. For example, clicking on Financials “folder” above redirects you to the separate SharePoint site created to accommodate that Financials Private Channel.
Private Channel SharePoint Site created to store Private Channel documents
In summary: In Site Library vs. In Channels Folders
In Channels – shows you the folders that correspond to Standard Channels in Teams + folders that link you to the Private and Shared Channel sites (if those types of channels exist in a Team).
In Site Library – shows you the folders that correspond to Standard Channels in Teams + folders manually created by users at the root of the document library.
A frequent request from users collaborating in SharePoint/OneDrive/Team is the ability to bookmark specific files and folders and be able to come back to them at a later point. As of the writing of this post, there is no easy way to “save files as bookmarks” just yet. That said, I want to show you a few “workaround options” available for you to save bookmark files and folders in SharePoint.
Option 1: Pin to Top
There is a way to pin files and folders in a library, but that feature does not serve as a personal bookmark, but rather a team one. When you pin a file or folder within a library, it creates a prominent shortcut on top of the library to that file or folder.
Right-click on a file or folder and choose Pin to top from the menu
You will now see the files and folders pinned on top of all the other files and folders within a document library
If you need to change the order of pins or remove them altogether, you can do so via the same pop-up menu
Pros
Easy to use
Option available in both SharePoint and Teams
Option available for both files and folders
Cons
Bookmark is not personal – it is for all team members
The bookmark is “per view” or “per folder.” If you choose another view in a document library or navigate inside one of the folders, you won’t see the pins there – they are unique to each view or folder. In the image below, I went inside one of the folders, and you can see pins I created previously missing there.
Option 2: Add Shortcut to OneDrive
If you want to go for a personal bookmark, you might want to consider “Add Shortcut to OneDrive.” It creates a personal bookmark/link to the content from your own OneDrive account. Reference this post to learn more about this feature.
Pros
Unlike Pin to top, it is a personal bookmark
Available in both SharePoint and Teams
Cons
You can’t bookmark files, just folders
Issues when used together with OneDrive Sync. All are documented in this post.
Option 3: Make this a tab
Another option available in terms of “bookmarking” files is the ability to create a Tab for a given file from within MS Teams.
To do so, right-click on a given file and choose Make this a tab option
This will make the file appear as a Tab next to the other tabs/apps inside of that channel
Pros
Easy to use
Cons
This option is only available in Teams
This option is only available for files, not folders
Bookmark is not personal – it is for all members of the Team
Today I want to describe a feature in modern SharePoint that allows you to connect two lists and libraries and dynamically filter them based on the value selected from one of the lists or libraries. I know this all sounds a bit confusing, so let Dr. Zelfond explain this.
Use Case
Perhaps it first makes sense to explain what I am talking about. Say you have two lists. One is a list of clients with the corresponding client information (client name, address, status, etc.).
Another list is a list of contacts for each client (client name, first and last name of contact, email address, and phone number).
I want to be able to view both lists at once on a SharePoint page, but the way I want this to work, I want to select a client name from the Clients list, and I want the second list to automatically filter the contacts based on client name selected from the first one. Thanks to the dynamic filtering option we now got in SharePoint Online, we can do this. Let me explain.
How to connect and dynamically filter lists and libraries in SharePoint Online
Edit the Page and add both lists to the page, side-by-side
Once added, it should look like this
Edit the page again, and select the list you want to be filtered based on the choice made in another list (in my case, Contacts). Click the pencil icon.
Next, enable the Dynamic filtering toggle. You will see several drop-downs appearing underneath. In the first drop-down, choose the column in the list you want automatically filtered. In my case, I want my Contacts list to be filtered by Company Name. Next, choose the list or library where you will filter the information. In my case, it is a Clients list. Finally, select a column that you will filter in that second list. In my case, it is Client Name. So essentially, the column in the first drop-down and the column in the third drop-down have to match in terms of the information they contain (Company Name = Client Name). Click Apply.
Republish the page
How dynamic filtering works
Now that we connected two lists via dynamic filtering let’s see how it works. Click on any row from List 1, and you will notice that List 2 is filtered based on the selection made.
Use Cases for using dynamic filtering
Dynamically connect a list to a list
You can quickly build a quick CRM within SharePoint, by connecting a list of clients with a list of contacts (just as I described above) and even deals/opportunities all presented on the same page.
Dynamically connect a list to a library
You can maintain a list of clients and then have a document library with, say, contracts, all tagged against a given client name, and then have those contracts filtered automatically based on a client selected from the list.
Notes
You can dynamically connect two lists or two libraries or a list and a library
The column headings do not need to match. For example, I can have a Client Name heading in list/library 1 and a Customer Name in list/library 2. The main thing is that the choices/information in those columns must match!
Related to the above, the text/choices need to match 100% for this work. For example, if in list 1 you spelled out ABC Inc. and in list 2 you called the same company ABC, Inc. (with a coma), those do not match, and dynamic filtering won’t pick it up.
Occasionally, SharePoint reminds me of my wife’s credit card statement. You never know what you will discover there sometimes, leaving me scratching my head and asking “Do you know what this is?” type of questions. One of the recent changes that suddenly appeared in SharePoint just in recent months is the ability to easily switch between various document libraries on a SharePoint site. It probably went unnoticed because it is a bit challenging to spot. But it has a tremendous impact on User adoption, so I thought that it definitely deserves a blog post of its own. Let me explain.
Multiple libraries on a SharePoint site
The feature I am about to explain is only relevant when you have multiple document libraries on a site. Before we had this feature in place, navigating between libraries in SharePoint was a bit of a pain.
You had to click on the Site homepage in hopes of finding a quick link to the other library
Or click on the link to it from the site navigation, if one existed
And if the above two methods did not work, you had to click on Gear Icon > Site Contents and access the other document libraries that way
Switch between document libraries using the “switcher”
I honestly do not know what this feature is called, but I refer to it as a document library switcher (sorry, I am a SharePoint guy, not an English major). This is what I refer to.
Clicking on the drop-down next to the library, allows you to quickly switch among document libraries on a given site.
Locations where you can switch between document libraries
The handy feature above is so convenient, you will find it in many other places as well. Here is where this feature is also present:
Moving/Copying files and folders
If you move or copy files/folders from one site/library to another, you will notice the handy switch that will allow you to easily pick a new destination.
SharePoint Document Libraries accessible from OneDrive
If you click on any SharePoint Document Libraries from OneDrive, you will get to see the same document library “switcher”
Teams File Tab
If you click on a General channel and then the files tab, you will be able to navigate to the root of the library via the breadcrumb by clicking on the Documents
Once you do that, you once again will be able to easily switch between libraries using the “switcher.” This will only work in the General channel, not any other channels.
Notes
The document libraries shown in the drop-down are based on security trimming. So that means that it will only show the libraries the user has access to. In other words, if you set unique permissions for a given library, it won’t appear to the user who does not have access to it
The libraries shown in the drop-down are only Document Libraries. The other libraries, like Site Pages, and Site Assets, are not shown
If you just have 1 document library on a site, it will display the switcher but no other choices under the drop-down
SharePoint lists & libraries: we all love ’em. With multiple views, they are like little apps.
[Why the heck do lists have a brand and logo but libraries don’t? And why aren’t the two just considered simply variations on a concept by Microsoft?]
Do you find yourself using both the modern & classic view settings? If so, why do you continue to use the classic view settings? I’m building a list (ha!) for the Microsoft folks. I’m after feedback about view settings in particular, but anything you find yourself returning to the classic settings UIs for regularly would be helpful.
For example: I go to the classic view settings to display the Title in libraries or to create a “folderless” view.
Here’s what I’ve collected so far. Please reply in the comments and let me know what we’re missing! I’ll keep adding to this post as I hear from more folks. You can help by spreading the word by amplifying my posts on Twitter, Mastodon, and/or Facebook. I’m consolidating and rewording for consistency – my apologies if I mangle what any of you said. Just let me know if I’ve missed anything!
List Settings
Manage Content Types (Order, Field Hidden)
Access to field to see internal name in the url parameters
Manage View Settings
Reindexing List “if you want to include them in the Search”
Versioning
Item permission “Create items and edit items that were created by the user”
To deploy add-ins / command extensions to the app catalog. You can’t deploy these in the modern view.
Managing permissions – Permissions for the list/library are much clearer. The Shared/Shared With is too awkward.
Manage files with no checked in version
Setting Column Default Values
View Settings
Display the Title in libraries
Create a “folderless” view
Add the list ID field to a view
When I need to “Display items in batches of the specified size” and defeat the endless, maddening modern scroll-delay-scroll-delay nonsense for large libraries.
Easier to sort column order, filtering, grouping and sorting on one single screen, as opposed to clicking around on modern. Usually for when you setup a list which is more than a few columns.
You import from Excel anything more than 5 columns you are going to want to sort out without horizontal scrolling and dragging and dropping, etc.
For grouping/filtering, I find the classic UX easier than JSON editing [Several people have said something similar]
Classic for lots of reasons (reindex, permissions, versioning, open behavior, etc.)
Fields that are not displayed but are used in formulas. I find it more reliable to select them in the classic view settings.
Display items in batches of the specified size
Displaying the version number in the view
Getting the URL of the view [This one bugs me, too. When you switch views, you get a URL like /AllItems.aspx?viewid=97fbd6f4-82a9-4916-9a1b-65ce28328173. You can’t know what the actual view page is without editing the view – i.e., going into the classic view settings.]
Navigating up the content type hierarchy
Group by collapsed
Multiple group by
I think the docicon field is only available in classic
Adding a site field (perhaps my knowledge is outdated here)
Sums (Totals)
Calendar stuff for me. If I remember correctly (because I’ve moved to other stuff) surveys and task views are also better in classic
I don’t think I see “display the version number of a file.” Drives me nuts that I can add Promoted State to a view in “modern,” but not Version. I like to see both for the Site Pages library.
Other
Creating new Document Sets doesn’t work in modern interface.
Mapping a geolocation field in a list. Cannot be done in modern SPO
To deploy add-ins / command extensions to the app catalog.
Editing columns in a content type. SharePoint knows there’s a gap because it gives me a link to switch.
One of the most powerful ways to “spice up” a list or a library is to create some rules that will notify you of the changes happening in that list or library. Thanks to the recent changes made by Microsoft, we can do so quite easily now. So in this article, I would like to explain how you can create Rules on a list or library.
Lists vs. Libraries
First, let’s get terminology out of the way here. If you are wondering about the difference between a list and a library – you might want to check out this article first.
The old SharePoint alerts
It is important to note that this Rules feature is not new. For ages, we had the Alerts feature, which I described back in 2015. The alerts allowed you to set up personal notifications based on changes within a list or library (i.e., a document deleted from a document library or a list item changed or added). So think about the Rules feature as the modern equivalent (replacement) of alerts.
How to create rules on a list or library
It does not matter whether you create a rule on a list or a library; the process is the same. So for this example, I will use a list of projects I have to create a rule and then call out nuances related to the Rules on a Document Library.
Under Automate, choose Rules, then Create a rule
You will be presented with four scenarios that will trigger the email notification: A column changes, A column value changes, A new item is created, An item is deleted. Most of those are self-explanatory. Let me choose A column value changes to demonstrate how it works.
You will be presented with the wizard you need to complete to set up a rule
In my case, I want to set up an alert when the Status of a Project changes to Closed, send an email. So this shows the completed rule. Click Create once completed.
It will now show the rule created. From this point on, you will be getting emails that fit this trigger.
How to manage Rules on a list or a library
If you ever want to manage the rules you created, just click on Automate > Rules > Manage rules
From there, you can either temporarily disable a rule via the toggle switch
Or delete the rule altogether after you click on it
Rules limitations and nuances
There is a limit of 15 rules you can create per list or library
You can’t customize the email messages sent
There is no way to introduce additional logic into notification without reverting to Power Automate
The rule cannot be created on a column that has multiple lines of text
If you are creating a rule on a Document Library, A column changes and A column value changes triggers probably only make sense if you use metadata in a document library. Otherwise, you will have a very limited selection of system metadata columns to choose from.
As your users create teams, sites, lists, and libraries in your Microsoft 365 environment, the content becomes somewhat decentralized. There is nothing wrong with this model; it is just a fact and a byproduct of modern flat architecture. That said, there are use cases where you must display content from one site (i.e., a specific list or document library) on another site. In today’s post, I want to share a trick allowing you to display lists and libraries from other SharePoint sites.
To make this happen, we will rely on the mighty Embed Web Part I blogged about a while back. The web part allows you to embed content from other websites, that are not part of Microsoft 365 (i.e., CRM dashboard, videos from video hosting platforms, etc.). However, today we will use the same web part to embed content from another SharePoint site.
Here is a use case. I have a document library of company policies residing on one of my SharePoint sites, and I would like to embed it on the Quality Site as well.
Policies Library on a Policies Site
How to display lists and libraries from other SharePoint sites
Navigate to another site where you want to embed a list or library, and click the Edit button to edit the page
Click the plus sign to add web parts and choose Embed Web Part
Paste the URL of the Document Library inside the Embed window
In the step above, make sure to enter the full URL of the actual view of a list or library you want to embed. Otherwise, it will give you an error message when you try to display lists and libraries from other SharePoint sites.
Click Republish to publish the changes to the page
The library will now be displayed on another site
You can use the above technique to display lists from one site on another as well.
Connexion
