Creating and customizing lists in Sharepoint is as easy as adding content, but requires a little more knowledge of the attributes of a list and what they can do for you.
To create a new list or library, click on "Create" in the top menu bar. You are presented with a menu of all the kinds of lists you can create, and a short description of each kind and their purpose.
Select a type of list and click the name or icon to begin the creation process. You are asked for a name, which will appear in the title bar and Documents and Lists area, and a short description, which will help visitors and contributors understand the purpose of your list. You also decide whether this list will appear in the Quick Launch navigation area on the left side of your home page. It is customary to include most lists in the Quick Launch, although some lists are "Utilities" in nature and not usually needed by the casual visitor.
When creating a new document library, you have additional options to specify. Selecting the option "Document Versions" allows you to create a new version each time you edit a file in this document library. This is very useful if many people are contributing and you may occasionally want to undo a recent change and revert to the previous version of the document!
Specifying a Document Template controls what application is started when an author clicks "New Document" in the library menu.
Whether creating a list or library, once you hit the "Create" button, your area is created and you are taken to the default list or library view.
The menu to the left contains all the commands you need to maintain your list:
The "Select a view" section always includes "All items", and will contain any custom views you've created. Lists of events also have a "Calendar View", Document Libraries contain an "Explorer View", and Picture Libraries have a Thumbnail and Filmstrip view.
The "Actions" section always contains "Alert Me" and Modify Columns and Settings. Most lists will also allow "Export to spreadsheet"
The "Modify Columns and Settings" menu is where you go to customize your list for special purposes. Almost all lists have similar attributes:
General Settings
General Settings includes the Title, address and description. It also contains three special values:
On Quick Launch Bar - Whether this list or library appears in the navigation.
Attachments enabled - For public use, it may be preferable to disable attachments as they can be dangerous if uploaded by the unscrupulous.
Change permissions - Like the site itself, each list can have its own set of permissions. This is useful if you would like anyone to contribute to the list, but only certain people can administer.
Save list as template - Useful if you have customized a list a great deal and would like to reuse the settings again for a different list.
Delete this list - Since it's easy to create, it should be easy to destroy.
Document libraries also offer additional settings:
Generate Versions - Every change to each document is saved, allowing you to undo changes and revert to a previous document if necessary.
Content Approval Required - Turning on this option allows contributors to submit changes for review before they are made public. The contributor has a special view of "My Submissions" to review the status of each contribution. The administrator has a special view of "Pending"
submissions, and can either mark a contribution as Approved or Rejected with comments. Be aware that documents submitted by an administrator are automatically approved.
Click "Change General Settings" to modify these values
Columns
As we've observed, a list is simply a collection of rows and columns. You have complete control over which columns are required, what values are allowed, and what order they appear or do not.
Views
The most powerful things about lists is the different ways you can display your information. Click on "Create a new view" and you have a choice of standard view, and other custom views based on the list type. Whether creating a new view, or click to edit an existing view, you are asked for the following:
View Name: the label that will appear in the view list and selection boxes when adding the list to a page.
Columns: check the columns from the list that you would like in this view. "Position from left"
allows you to change the order of the columns in the spreadsheet.
Sort: change the order of the rows based on any column in the list, even if not selected for viewing. Sort can be
ascending (up) or descending (down).
Filter: very powerful for only showing rows that meet certain criteria. For example, a view of tasks where the column "assigned to" equals [me] filters the list for the current user's tasks!
Group By: adds a header to each group of similar values.
Totals: useful for financial reporting or counts of values.
Style: a variety of styles change the lines and shading of the list, but only when in list view, not as a web part.
Item Limit: for very large lists, specify a maximum number of items to display on a page.