Microsoft Lists

Microsoft Lists is an app that helps you track and organize work. It can be used for tracking inventory, onboarding new employees, assigning tasks, viewing survey results, etc. Columns can provide a variety of options for data, such as basic text, numbers, date and time, yes/no, calculations, multiple choice, and more.

With custom lists, you are able to sort and filter based on the columns you create. You can reorganize your list content by creating additional layouts called views, such as grouping the information by a column heading, gallery view, calendar view or create a customized views.

You can create a list from the List app, SharePoint, or Teams.

List App

The List app is the hub for all your lists. Regardless of where you created the list, you can find all lists in your List app.  

1. Go to KU apps landing page, microsoft365.com, and sign in with your KU credentials, if prompted. 
2. Select the app launcher at the top-left corner of interface.
3. Select the List icon.
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4. Select the New List button at the top-center of the interface.
5. Choose a template, copy from another list, import Excel file, or use blank list.
6. Name your list, create description (optional), make optional visual choices, and decide where to save your list.  

Lists in SharePoint

Create a list starting from the Home view of your SharePoint site. 

1. Select the +New icon in the top menu and select List. 
   View ScreenshotSelect the New link from the menu, then select List from the dropdown menu
2. Choose a template, copy from another list, import Excel file, or use blank list.
3. Give the list a name and choose whether to have the list link show in the site navigation. 
   View ScreenshotDeselect checkbox if you don't want list to show in navigation
4. If you deselect Show in site navigation, you will find the list in Site Contents [Settings > Site contents].
5. Select Create.

• You can access this list from the List app or from Site Contents in your SharePoint site. 

Lists in Teams

Create a list by adding an app found at the top menu. 

1. Select the + sign to the right of your Post and Files tabs located at the top of your team's interface.
2. If you don't see the Lists app, type lists in the search field, then select the app. 
3. Save.
4. Choose Create a list or use a list you have already created to add to your channel.
5. If creating a new list, choose a template, copy from another list, import Excel file, or use blank list.
6. Name your list, create option description, make optional visual choices. 
7. Select Create. 

• You can access this list from the tab at the top of the channel, the List app, or from Site Contents in your associated SharePoint site. 
• Edit the List name, visual features, or delete it by clicking on the name of the List. 

Set up your list by creating the appropriate columns for your project. By default, your first column will always list Title, but you can change that as you like. 

Add Columns

1. Select +Add column, then select the type of column you want to add > Next. 
2. Name the column and select More options to review additional selections > Save.

Rename & Edit Columns

• Select the column dropdown. 
• From the panel, select Column Settings > Rename (if it is the first Title column) or Edit.
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Add & Edit Content

The two ways to add and edit content in a list are by using the  + Add new item button and Edit in grid view tools found in the top menu.
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Use + Add New Item Button

Select +New in the top menu and a panel will open. Complete each column field as you would a form. 

Use the Edit in Grid View Tool

Select Edit in grid view in the top menu and begin typing information or editing the cells. The information saves automatically. Select Exit grid view to go back to your saved list. 

Beyond the basic layout of the list, you can sort, filter, and reorganize your content to create customized views. There are several ways to create and reorganize the content on your list. 

Gallery View

This view is a tile layout.

1. Go to +Add view at the top-right.
2. In the window, provide a name for this view,
3. Select the Gallery button, then Save.

The view will show in the tab area next to the All items tab. 

Calendar View

View and create items in a calendar. You must create a Date column in your list to use this view.

1. Go to +Add view at the top-right.
2. In the window, provide a name for this view.
3. Select the Calendar button, then Save.

You can add new content from the Calendar view by clicking on a date in the calendar and completing the fields provided. The view will show in the tab area next to the All items tab. 

Create and Save Customized Views

Use the sort, filter, or group by to create your customized view. To save the view:

1. Go to the All items tab at the top-right.
2. Select Save view as.
3. Name your view and save.

Your new view will show in the tabs next to All items. You can set this view as your default by selecting the tab, then choose Set current view as default. 

Notifications

There are a few notification presets that you can add to your list. 

• Go to Automate at the top in the menu and select Rules > Create a rule.
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• There will be three notification options from which to choose: when item is modified, new item is created, item is deleted. 
• If you have more specific needs, reach out to training support and we can discuss potential customized notifications. 

Approvals

You can set up an approval for each line of your list. 

1. Go to Automate at the top in the menu and select Configure Approvals.
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2. Click the toggle to enable approvals, then select Apply. 
3. An Approval column will be added automatically at the end of your list. 
4. Select Not Submitted,  fill in a name or names to the approver(s).
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The approver will receive a notification in their Teams activity and can approve or reject, which will update the status in the Approval column of the list.
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Microsoft Forms is a standalone app you can use to create surveys, quizzes, polls, etc. This app is now integrated into Lists to provide an easy way to collect information. 

The integrated version of Forms in Lists offers basic, paired down features from the Forms app, but can offer an easy way to collect information from users so they will not have to log into or don't have access to the SharePoint site or Team, as well as collect confidential content if you don't want users to see the responses of others. 

Select the Forms icon in your menu.
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Select the Send form icon and copy the link to send to users.
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NOTE: This integrated form only sends to people at KU. If you need to send the form to external users, you will need to use Power Automate to manually create a workflow between Forms and Lists. Contact our training team for more information.