Sharepoint 2007: Create a New List Item

Problem : You want to create a new list item (for example, add a contact to a Contacts list or a new event to a calendar list).

Solution : When you’re working in a list, you create a new list item by using the New menu in the toolbar. However, unlike with documents, using this menu does not open another application, but rather redirects you to a page that allows you to fill in the metadata (properties or columns) for the new list item (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. A sample metadata screen for creating a new task.

Because each list can have different properties (columns) in a different order, the screen can look totally different in each list. For example, the announcements list has metadata such as Title and Body (see Figure 2), whereas the contacts list has metadata such as First Name, Last Name, and Phone Number (see Figure 3).

Figure 2. A sample metadata screen for creating a new announcement.

Figure 3. A sample metadata screen for creating a new contact.

Similar to document libraries, lists can also support multiple content types. This means that the New button might also offer a drop-down of options for you to pick what sort of list item you want to create (see Figure 4). Depending on the content type you select, the metadata fields may change.

Figure 4. Choosing content types for creating different types of contacts.

For example, a contacts list might give you the option of creating an item of type External Contact, which should be used for contacts outside the company. This content type asks you to fill in the property for Company (see Figure 5). An item of type Internal Contact, on the other hand, does not ask for that property because it assumes that the contact belongs to your company. Instead, it has the property Department (see Figure 6).

Figure 5. A sample metadata screen for creating a new external contact.

Figure 6. A sample metadata screen for creating a new internal contact.

Another way to create new list items is to use the datasheet view.