Scenario
One of the great features inside SharePoint 2010 is the ability to easily create a custom list form. In SharePoint 2007 it was possible to create a custom list form, but it involved going into the SharePoint Designer, copying some files and then associating the new list form with the list.
With SharePoint 2010, you will be using InfoPath to create the list form. And, since you are using InfoPath to customize your list form, you can take advantage of the rich form features available, such as easy formatting and the ability to filter the values shown based on selected values in other fields. To get started, you will need to ensure that you have InfoPath 2010 installed and that you have created a list within a SharePoint site.
Assumptions for this walkthrough
- Enterprise features are activated for your site collection.
Lesson
- Navigate to the list that you would like to customize.
- Activate the List Ribbon and select the Customize Form menu item.
- InfoPath will open and you will see yoru form with the Fields menu open:
From here, you can edit and modify the form like any other InfoPath form (notice that I added another table row and inserted an image and some text). When you select any of the fields you will see that there are additional menu items in the ribbon that can be used to modify the properties of the fields.
(Note: The interface feature for creating rules is a powerful tool that is worth exploring)
- Once you have completed the customizations, select File to activate the Backstage Office view. From here you should see an option to Quick Publish the form. Selecting this option will save your customizations to the list form.
- Back in the list, if you select to create a new item, you should see your customized list form.
There you have it! Five easy steps to customize list forms and you never had to open SharePoint Designer! There are so many great uses for this feature! I can't count the number of times that users have requested simple design changes to list forms in 2007 that took some effort to incorporate within SharePoint Designer.
Now, with the option of InfoPath, you will be able to easily create a consistent look and feel for all forms using only one tool.