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Have you yet noticed the new Microsoft Lists forms feature in SharePoint Online? I must say it looks really amazing and very impressive. In this new Microsoft List “Forms” article, I will share my experience and explain various features of the Microsoft Lists New Forms. Using this Forms feature, you can create powerful, engaging forms and share the URL with users very quickly. The beauty of this “forms” design is that you can keep your list data hidden from users; users will only see the UI form but cannot see the data. From the data security perspective, this is really a cool feature.
Introduction
Microsoft has recently introduced a new forms experience in Microsoft Lists, integrated with SharePoint Online. This update aims to simplify the process of collecting and managing information within organizations. In this article, we will explore the features, benefits, and practical applications of the new Microsoft Lists forms in SharePoint Online.
What Are Microsoft Lists Forms?
Microsoft Lists forms are tools that allow users to create, share, and manage forms directly within Microsoft Lists. These forms are designed to streamline data collection and improve collaboration across teams. With the new forms experience, users can easily create forms, share them via links, and collect responses that automatically populate their lists.
Key Features of the New Forms Experience
Modern Design and Customization
The new forms experience in Microsoft Lists offers a modern design that is both user-friendly and visually appealing. Users can customize forms by adding logos, selecting themes, and modifying field names to make the forms more relevant and professional.
Easy Sharing and Collaboration
One of the standout features of the new forms experience is the ability to share forms easily. Users can generate a shareable link and distribute it via email, chat, or embed it on a SharePoint page. This makes it simple for team members to access and fill out the forms without seeing the entire list.
Real-Time Data Collection
As responses are submitted, they appear immediately as new items in the list. This real-time data collection ensures that all information is up-to-date and accessible to list collaborators. It also allows for quick analysis and decision-making.
How to Create a New Form in Microsoft Lists
Step 1: Navigate to Your List
To create a new form, start by navigating to your Microsoft List or SharePoint List. Click on the “Forms” option in the command bar at the top of the list.
Step 2: Create a New Form
Select the option to create a new form. The form builder will open, displaying the fields from your list schema. You can add, show, or hide fields as needed.
Step 3: Customize Your Form
Customize your form by choosing a theme, adding a logo, and modifying field names. You can also add descriptions and user-friendly questions to make the form more intuitive for respondents.
Step 4: Share the Form
Once your form is ready, generate a shareable link and distribute it to your team or organization. You can include the link in an email, chat, or embed it on a SharePoint page.
Step 5: Collect and Manage Responses
As responses come in, they will appear as new items in your list. You can manage these responses just like any other list item, taking advantage of formatting, automations, and commenting features.
Practical Applications of Microsoft Lists Forms
Event Management
Event organizers can use Microsoft Lists forms to manage multiple aspects of an event, such as tracking attendees, collecting feedback, and organizing logistics. Each form can collect different elements of the full list, making it easier to manage complex events4.
Customer Issue Tracking
Businesses can use Microsoft Lists forms to track customer issues and feedback. By creating forms for different types of issues, companies can ensure that all relevant information is collected and addressed promptly.
Recruitment and Onboarding
HR departments can streamline recruitment and onboarding processes by using Microsoft Lists forms to collect candidate information, manage interview schedules, and track onboarding tasks.
Expense Reporting
Employees can submit expense reports through Microsoft Lists forms, making it easier for finance teams to track and approve expenses. The forms can be customized to include fields for different types of expenses, ensuring that all necessary information is collected.
Benefits of Using Microsoft Lists Forms
Improved Efficiency
The new forms experience in Microsoft Lists improves efficiency by simplifying the process of collecting and managing information. Users can create and share forms quickly, reducing the time and effort required to gather data.
Enhanced Collaboration
By allowing team members to access and fill out forms without seeing the entire list, Microsoft Lists forms enhance collaboration. This ensures that everyone can contribute without compromising data privacy.
Real-Time Updates
Real-time data collection ensures that all information is up-to-date and accessible to list collaborators. This allows for quick analysis and decision-making, improving overall productivity.
Customization and Flexibility
The ability to customize forms with logos, themes, and user-friendly questions makes Microsoft Lists forms more relevant and professional. This flexibility allows users to create forms that meet their specific needs.
Demo: How to Work With New Microsoft List Forms in SharePoint Online?
Before starting your demo, you should have a sample list with various data types and columns. I have my financial sample list, so let’s get started.
Open your SharePoint Online list for which you want to create a new form.
Click on the “Forms” link.
Then, click on the “New Form” link.
By the way, all your forms will show here; you can say this will be your list form library.
Your new form designer opens.
Start designing your form now.
In the above example, I have done the following:
- I have named the form and added a description about it.
- Then, I chose a country column for the country column design and added a few country names as a choice.
- I have made the country column as required; you can turn this toggle on or off.
Note:
- I have just shown the country choice column here how I have designed it; we can work with any type of allowed data type; the process is the same.
Customise Microsoft New Lists Forms in SharePoint Online
Basically, there are three sections under the customise tab in the New Microsoft Lists Forms designer; they are:
- Show or hide fields
- Themes
- Settings
In the below section, I will explain them separately, one by one.
A few notes to remember while designing the form:
1. Show or Hide Fields
From the right side pane, you select the column to display in the form and uncheck it for not display in the form.
For example, I have unchecked the “Title” column; this is not showing in the form now.
2. Column properties menu
Click on the three dots for your selected column, and then you will see various properties of that column, like settings, move up, move down, and hide.
3. Column Settings menu
You can click on the three dots for your selected column, then click on “Settings,”, then edit your column from the traditional column property pane.
4. Supported column types in Microsoft List New Forms: As of today, following are supported column types in New Forms:
- Single-line text
- Multi-line text
- Choice
- Number
- Date and time
- Currency
Notes:
- As of today, attachment column type doesn’t support in the new “Forms,” which is very much needed for the form development in business requirements. I hope Microsoft will add it soon to the list. People picker control doesn’t support it, but there is a reason, as this form can be shared with an external user as well.
I have hidden unwanted columns and kept only the needed column to simplify this demo.
Simplified Sales Form in SharePoint Online using New Forms Designer
Form Themes configuration
Click on the “Themes” from the right side pane to configure your needed them for the form you design.
You can even create own style. Click on the create your own style link.
Then, select your customized background and theme colour from the below list:
Form Settings to Accept Responses or Not
You can control whether the user can submit the form or not. For example, if you have developed this form for an for an employee survey, then once the survey date expires, you can turn off this “accept responses” toggle.
Preview New Microsoft Lists Forms in SharePoint Online
Click on the “Preview” icon to see your form and what it looks like.
Here is my form in preview mode:
Copy link From Send Form
You can copy the form link from the “Send Form” menu and share this with the users in your organization.
Note:
We don’t need to save the form changes explicitly; it saves automatically. This is really a cool feature.
New Forms Library in SharePoint Online list
To see your form or list of forms you have created, click on the “Forms” menu from your list. You can see it like below:
Click on the “Edit Form” menu; this will open your form in edit mode, as like below:
Click on the “Stop accepting responses” menu to stop accepting responses from users, as shown below:
“People will not be able to respond to the form links you shared”
Once we click on the “Stop accepting responses” button, the form status changes to closed from open, as shown below:
Similarly, you can click on the “Start accepting response” button to start accepting responses from users, as shown below:
Once we click on the “Start accepting response” button to start accepting responses from users, the form status changes to open as shown below:
Click on the “Duplicate” menu to create a copy of your form as shown below:
Click on the “Delete” menu to delete your form from the New Forms library, as shown below:
Before deletion, you will be asked the below question and consent as shown below:
“This form and its content will be permanently deleted. However, the responses to the form will stay in the list.”
How to Hide the “Forms” from the List Toolbar?
Some users may not like this “Forms” option to be shown on the list toolbar as they are not ready yet to adopt it. Then how can we hide this “Forms” option from the list toolbar? It is very simple; use the below JSON formatting for your list, and then the “Forms” will not be displayed on the list toolbar.
{
"schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/sp/view-formatting.schema.json",
"commandBarProps" : {
"commands": [
{
"key": "manageForms",
"hide": true
}
]
}
}
Hide Forms from SharePoint Online List Toolbar
As shown above, I cannot see the “Forms” option from my list toolbar. Here, I have applied JSON formatting to my list.
How to Manage User Responses?
You can create various views in your list based on your forms and the metadata you have on your form; then, you can export the data in Excel if you want for further reporting or data analysis that can be integrated in the Power BI report.
Conclusion
Thus, in this article, we have learnt about what is new “Forms” in Microsoft List and how to work with the new form designer, like creating a new form, customising the list form, sharing the form link with users, accepting or not accepting user responses, customising the form themes, and many more.
The new Microsoft Lists forms in SharePoint Online offer a powerful and flexible solution for collecting and managing information within organizations. With features like modern design, easy sharing, real-time data collection, and customization options, these forms can significantly improve efficiency and collaboration. Whether you’re managing events, tracking customer issues, or streamlining recruitment processes, Microsoft Lists forms provide the tools you need to succeed.
YouTube Video Demo
See Also
You may also like the following SharePoint Online form customisation articles:
- Customize the list form using JSON in SharePoint Online step by step
- Customize SharePoint List Forms Using PowerApps step by step
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