Why would you want to build custom forms in SharePoint online?

The industry has been changing rapidly for a few years, specifically in the digital market journey for business. Many businesses have already moved to paperless methods to enhance performance and boost productivity. 

Have you explored the SharePoint tool? Did you know you can optimize SharePoint forms for a better solution? Does SharePoint make this process hassle-free?

We will provide great solutions to manage a wide range of tasks in the right procedure. The main focus of this content piece will be SharePoint forms. 

What are SharePoint forms?

This window has several fields and labels to add data and store as SharePoint lists. Users are expected to add data that gives better insights to the receiver. It is important to design the form perfectly to gain higher accuracy in collecting information.   

SharePoint has special tools to build business logic, conditional formatting, and dynamic fields. It also allows the display and hides a particular column depending on the requirements. 

How to build SharePoint forms?

You might think the process is more complex than creating a poll. To build a list: 

  • Open the site in SharePoint Online
  • Go to Site Content from the navigation pane 
  • Click on New, add a name 
  • Click on Create
  • After the list is created, click on + Add Column 
  • Enter the parameters for every column
  • Click on Save 
    • Title: It will represent the name of an item stored 
    • More Info: Set yes in case you have additional information or set it to no
    • Quantity: The number of items available for current positions 
    • Colour: Let users set any colour in the Format 
    • Price: The price range for an item that should be added in USD 
    • Notes: This is used to define additional information

After creating a form, all fields will be visible to the users for adding relevant information. 

How to edit an existing SharePoint form?

Various techniques exist to build SharePoint forms or edit the default forms efficiently. Give a glance at an effortless process: 

  • Open the site in SharePoint Designer, click on Lists and Libraries from the Navigation pane
  • Click on the list from this gallery 
  • On the summary page, under Forms, click on the required form and open it for editing
  • Once it opens in the Page Editor, put your cursor below the default form, and press Enter multiple times to add some extra space below the form. 
  • Click on the Insert, and in Data Views and Forms, click on the desired form 
  • Select the SharePoint library or list where you want to deal with form. 
  • Click on Format and Web Part group, then choose Properties 
  • In the Dialog box, click on the plus symbol near the layout and check for Hidden and click on OK

How to customize SharePoint forms?

Dealing with various SharePoint form templates gets you in a state where you want to customize some things as per your business requirements. Let us look at the common process: 

  • Open any one of the below forms:
  1. New Form: Users click on “New” and enter the data in the form for the first time 
  2. Edit Form: People will view the existing entry in the SharePoint library/list 
  3. Display Form: This helps to change the information in the current entry in the list/library
  • In the top form, click on the Edit form
  • Choose Edit columns
  • A narrow panel opens with entitles Edit columns in the form
  • Drag the fields up and down to arrange them, or click on the right of the areas to move them up and down
  • Click on the checkbox to hide or display the fields in the form. Also, you cannot hide the required fields
  • Some fields might be conditionally hidden where there is a certain condition after which it will be available. 

What are the benefits of using custom SharePoint forms?

1. Easy business solutions 

 It will enable business users, which is perfect if you are not an IT developer or personnel, to build powerful SharePoint online forms without dealing with coding. The tool has easy-to-use and reliable solutions to drive business value by collecting the right information. 

2. Advanced Dynamic Forms 

There are powerful components to capture relevant insights from the users with a great interface. Some great functions are:

  • Tabbed interface to provide ease of accessibility and assign permissions
  • Advanced validation for input 
  • Wide range of column types 
  • Automatic pre-filled forms for saved information of users

3. Business Processes and Logic 

Users can control the flow of information and keep them organized. Let us look at some pointers:

  • Import data from the mail or other business applications 
  • Execute actions to create and update the data automatically 
  • Build a list data, site, or SharePoint list forms through automated processes 
  • Implement multiple stage of business processes with the right approvals 
  • Advanced search capabilities in research 

4. Reports and Visualization 

Enhancing the analytics, visibility, and communication with the right reporting components. 

  • Build custom alerts based on the requirements and use custom email templates 
  • Colour-coded representation of data 
  • Get a print of list data or convert it into PDF to store securely 
  • Data can be visualized in 30+ chart types for a better understanding 

5. Automate the Workflow of business 

A SharePoint expert helps to automate vital business processes. Some key features are:

  • Connect with the external resources like Oracle, Remote SharePoint lists, Excel Files, SQL, and Web services
  • Support for client-side events with the right logic 
  • Workflow activity toolkit in the cross-site collections

Also Read: Simplify Your Order and Inventory Process with Inventory Management System

The Last Takeaway! 

The usage of SharePoint forms depends on your business requirements and how well you play around with the tool. Custom forms help to expand the possibilities of collecting information. The right methods help to accomplish the targets of the business.