Microsoft 365 Apps and Services for Work and School Accounts
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A SharePoint library's name does two jobs at creation: it's the name people see and the start of its web address. Spaces in the name become %20 in the address. The way round it is to create the library without spaces and rename it afterwards: the name changes, the address doesn't.
A document library is where a SharePoint site keeps files, the way a list keeps rows of data. Every site starts with one, Documents, but a library of its own lets a set of files have their own permissions and their own place. It takes a minute to create.
Column settings can check one column at a time. List validation checks a whole item when it's saved, so it can compare columns: a finish after its start, an end date after a begin date, a discount below the price. If the formula isn't TRUE, SharePoint refuses the item and shows your message.
Every SharePoint list starts with a Title column. When your list has its own columns for what Title would hold, hiding Title keeps the view and the form clean. It takes two separate steps: one for the list view, one for the item form.
Some values must appear only once in a list: a department name, an employee number, an order reference. Enforce unique values makes SharePoint refuse a second item with the same value, whoever enters it.
A column's name says what it is; its description says what to put in it. SharePoint shows the description right under the field in the item form, so it's the cheapest help text a list can have. It's optional, and worth writing for every column.
A default value is what a column holds in a new item before anyone touches it. A status that starts at Pending, a break that starts at 0, a Yes for "still in use": defaults save typing and make the starting point the same for everyone.
A required column can't be left empty when someone saves an item in the form. One switch, Require that this column contains information, turns it on, and the form takes care of the rest: an asterisk on the field, and a message if it's blank.
Single line of text stops at 255 characters. For anything longer, such as a reason, a comment or notes, SharePoint has Multiple lines of text. Its key setting is whether people can format the text, and for most lists the answer should be no.
A Person column stores people from your organization, not names typed as text. You pick each person from a list of suggestions, so a misspelt name or a wrong email address can't get in. One setting lets it hold several people.
