Create a list based on a spreadsheet

About lists

A list in your SharePoint team Web site is a collection of information that you share with team members. For example, you could create a sign-up sheet for an event or a list of ideas.

Each list appears on a page that includes commands for adding items, sorting and filtering items, switching to a different view of the list, and changing the design of the list. You can also copy the list to a spreadsheet, and you can subscribe to be notified of changes to the list from this page.

Team Web sites include a set of built-in lists. Except for the Announcements list, these lists are empty when the team Web site is created so that you can immediately fill them with items pertinent to your team. The Announcements list contains a sample announcement to help you get started with your team Web site.

You can use the lists that come with your team Web site as is, you can modify or delete lists that you don't use, and you can create your own lists. When you create your own lists, you can base them on the designs used for the built-in lists, or you can create custom lists from scratch.

If you have a SharePoint Team Services-compatible client program, such as Microsoft Excel 2002, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later installed, you can create lists that are based on spreadsheets.

SharePoint Team Services enables you to create the following kinds of lists:

Announcements

A place to post information for the team. By default, a view of the Announcements list appears on the home page.

Contacts

Information such as name, telephone number, e-mail address, and street address for people who work with your team. By default, a hyperlink to the Contacts list appears on the Quick Launch bar bar.

Events

A list of important dates. By default, a view of the Events list appears on the home page.

Tasks

A to-do list for team members. By default, a hyperlink to the Tasks list appears on the Quick Launch bar bar.

Links

A list of hyperlinks to Web pages of interest to team members. By default, a view of the Links list appears on the home page.

Custom List

A list with a minimum number of predefined columns. When you want to create a list that is unlike any of the built-in lists, create a custom list.

Data imported from a spreadsheet

If you want to start with a list of information in a spreadsheet, you can define a range of cells to use as a list in your team Web site. SharePoint Team Services imports the data from the spreadsheet and displays it the same way it displays the built-in lists: in columns that can be filtered and sorted, and accompanied by commands that enable team members to add, edit, and delete items.

There is no link between the original spreadsheet and the list on the team Web site. If you change the spreadsheet, the list on the team Web site is not updated. Likewise, changes to the list on the Web site are not reflected in the original spreadsheet.

To create a list based on a spreadsheet, you must have a SharePoint Team Services-compatible spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel 2002, and Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later installed.

Important If you want to use an Excel spreadsheet that has been saved as a Web page, the sheet must not use interactivity (A dd interactivity option cleared in the S ave As dialog box in Excel).

1. In the top link bar, click Create.

2. On the Create Page page, click Import Spreadsheet.

3. In the Name box, type a name for the list. This field is required.

4. In the Description box, type text that describes the purpose of the list. This field is optional.

5. In the Import from Spreadsheet section, click Browse to find the spreadsheet that contains the list you want to import, and then click Open.

6. Under Navigation, if you want a hyperlink to this list to appear on the Quick Launch bar, click Yes.

7. Click Import.

8. In the Import to SharePoint List dialog box, click the range of cells you want to use for your list, and then click Import.

9. Specify the columns and rows that you want to import. 

   How?

   1. Click the Select Range box to select a range of cells to import, and then drag through the spreadsheet areas that you want to import.

   2. If the spreadsheet uses names to represent cells, in the Range Type box, click Named Range.

   3. Click Import.

   A page that displays the default view of your new list is added to the team Web site, and a hyperlink to the new list appears on the Lists page and on the Quick Launch bar if you selected Yes in step 6.