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About this lesson
Using the templates, create a new document library and modify the columns.
Exercise files
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Creating a Document Library61.6 KB Creating a Document Library - Solution
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Quick reference
Creating a Document Library
Aside from the standard document library we might want a different document library for different types of documents. For example, we might want to have a library that just stores pictures. Different types of document libraries contain different column headers relevant to the content stored in them.
When to use
We create a document library whenever we want to store documents or other types of content within SharePoint so that it is accessible to all team members.
Instructions
Creating a Document Library
- From the Home page, click New.
- Select Add an app.
- Choose Document Library.
- Type a name for the library e.g. TrainingDocuments.
- Click Create.
- From Site Contents, click the three dots next to the library.
- Click Settings.
- Click List name, description and navigation.
- Check Yes to display this document library on the Quick Launch.
- Click Save.
Re-arrange the Quick Launch Menu
- From the Quick Launch Menu, click the three dots next to the library.
- Select Move Up.
- Repeat this process until the library is in the desired position in the menu.
Creating sub links
We can make menu items sub links of other menu items to add structure and organize our menu items.
- Click the three dots next to the library.
- Select Make sub link.
Adding Columns to the Document Library
- From the Quick Launch Menu, click on the library.
- Click the drop-down arrow next to All Documents and select Edit the current view.
- Check the box next to File Size to add the column to the view.
- Click OK.
- 00:04 So now that we understand what a document library is, it's time for
- 00:07 us to create our own.
- 00:09 So maybe, aside from the standard document library that comes with every new
- 00:13 SharePoint site, you might want to have additional document libraries for
- 00:18 different types of documents.
- 00:21 And as you might expect,
- 00:22 there are a number of different templates that you can use for document libraries.
- 00:26 For example,
- 00:27 maybe you want to create a document library that just contains images.
- 00:31 And you'll see in a moment,
- 00:33 there is a very specific picture library template specifically for
- 00:37 storing image files as supposed to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, things like that.
- 00:42 And the difference is, it has relevant column headings for pictures.
- 00:46 Now the process of creating new document libraries is very
- 00:50 similar to that of lists.
- 00:52 But remember, whether you're using the modern or
- 00:54 the classic experience is going to have an effect.
- 00:57 So if we jump back to home, if you're using the modern experience,
- 01:02 you can just click this new drop down and
- 01:04 you can select document library to add a standard document library, or
- 01:09 you can go down and add an app and select a different document library template.
- 01:14 If you're using the modern experience and you don't have this menu, you'll need to
- 01:19 jump up to the cog in the top right-hand corner and go to add an app from here.
- 01:24 So let's jump into add an app, and again, we are back at our favorite screen.
- 01:29 This contains all of our library and list templates.
- 01:33 And if we scroll through and take a look,
- 01:35 you can see that we do have a number of different ones that we could use.
- 01:37 So we have our standard document library template, just here.
- 01:41 That's the one that's currently in use in that default document library.
- 01:45 But I also have a form library, a Wiki page library, and
- 01:49 a picture library specifically for pictures.
- 01:53 And if we scroll down to the bottom, there is another page.
- 01:55 So if I click on next, I get a few more different libraries.
- 01:59 So go in and select the one that's going to be most appropriate to you.
- 02:03 And remember, if you can't find one that's exactly what you want, then we can create
- 02:07 our own custom libraries as well, which I'm going to show you a bit later on.
- 02:11 For now, we're just going to add a standard document library.
- 02:14 So let's click on this first tile, just here.
- 02:17 And we need to give our library a name.
- 02:20 So I'm just going to create a library that's going to house all of the training
- 02:24 documents.
- 02:26 Again, no space, click on create, it jumps me to that site contents page,
- 02:32 and if I scroll down, there is my training documents library.
- 02:37 Now before we go any further,
- 02:39 I am going to add this to my quick launch navigation menu.
- 02:42 So three dots, down to settings, into list, name, description, and navigation.
- 02:50 I'm going to add a space and I'm going to say, yes,
- 02:53 I want to display it on the quick launch, and click on save.
- 02:59 Now I'm doing this just simply because it's going to make it a lot easier for
- 03:02 me to quickly access this document library.
- 03:04 And what I'm actually going to do is I'm going to edit this quick launch menu
- 03:08 again, and I'm going to move this all the way up to the top so
- 03:11 it sits underneath documents.
- 03:14 Now, this is a bit of a slow process, we can only move up one at a time.
- 03:17 So we're just going to say, move up, to get it into the correct spot.
- 03:21 There's something else I could do here is I could make this a sub link,
- 03:25 so that it kind of sits as a sub folder underneath documents.
- 03:31 Now I'm going to click on save.
- 03:32 And immediately, I've added a little bit of structure into that navigation menu.
- 03:37 Let's click back on our new library.
- 03:40 You can see here, we have those standard column headings, name, modified, and
- 03:45 modified by.
- 03:45 I could of course go in and start adding more columns.
- 03:49 Now what I could also do here is I could toggle on additional columns.
- 03:53 And for that, I need to edit the current view.
- 03:59 Because something else I want to display in this document library is I want to be
- 04:02 able to see the file size.
- 04:04 So I'm going to make sure that I have the file size column selected.
- 04:09 Let's click on OK to add that column in.
- 04:13 So don't forget that you can modify the view as well.
- 04:16 So let's add a quick document to this library.
- 04:19 I'm going to jump up to the new button and I'm going to create one on the fly.
- 04:23 So let's do another Word document.
- 04:25 Remember, it opens in Word online and I'm quickly going to add in some text using
- 04:31 a little trainer trick here to get some random text quickly into a document.
- 04:36 And this is just kind of junk text, so that we have something in there.
- 04:41 I'm going to give my document a name.
- 04:43 So let's click up here where it says, document, and I'm going to change
- 04:47 the file name to something a bit more meaningful than document.
- 04:51 So let's just say this is, budget requirements, something like that.
- 04:55 Click away, wait until it says saved, and
- 04:58 then I know I can safely close this document down.
- 05:01 And after a couple of seconds, that name will update.
- 05:04 So very quickly, I've been able to add in a document to my library.
- 05:09 And as I said, there are lots of different types of documents that we can create on
- 05:13 the fly from within SharePoint.
- 05:15 In the next lesson, we're going to take a look at how we can upload documents
- 05:20 into our document libraries.
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