SharePoint Designer – why the tool was so important
SharePoint Designer has been the most important tool for years when it came to adapting SharePoint pages and lists to your needs. Using the program, which was supported up to SharePoint 2013, make the desired changes, especially in the visualization.
It was therefore possible to integrate the colours of the corporate design into templates for SharePoint websites. The tool could also be used to revise lists and forms. In addition, it was possible to automate release and data management processes through simple workflows.
However, getting started with the versatile tool was not easy due to the necessary administrator rights and the confusing user interface, and it was impossible for many users to use it. We recommend consulting with a SharePoint development company.
Since switching to SharePoint 2016 and SharePoint Online, the SharePoint Designer has only worked indirectly.
The introduction of the new tools
Due to the cancellation of InfoPath and the SharePoint Designer, new tools have been required that cover the previous options or continue to make them available. Microsoft has gone different ways. On the one hand, the PowerPlatform was introduced, which is an enrichment for every SharePoint user, especially with PowerApps and PowerAutomate. On the other hand, the SharePoint Framework provided a new basis for websites and web parts that meets the requirements of every modern web developer.
An advantage of this new framework is the possibility to make many changes to lists through JSON formatting. In the next section, we will show you how you can generate beautiful SharePoint lists by simply copying and adapting.
JSON formatting – The SharePoint Designer alternative for lists
Every SharePoint user knows the unsightly list views from SharePoint 2013 and earlier. Thanks to JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) coding, the simple list display of data is a thing of the past.
We would like to briefly show you how to get started with formatting.
As a prerequisite, you only need a list in the new UI (“new experience”). You can check the setting by going to Settings -> Advanced Settings -> List Experience -> New Experience in the list. The formatting allows you to change the display of individual columns. On the other hand, you can customize the complete view of the list and thus implement a user-friendly display of the data.
Column formatting – getting started with list design
The default examples from Microsoft serve as the first introduction to formatting. If you are not hiring any professional SharePoint development services then follow the directions given below:
Once you have created a selection column, under the dropdown menu next to the column name, you can select Column Settings -> Format this Column.
You will be presented with a preset colour adjustment of the column based on the value. Click Edit Styles to further customize the colours to your liking.
Once you click on “Advanced Mode” you will see the JSON code lying in the background.
You can use this code to completely reformat the column. This allows you to insert icons, multiple rows and buttons into a column.
List view formatting – complete design freedom for your lists
The next evolutionary stage in the display of lists after column formatting is view formatting.
Here, the JSON basis is transferred from the column formatting to the list views. The possibilities this opens up are limitless. On the one hand, the well-known tile views can be created or entire contact lists with a picture and location map for each contact.
Again, Microsoft provides excellent examples on their Github page, which you can adapt to your own purposes with simple modifications. With the formatting we have only changed the display of the lists so far, we have not changed the unsightly input mask.
In SharePoint 2013 and earlier, you could also customize forms through the SharePoint Designer. Microsoft recognized this gap and published it within PowerApps.
The Alternative
PowerApps – a complete solution based on SharePoint lists
If you want to go one step further, you can also create a complete app based on your SharePoint list.
With the SharePoint Designer, attempts have often been made to build a complete app or environment around the SharePoint data. It was always limited to the SharePoint websites and lists. With PowerApps we are freed from this and can develop independent solutions in which only the data is stored in SharePoint. The user interface is absolutely freely configurable and can be completely customized.
A major benefit of the SharePoint Designer was the ability to set up simple workflows for recurring tasks (data management/release processes / …).
In the next section, we would like to introduce you to PowerAutomate as an alternative in SharePoint Online.
PowerAutomate – The SharePoint Designer alternative for workflows
Another member of the PowerPlatform offers you all the options to display workflows within SharePoint. PowerAutomate (formerly Microsoft Flow) is an easy-to-use step-by-step workflow engine that shows its strengths in combination with SharePoint.
With a single click on Flow in the navigation bar of each list or library, you can choose from an overview of templates.
Particularly noteworthy are the approval workflows, which have already played a central role in SharePoint Designer. These preconfigured workflows offer the possibility of a simple and clear approval process via email for list items and documents.
In our blog article about PowerAutomate, we show you in detail what the strengths and possibilities of this app are.
Summary
SharePoint Designer used to be an important and central tool for every SharePoint admin. Thanks to JSON formatting and the PowerPlatform, “normal” users in SharePoint Online can now adapt SharePoint independently to their needs and create process-optimized apps and workflows.
Al Rafay Consulting is a professional SharePoint development company with a team of expert developers. For any professional piece of advice on issues regarding SharePoint, feel free to contact us.
