SharePoint 2010 – Saving a Custom List as a Template and creating new lists in Template Gallery
Recently a SharePoint 2010 student asked me to demonstrate saving a custom list as a template and then using this template to create a new list. This blog is to answer that request. As usual I will be doing this from the top level site in a site collection so that any list or library in any site within this site collection will have access to it.
I will create a simple custom list and then save it as a template. This will cause the list template to be saved in the List Templates Gallery which exists in the top level site of my site collection.
Let's begin to Create the Custom List in SharePoint 2010
From the top level site of a site collection
I CLICK SITE ACTIONS > MORE OPTIONS
Choose Custom List and Create
I FILTER BY BLANK & CUSTOM, CHOOSE CUSTOM LIST, ADD THE NAME OF THE LIST, AND CLICK CREATE
Create Columns
I CLICK CREATE COLUMN
In this example, I will be using a custom list column, however in many situations, I would choose list settings and then add from existing site column(s) in the event I wanted to use site columns.
Fill Out List Column Form
I CALL THE COLUMN CATEGORY, SELECT CHOICE AS THE DATA TYPE, AND ADD MY CHOICES – MILD, SPICY, HOT, AND ON FIRE
I then scroll down and click OK (NOT SHOWN)
Click List Settings
I CLICK LIST SETTINGS
Save list as template
I CLICK SAVE LIST AS TEMPLATE
Fill out List Template Form
I FILL OUT THE SAVE AS TEMPLATE FORM AS SHOWN AND CLICK OK
I do not click Include Content because there are no items in the list
Operation Completed Successfully
I READ THE MESSAGE AND INSTEAD OF CLICKING OK I CLICK THE LIST TEMPLATE GALLERY LINK
The List Template Gallery
I CLICK THE WORD RECIPES
Notice The .STP file extension
Notice the .stp file extension. If I wanted to I could save this and use it in another site collection.
Create a list from the Template
I CHOOSE SITE ACTIONS > MORE OPTIONS
Select Recipes Template
I FILTER BY BLANK & CUSTOM, SELECT RECIPES AND FILL OUT THE FORM AS SHOWN THEN CLICK CREATE
This will create a new list based on the template of Recipes.
Notice the columns, click Add New Item
I NOTICE THE COLUMNS OF TITLE AND CATEGORY AND I CLICK ADD NEW ITEM
Fill out the form
I FILL OUT FORM AND CLICK SAVE IF I WANT TO CREATE A NEW LIST ITEM
That's how you create a custom list template in SharePoint 2010 and then use it to create a new list. This is a great time saver and helps with data consistency. If this were a subsite, you would follow the same steps once the new list template has been saved to the List Template Gallery at the top level site of the site collection.
Enjoy!
Spike Xavier
SharePoint Instructor – Interface Technical Training
Phoenix, AZ
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The purpose of this functionality is really the ability to bring custom content types from one Site Collection to another. I was able to save, and upload to my site collection, create a new custom list for the template and avoid having to create any new Columns or Content types. BAM – I am done 🙂 Thank you
This is all great, but the list template that i saved in one site, doesn’t keep all the same columns on another site, when I try to create a list from it. My case, I created a list template by using an out of the box Contact list, I hid a bunch of columns that I didn’t need to show up. When I create a list from that template on the site where the template lives, i get the new list with the hidden columns not displaying just like I want to. But when I create a list on another site, another server, from the same template, all the hidden columns get unhidden, and I see all the columns from the original content type that I used. How can I fix that? I want a repeatable process of creating the same list with the same layout of multiple sites, servers, from one template that i can upload everywhere……
Can you do this procedure with a Task list? I’m receiving an error when I try.
Thank you. This accomplished what I needed. Screen captures were very helpful.
hi
I must be missing a step because I see it in the list template library but when I go to use it I cant find it.
thank you so much… found useful content
Spike,
What happens if you modified the input form and then proceeded to save as the article suggests? I get an error when trying to deploy the template that the web part is missing or cannot be displayed. Is it possible to bring over the input form and if so, how.
Thanks
David
In SP 2007, after selecting a template, you would be taken to a form, If you copied the URL for the form, you could then create a link in the left nav bar to create a new list using that template.
In 2010, the Silverlight screen that pops up when you create a new item doesn’t have a URL (that i can find). Does taht mean this functionality is not available any more?
This instruction gave guidance to create costume list, columns and lists
Nice screenshot 'how to'. How about re-using the list template in another site collection with another url. Say you set up a list in you mysite(mysite.contoso.com), save template, save stp, upload stp to teamsite(teams.contoso.com/teams/teamx) and make this list available as template to create a new list? (so far I can upload the stp, but then it stops…)
Great post. I am curious, however, about how to use this “custom list” in Sharepoint Designer. I can create a custom list, then use it in that site through the browser. I can also use the custom list in a sub-site but again, through the browser. I don’t see the choice to use the custom list in either the site it was create or a sub-site when I am using Sharepoint Designer. I am new to Sharepoint. Am I missing something? Or is this just not possible in Sharepoint Designer? Thanks.