2.1.2.7 List

A list is a container for list items. A list specifies a schema that applies to items in the list, and the schema defines a collection of fields that apply to the list.

A list is derived from one list base type and contains all fields defined by that base type. The list of base types is specified in List Base Types, as specified in section 2.5.

A list that has a base type of 1 has one file associated with every list item stored in the list. Such a list is called a document library. A document library has additional special semantics, which are described in Document Library in section 2.1.2.7.1.

A list is created from a list definition, as defined in section 2.1.3.2, which defines the underlying initial structure of fields (2), content types, forms, and views.

A list has one or more content types, as specified in section 2.1.2.8, which define sets of schema and behaviors for items.

A list can have a folder hierarchy, which organizes content in a list. A folder can have an associated list item, which tracks schema and behaviors. Other folders can be hidden in the list. One example is the Forms folder in a document library, which groups form pages.

A list can be connected to an external data source. This type of list is known as an external list. For an external list, all underlying data for the list is not stored in a content database, but is retrieved from an external data store using connection information defined on the protocol server. An external list is derived from the Generic List base type and inherits its behaviors.

A list has a collection of views, which describe filters and display preferences for viewing items in a list.

A list has a GUID, as well as a title made up of zero to 255 characters.

In addition, a list has metadata properties that define the behavior of items in the list, as well as services that are provided for the list. For example, the Description metadata property provides additional user-supplied text that describes the list.

Finally, a list has various settings that are determined by list flags. For a complete list of common flags, see [MS-WSSFO3] section 2.2.2.5.