The new document library experience in SharePoint Online is simple, streamlined, and easy to use. Modern document libraries combine the power of SharePoint with OneDrive usability. They provide a consistent user experience across OneDrive, OneDrive for Business (Office 365), and document library and hence provides a standard way of creating folders and uploading files. Modern document library combines the power of both OneDrive and document library. For modern document library – columns, views and content types still remain the key components which distinguish it from OneDrive

 

Key features of Modern Document Library :-

  • UI shared with OneDrive
    • Thumbnail and List Views
    • Contextual Commands
    • Responsive UI (works with  Mobile browsers)
  • Usability
    • View column resizing (double click column name to expand or click and drag)
    • Easy schema updates (create new list scoped columns from UI)
    • Show/hide/reorder existing columns from view in UI
    • Save current view as public view (Manage View permission level enforced)
    • Highlight key content using new pinning feature (Every View/Folder combinations has its own pinning)(Contributor permission enforced)
    • Upload entire folder
    • Support for file types – Photos, Adobe files, Photoshop files ( Photo viewing experience – similar to personal camera roll)
    • Group By directly from UI (drag and drop items across groups and metadata will automatically inherit the group tags)
    • Up to 2 levels of Group By available
    • Link type added to library – add item as link (Thumbnail view shown)
    • Copy and Move files and folders options available
  • Details Pane
    • Preview of document(Office Online Preview) and its associated properties
    • Metadata Population
    • Required Metadata Alerting
    • Recent Activity (If folder selected then activity across entire folder will be shown in details pane)
    • Displays who item is shared with
    • Update metadata on the fly – support for all column types (people picker, managed metadata )

Command Bar

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  • Contextual Trim command bar replaces the traditional ribbon
  • Any custom ribbon customizations made will appear on the new command bar.

Details Pane

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  • Preview of document(Office Online Preview) and its associated properties
  • Metadata Population
  • Required Metadata Alerting
  • Recent Activity (If folder selected then activity across entire folder will be shown in details pane)
  • Displays who item is shared with
  • Update metadata on the fly – support for all column types (people picker, managed metadata )

Pin Files

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  • Modern document library provides pinning feature which enables featuring content and empowering users to highlight important documents.
  •  Select file and pin to top. Every view/folder combination has a unique pinned items set
  • Minimum contribute rights needed to perform pinning of files

Quick schema updates

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  • View column resizing (double click column name to expand or click and drag)
  • Easy schema updates (create new list scoped columns from UI)
  • Save current view as public view (Manage View permission level enforced)

Edit View Columns

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  • Show/hide/reorder existing columns from view in UI
  • Select columns to be shown in view

Link Content Type

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  • Link type added to library – add item as link (Thumbnail view shown)
  • When adding link – recently viewed documents are shown

View Features

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Update view settings from UI

  • Order items
  • Filter
  • Group By
  • Rename and move columns
  • Show/Hide columns
  • Add columns
Modern document libraries  v/s Classic Document Libraries
  • Class might still be right for organizations since all features from classic are not in modern yet
  • Customizations in classic mode will not move over to modern
  • Currently both modern and classic UI is supported and can be controlled at different levels (Lowest level setting wins)
  • Tennant Switch (admin center)
  • Sit collection and web level via PowerShell (enable hidden feature)
  • Library level (Advanced Settings)
  • Back to Classic link (single session)

Default tenant configuration is to auto-detect and modern UX is used by default

Certain features configured on the library will also cause it to default to classic mode (example :- Metadata filtering and navigation)

Features not (yet) in modern

  • Ribbon
    • Seldom used ribbon buttons like Popularity Trends, Tags & Notes, RDD feed etc.
  • View Features
    • Item totals
    • Custom styles (example :- Basic Table)
  • Navigation Features
    • Tree View
    • Metadata navigation and filtering (auto detect and fall back to classic)
    • Managed Navigation
    • Per-location views
    • Customized navigation links on Publishing sites
  • Field Types (Auto detects and falls back to classic)
    • External data columns
    • Geolocation columns
  • Library Features
    • Content Organizer
    • Minimal Download Strategy
  • Customizations (Auto detects and falls back to classic)
    • JSLink on field and views
    • Custom Actions

Required Metadata

  • Files with no checked in version are only visible to uploader
  • No “penalty” on leaving required fields blank
  • “Missing metadata” and “files i need to take action on” views
  • Bulk tagging after upload

Will Microsoft remove classic mode?

  • Aspiration is clear, timeline is not
  • Classic deprecation will not happen in 2017
  • User Voice and usage data will be taken into consideration for modern mode
  • Goal is to include core adoption blockers and issues in modern mode before deprecating the classic mode
  • When and if usage data shows classic is no longer used, MSFT might pull the plug on the same

Upcoming Features for Modern Document Library

  • Modern Document Library web part
  • Modern Document Sets
  • Bulk download
  • Bulk Tagging
  • Better Large List Management
  • Custom field and list views (JSLink)
  • Web Part Connections
Category: Web Solutions/Intranets