Working with the Form (End User)
How to work with a published form: filling out fields, saving, conflicts, and printing.
Form Modes
The form has three modes that SharePoint selects based on what you are doing:
- New: creating a new item (the New button in a list).
- Edit: modifying an existing item.
- Display: viewing without editing. All fields are read-only. Click Edit in the top bar to switch to Edit mode, or Cancel editing to return to Display mode.
Depending on the mode, the top bar contains the Back to list (on a standalone form page), Edit, Save, Cancel, and Print buttons, plus Form Settings for administrators. Save and Cancel are also available at the bottom of the form. A form can have a different layout in each mode; see Layout by Mode.
Filling Out and Validation
- Required fields are marked with an asterisk or a Required label. Which fields are required can change depending on what you enter, because the form responds to rules (fields are shown, hidden, and locked).
- When you click Save, the form validates all fields. If there is an error, saving stops, the form switches to the first tab with an error, expands any collapsed section, and scrolls to the field. The error message appears below the field, such as This field is required. or a format message.
- Saving can also be blocked by a rule (the message appears near the field or above the form) or by a validation script.
- How each field type works is described in Field Types: people picker, lookups (for large lists, start typing to search from 2 characters), term tree, star rating, and more.
Collapsible sections can be opened and closed by clicking their header.
Saving and After-Save Behavior
After clicking Save, the button displays Saving… and stays disabled until completion. What happens next is configured by the form author in After-Save Behavior:
- Close: the form closes and returns you to the list. If a message is configured, it appears in a browser dialog and the form closes after you confirm.
- Redirect: after any configured message, the form redirects you to another page.
- Stay: the form stays open and a green Saved banner appears above it. Clicking Save again will not create a duplicate item; it updates the already created item.
If saving fails (for example, due to a network outage or missing permissions), a red Save failed banner with a description appears above the form. Your entered data remains in the form so you can try saving again. In Edit mode, only the fields you changed are saved.
Concurrent Edit Conflict
If someone else modifies the same item while you have it open, SharePoint rejects your save so their changes are not overwritten unknowingly. The form displays the Item was modified elsewhere dialog showing who changed the item and when. It offers three options:
| Option | What happens |
|---|---|
| Reload | The form loads the current version of the item. Your changes are discarded. |
| Overwrite anyway | Your changes are saved despite the other user's edits and overwrite them. |
| Cancel | The dialog closes and your edits remain in the form unchanged. You can copy them or try again. |
Choosing Overwrite anyway overwrites the other user's changes in the columns you edited. If you are unsure, choose Cancel and check the current state of the item.
Attachments
The Attachments field accepts files by dragging and dropping them onto the drop zone or clicking Add attachment. New files are marked Pending upload and are uploaded only when you click Save. Remove an existing attachment with the cross icon; it is marked Marked for deletion on save and can be kept before saving using Undo. Empty files, filenames with forbidden characters, and duplicate filenames are rejected. See Attachments for details.
Printing and Form Language
- Print: the Print button in the top bar opens the browser print dialog. The form is printed without action buttons: all tabs you are allowed to see stacked vertically (tabs, sections, and fields hidden by rules are not printed) with collapsed sections expanded, in the current language. Any warning about unloaded fields is also printed. The form author can hide this button; see showPrintButton.
- Language: if the form supports multiple languages, language buttons (such as CS, EN) appear next to the tabs. Click one to switch labels and texts. By default, the form opens in your SharePoint language. See Runtime Language Switcher for more.
Unsaved Changes
- If you have made any changes and click Cancel, Cancel editing, Back to list, or close the form, it asks whether you really want to discard unsaved changes.
- When closing the browser tab or navigating away, the browser displays its own confirmation prompt.
- In Display mode, no unsaved-changes prompt is shown because nothing can be edited.
- After a successful save, the warning is cleared.
Unloaded Fields
When opening an existing item, some fields may fail to load (for example, a lookup column pointing to a list you do not have access to, or a temporary SharePoint error). A yellow warning Fields failed to load and are read-only (will not be saved): … appears above the form listing those fields. These fields are locked and optional and are not sent on save at all, so you cannot accidentally overwrite their values with blanks. Other fields continue to work normally. Refreshing the page may resolve it. If the warning persists, contact the form administrator; see FAQ.
Messages for Administrators
Administrators and designers may see additional banners above the form: warnings about invalid or unreadable configuration, disabled scripts, or unlocked configuration storage. Regular users do not see these banners. When configuration issues occur, regular users see the default layout or the message The form could not be loaded in full. Contact the site owner.