I’ve just created a video guide on creating a simple content type and attaching it to a document library.
You can add custom metadata to a SharePoint list by:
- Adding columns directly onto the list
- Using Site Columns (can be reused with other lists)
- Content Types (can be reused and keeps a set of custom columns together in a content type)
If you decide to use a content type, you will also get the benefits of being able to apply a workflow to the content type (rather than to each list individually). If you are thinking of developing search, content types can be a great way to filter and search for specific types of data in a list. You can also use multiple content types in a list (each with different columns), for example an invoice and a receipt.
