The Need:
Constrain which names can be added to a "Person or Group" column in a SharePoint list.
Common Approaches:
- Using the column's Description field to provide instructions to the list user and hoping people see it
- Doing rework to remove the inappropriately entered name and add the correct name
Better Method:
1) Set up a permissions group. Add people whose names should be entered in the "Person or Group" column to the group, and edit the column settings to limit the "Person or Group" field to that group. If that is not possible... 2) Consider using a "Choice" column instead of the Person column.
1. Setting up a permissions group
If you have access to the permissions settings on the SharePoint site, a setting up a group and limiting the "Person or Group" column to that group is the best option. The "Person or Group" field has a lot of potential functionality, especially if you are creating Microsoft flows for the list to send out automatic alerts.
Click the "gear" icon in the upper right corner of the SharePoint list page to access settings. Select "Site permissions," then, "Advanced permissions settings" (if you are able). If you are not able and can't get someone with access to do this part for you, then you might have to use the Choice option below.
Click "Create Group." You will be taken to a screen where you can name the group, define what site and list access the people in the group will have, decide who can control group membership, and set other group characteristics. Save the group by clicking "Create" at the bottom of the screen. (You can update group settings whenever you want.) When you return to the Advanced Permissions Settings screen, you will see your group listed with the other groups.
Click on the group name to add people to the group. In the invitation window you can Show or Hide Options. In this case, you can toggle on/off the "send an email invitation" option. If the box is checked, each person you add to the group will get email notification about it. I turn off email alerts about half the time I add people to groups.
Once your group is set up, you can update the settings in your SharePoint list "Person or Group" column to limit entries to the people in that group.
- Go to the SharePoint list. Select "Column Settings," and then "Edit."
- Check the box next to "Allow selection of Groups."
- Save the column changes.
Remember the site settings Gear icon? Once you have saved your Person column to allow Groups, go back to the Gear menu. This time, click "List Settings." Scroll down a little until you see the list of all your columns. Find the Person or Group column you want to limit, and click on it. (In the example below, the column is named "Person.") "Allow selection from" People and Groups and "Choose from" SharePoint Group. Select your intended group from the drop-down menu.
When users add new items to your list, they will only be able to enter names of people who are part of the group you established. Depending on how many people are in the group or how many people use the list, it would be a courtesy to use the "Description" field to list the names of who they can select from. Over time, SharePoint will start anticipating names that repeat users enter, but information in the Description field is always helpful. Just remember to update it when needed!
2. Use a "Choice" column instead of a "Person or Group" column.
If you do not have permission to limit a Person or Group column to a group, then a Choice column can help you instead. This works best when you only have a handful of names to select from, or when the Microsoft Flow automations you use for this list are fairly simple.
If you have a SharePoint list that SOME people use to request work and OTHER people use to assign work, often the requestors fill in or select names in an "Assign to" column when they aren't supposed to. You can use the "Description" field to tell users not to, but in the basic SharePoint list input form the description is very small and users miss it ALL THE TIME. A Power Automate custom app form can solve this problem, but that takes quite a bit of knowledge and expertise to set up, and you may not want to spend the time learning how.
A perk of using a Choice field instead of a Person or Group fiels is that you can set "FOR MANAGER USE ONLY" as one of the choices. Name A, Name B, Name C, Name D, FOR MANAGER USE ONLY. Then, in column settings, set "FOR MANAGER USE ONLY" as the default option. It is true that regular users could go out of their way to select a name when they aren't supposed to, but honestly? They aren't going to. People don't want to use the list wrong. People want to request support as quickly as possible and get on with their day. They are going to see a default option far easier than they will see the tiny font below a field telling them to make a non-intuitive choice.
A disadvantage of using a Choice instead of a Person or Group column for entering names is that you lose the option of the embedded email/metadata functionality that comes with the Person or Group. You can still send emails to people to alert them when their names have been added to the list, but you will have to use Microsoft Flow to recreate the option. It's more work behind the scenes but the convenience is worth it once it is set up. Add a Control: Condition or Control: Switch step to the flow so you can customize a Send email step for each person. (Click here to learn how to add a Switch, if necessary.)
A note on a text:
Election by Tom Perrotta. A book about another person with the ability to limit who can be chosen.
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