Microsoft SharePoint

We’re in the process of retiring our native SharePoint integration. While existing connections will continue to work, you can no longer connect new forms to the native integration. We will fully disable the use of our SharePoint integration on May 1, 2024.

Alternatively, our integration with Microsoft Power Automate offers a more robust connection between Cognito Forms and SharePoint.

Microsoft Sharepoint

Your forms can automatically send form entry details to a SharePoint 2010, SharePoint 2013, or SharePoint Online (Office 365) list. To get started, you’ll need to create a SharePoint list with columns that match the fields on your Cognito Form. Each column title is case sensitive and must match the corresponding field label exactly.

Fields from your Cognito Form that aren’t matched accurately to a corresponding column will not be saved to the SharePoint list. This data will only be accessible through the Entries page in Cognito Forms.

Overview

Organizations on the Pro, Team and Enterprise plans have the ability to send file attachments (such as uploaded files and generated documents) to SharePoint.

Connect to Microsoft SharePoint.

Once your SharePoint list is ready:

  1. Go to your form’s Settings and select Connect to Microsoft SharePoint.
  2. Enter the URL for your SharePoint Site Collection along with the username and password for an account that has permission to add items to your list.
  3. If you are uploading documents with a File Upload field, your SharePoint account needs to have Contribute level permissions for the list that’s connected to Cognito Forms. Additionally, you can select the Documents option to send over PDF or Word copies of form entries as attachments.

We strongly recommend that you create a specific service account that only has the Add Items permission on the specific list.

Field types

Below is a table that explains the appropriate SharePoint column type based on the Cognito field type.

Cognito Forms Field Type Corresponding SharePoint Field Type
Textbox (type=Single Line) Single line of text
Textbox (type=Multiple Lines) Multiple lines of text
Name Single line of text, Multiple lines of text
Choice (type=Drop Down) Choice with Display choices using set to Drop-Down Menu*, Single line of text
Choice (type=Radio Buttons) Choice with Display choices using set to Radio Buttons*, Single line of text
Choice (type=Checkboxes) Choice with Display choices using set to Checkboxes*, Single line of text
Address Single line of text, Multiple lines of text
Yes/No Yes/No, Single line of text
Phone Single line of text
Date (type=date) Date and Time with Date and Time Format set to Date Only, Single line of text, International date formats not supported
Date (type=time) Not supported
Email Single line of text
Number Number, Single line of text
Website Hyperlink or Picture (format URL as hyperlink), Single line of text
Currency Currency, Single line of text
Rating Scale If using a rating scale in Cognito Forms, each individual question should be created as a column whose type is a Single line of text
Signature Sent to SharePoint as an image attachment
Content Not supported
Section SharePoint doesn’t have the concept of sections, but fields inside of a section will need to correspond to a column.
Repeating Section Not supported
Table Field Not supported
File Upload No field needs to be created in SharePoint. These files will appear as attachments on the SharePoint list item.
Calculation (type=Text) Single line of text or Multiple lines of text
Calculation (type=Yes/No) Yes/No, Single line of text
Calculation (type=Number) Number, Single line of text
Calculation (type=Percent) Number, Single line of text
Calculation (type=Currency) Currency, Single line of text
Calculation (type=Date) Date and Time with Date and Time Format set to Date Only, Single line of text
Calculation (type=Time) Not supported

Troubleshooting tips

  • Choice fields: The different options in your form need to be placed in ‘Additional Column Settings’. Each of these options are case sensitive, and will need to be added exactly as the options appear in your Cognito Form.
  • The field display label (not the internal name) matches the SharePoint internal name. The SharePoint internal name can be found by editing the list settings and clicking on a column. Once a column is created, the internal name cannot be changed; you will need to create a new column with the correct name.
  • SharePoint cuts off a field label after 31 encoded characters. A field label can only include letters, spaces, and the following special characters: "~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) + — = { } : " | ; ’ \ < > ? , . / ` "
  • You can use a unique identifier at the beginning of the field name to distinguish fields with similar names. Ex: “a. Field Label”, “b. Field Label”, “c. Field Label”. Please note that separating fields into sections will not make the SharePoint Name unique - SharePoint will add counters to the internal name(s) of the repeated field.
  • Uploaded files: SharePoint does not support list attachments with identical names. Because all photos taken with iOS have the same name (image.jpg), any form entry with more than one photo uploaded from an iOS device will cause a SharePoint integration error. In this case, only the first file will be attached.
  • List settings: Make sure to create columns in the list via the List settings and not the Quick Edit or Quick Create options.