SharePoint Document Issues

How to Create a Classified Advertisements Page in SharePoint Online

John Wilson Oct 10, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user wants to build a structured classified advertisements page with searchable listings, categories, prices, and custom fields.

How to Create a Classified Advertisements Page in SharePoint Online

Product: SharePoint Online
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Creating an internal company classifieds board or product gallery for users to browse and search for items.
Observed behavior: Requires a customizable gallery-style layout using SharePoint lists and JSON view formatting rather than a standard document library.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Owner or Full Control permissions in your SharePoint Online environment to create new lists and apply custom JSON formatting to list views.

Solution 1Recommended

Create a SharePoint List with Custom View Formatting

Build a custom list and apply JSON view formatting to transform standard list rows into a visual product gallery.

SharePoint lists provide a robust backend for managing data. By utilizing JSON view formatting, you can visually transform how this data is displayed, turning a rigid table into an attractive, card-based classifieds gallery.

Create a new SharePoint list

Navigate to your SharePoint site homepage, click the 'New' button, select 'List', and choose 'Blank list' to start from scratch.

Add required custom columns

Click 'Add column' to create fields for your advertisements. Recommended columns include Title (Single line of text), Category (Choice), Price (Currency), and Image (Image).

Populate sample advertisements

Click 'New' to add a few sample items to the list. Having sample data will allow you to immediately preview your layout changes during the formatting process.

Apply view formatting

Click the view dropdown menu in the top right corner (usually labeled 'All Items'), select 'Format current view', choose 'Advanced mode', and paste a product-gallery JSON code snippet from the Microsoft PnP List Formatting GitHub repository.

Create a SharePoint List with Custom View Formatting

Available Templates: You can find pre-built, copy-and-paste product-gallery JSON formatting templates in the official Microsoft PnP List Formatting repository on GitHub.

Solution 2

Use a Pre-built SharePoint Page Template

Utilize standard SharePoint page templates to build a static classifieds board if you do not want to manage advanced list formatting.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I enable a search bar specifically for the SharePoint classifieds list?

Yes, SharePoint lists have a built-in search box at the top left of the list view. Users can type keywords to instantly filter the classified advertisements by title, category, or any other indexed text column.

Do I need coding skills to apply view formatting in SharePoint?

Basic customizations can be done using the out-of-the-box visual design tools. However, for a highly customized product gallery or classifieds card layout, you will need to copy and paste JSON code snippets provided by Microsoft or the PnP community.

How can users contact the seller from the SharePoint classifieds page?

You can add a 'Person or Group' column to your list to identify the seller. Inside the JSON view formatting, you can generate a clickable 'mailto:' link button that dynamically references the seller's email address.

Are images directly supported in SharePoint lists?

Yes, modern SharePoint lists support an 'Image' column type. You can upload pictures directly from your computer or mobile device to accompany your classified ad listings, which can then be displayed prominently using view formatting.

Document & File Issues