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Document library layouts

The document library can present the current folder in four layouts — grid, list, detail, and thumbnails — chosen with the four icon buttons at the top right of the library toolbar. The choice applies everywhere the library appears (the sidebar's group document browser, the Files tab on a deal, and file-picker dialogs), is remembered per browser tab for the current session, and resets to grid in a new tab or session. The layouts are alternative presentations of the same folder; permission filtering of folders and documents is identical in all four.

The four layouts

  • Grid (default) — subfolders as icon tiles, then documents as cards in several columns. Each card shows the file-type icon, the document name (linking to the document detail view), its descriptions, size and created date, plus expiry and status badges and Preview / Download buttons.
  • List — the same document cards as grid, but one full-width row per document. Best for reading longer descriptions.
  • Thumbnails — like grid, but image files (jpg, jpeg, gif, bmp, png, webp) show an actual thumbnail of the image, generated by the platform; all other file types fall back to the large file-type icon.
  • Detail — subfolders as a table (name, item count, last-modified timestamp); once inside a folder, documents appear in the filterable document table used by the document search view, scoped to that folder.

Behavior shared by grid, list and thumbnails

  • Documents that must expire carry a validity label, and an expired document shows its from/to dates in a red badge.
  • Non-active documents carry a status badge: Archived, Rejected, Awaiting Approval, or Under Review.
  • Download is hidden on documents flagged to prevent download; Preview is always offered and opens the document detail view.

Layout quirks worth knowing

  • The chosen layout is sent to the server with each folder request. In the detail layout the document list is served from the search index, while the other three read the database directly — so a document can differ between detail and the other layouts when the search index is stale.
  • Switching away from the detail layout reloads the page. The detail layout's embedded table replaces the normal document list, so the screen must reload to render documents again; the other layouts switch instantly.
  • The Under Review badge only shows in the grid layout. The list and thumbnails templates test for a status value (moderator) that the platform never sets — the real status is moderation — so under-review documents show no badge there. Grid tests the correct value.

Why does the layout change unexpectedly

  • The library came up in grid when something else was chosen — the choice is stored per browser tab session; a new tab, or reopening the browser, starts back at grid.
  • The page reloaded when switching layout — expected when leaving the detail layout (see above).
  • A document shows in some layouts but not detail (or vice versa) — the detail layout reads the search index; the difference indicates the index is stale for that document.

What the layouts are not

  • Not a permission mechanism — all four layouts show the same permission-filtered folders and documents; nothing extra is revealed or hidden by switching.
  • Not the document search view — that is a separate cross-folder screen; the detail layout merely embeds its table for the current folder.
  • Not per-user configuration — the choice lives in the browser tab, is never saved to the user's profile, and cannot be set as a site or tenant default.