View previous entries in a Multiple lines of text column

You can configure a Multiple lines of text column so that when you edit the data in the column, the prior entries are preserved rather than overwritten. By using this feature, you can maintain a record of previous entries in the column, when the changes were made, and by whom.

Create a new append-only column

1. Right-click any cell in the list and click Add Column.

2. Type a name for the column in the Column name box, and then click Multiple lines of text.

3. Under Additional Column Settings, under Append Changes to Existing Text, click Yes.

4. Make any other changes that you want, and then click OK.

   The new column is added to the right of the existing columns. To move the column to a new location, drag its column header to the location you want.

Modify an existing column to be append-only

1. Right-click the column header of the column you want to modify, and then click Edit/Delete Column.

2. If the column is not already of the data type Multiple lines of text, click Multiple lines of text. If this option is not available, the data type of this column cannot be changed. You must create a new column by using the procedure in the Create a new append-only column section.

3. Under Additional Column Settings, under Append Changes to Existing Text, click Yes.

4. Make any other changes that you want, and then click OK.

View previous entries in an append-only column

Only the most recent entry in an append-only column is displayed in the Access Web Datasheet cell. To view the previous entries, do the following:

1. Right-click the cell for which you want to view previous entries, and then click View Entries.

   Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 displays all of the data for the item, including the previous entries in the append-only column.