How to: Retrieve Lists Using JavaScript

Applies to: SharePoint Foundation 2010

Working with list objects using ECMAScript (JavaScript, JScript) is similar to working with website objects. Start by using the ClientContext(serverRelativeUrl) constructor and passing a URL or URI to return a specific request context. You can then use the lists property of the Web class to get the collection of lists in the website.

Retrieving All Properties of All Lists in a Website Using JavaScript

To return all the lists of a website, load the list collection through the load(clientObject) method, and then call executeQueryAsync(succeededCallback, failedCallback). The following example displays the URL of the website and the date and time that the list was created.

var siteUrl = '/sites/MySiteCollection';

function retrieveAllListProperties() {

    var clientContext = new SP.ClientContext(siteUrl);
    var oWebsite = clientContext.get_web();
    this.collList = oWebsite.get_lists();
 
    clientContext.load(collList);

    clientContext.executeQueryAsync(Function.createDelegate(this, this.onQuerySucceeded), Function.createDelegate(this, this.onQueryFailed));
}

function onQuerySucceeded() {

    var listInfo = '';

    var listEnumerator = collList.getEnumerator();

    while (listEnumerator.moveNext()) {
        var oList = listEnumerator.get_current();
        listInfo += 'Title: ' + oList.get_title() + ' Created: ' + oList.get_created().toString() + '\n';
    }
    alert(listInfo);
}

function onQueryFailed(sender, args) {
    alert('Request failed. ' + args.get_message() + '\n' + args.get_stackTrace());
}

Retrieving Only Specified Properties of Lists Using JavaScript

The previous example returns all properties of the lists in a website. To reduce unnecessary data transference between client and server, you can use LINQ query expressions to specify which properties to return. In JavaScript, you specify Include as part of the query string that is passed to the load(clientObject) method in order to specify which properties to return. The following example uses this approach to return only the title and ID of each list in the collection.

var siteUrl = '/sites/MySiteCollection';

function retrieveSpecificListProperties() {

    var clientContext = new SP.ClientContext(siteUrl);
    var oWebsite = clientContext.get_web();
    this.collList = oWebsite.get_lists();

    clientContext.load(collList, 'Include(Title, Id)');

    clientContext.executeQueryAsync(Function.createDelegate(this, this.onQuerySucceeded), Function.createDelegate(this, this.onQueryFailed));
}
function onQuerySucceeded() {

    var listInfo = '';

    var listEnumerator = collList.getEnumerator();

    while (listEnumerator.moveNext()) {
        var oList = listEnumerator.get_current();
        listInfo += 'Title: ' + oList.get_title() + ' ID: ' + oList.get_id().toString() + '\n';
    }
    alert(listInfo);
}

function onQueryFailed(sender, args) {
    alert('Request failed. ' + args.get_message() + '\n' + args.get_stackTrace());
}

In the previous example, only the title and ID of each list object becomes available after executeQueryAsync(succeededCallback, failedCallback) is called. If you try to display, for example, oList.ParentWebUrl, you receive a PropertyOrFieldNotInitializedException.

Storing Retrieved Lists in a Collection

As seen in the following example, you can use the loadQuery(clientObjectCollection, exp) method instead of the load(clientObject) method to store the return value in another collection instead of storing it in the lists property.

var siteUrl = '/sites/MySiteCollection';

function retrieveSpecificListPropertiesToCollection() {

    var clientContext = new SP.ClientContext(siteUrl);
    var oWebsite = clientContext.get_web();
    var collList = oWebsite.get_lists();

    this.listInfoCollection = clientContext.loadQuery(collList, 'Include(Title, Id)');

    clientContext.executeQueryAsync(Function.createDelegate(this, this.onQuerySucceeded), Function.createDelegate(this, this.onQueryFailed));
}

function onQuerySucceeded() {

    var listInfo = '';

    for (var i = 0; i < this.listInfoCollection.length; i++) {
        var oList = this.listInfoCollection[i];
        listInfo += 'Title: ' + oList.get_title() + ' ID: ' + oList.get_id().toString();
    }
    alert(listInfo.toString());
}

function onQueryFailed(sender, args) {
    alert('Request failed. ' + args.get_message() + '\n' + args.get_stackTrace());
}

Applying Filters to List Retrieval

The loadQuery(clientObjectCollection, exp) method of the JavaScript object model in Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 does not support LINQ methods and operators that are used by the managed object model.

Retrieving List Fields from a Website Using JavaScript

As the following example shows, you can nest Include statements in a JavaScript query to return metadata for both a list and its fields. The example returns all fields from all lists within a website and displays the title and internal name of all fields whose internal name contains the string "name".

var siteUrl = '/sites/MySiteCollection';

function retrieveAllListsAllFields() {

    var clientContext = new SP.ClientContext(siteUrl);
    var oWebsite = clientContext.get_web();
    var rootWebsite = clientContext.get_site().get_rootWeb();
    var collList = oWebsite.get_lists();

    this.listInfoArray = clientContext.loadQuery(collList, 
        'Include(Title,Fields.Include(Title,InternalName))');

    clientContext.executeQueryAsync(Function.createDelegate(this, this.onQuerySucceeded), 
        Function.createDelegate(this, this._onQueryFailed));
}

function onQuerySucceeded() {

    var listInfo = '';

    for (var i = 0; i < this.listInfoArray.length; i++) {
            
        var oList = this.listInfoArray[i];
        var collField = oList.get_fields();
            
        var fieldEnumerator = collField.getEnumerator();
            
        while (fieldEnumerator.moveNext()) {
            var oField = fieldEnumerator.get_current();
            var regEx = new RegExp('name', 'ig');
            
            if (regEx.test(oField.get_internalName())) {
                listInfo += '\nList: ' + oList.get_title() + 
                    '\n\tField Title: ' + oField.get_title() + 
                    '\n\tField Name: ' + oField.get_internalName();
            }
        }
    }
    alert(listInfo);
}

function onQueryFailed(sender, args) {
    alert('Request failed. ' + args.get_message() + '\n' + args.get_stackTrace());
}

See Also

Concepts

Data Retrieval Overview

SharePoint 2010 Client Object Model Guidelines

How to: Create, Update, and Delete Lists Using JavaScript

Common Programming Tasks in the JavaScript Object Model

Other Resources

JavaScript Class Library