How to: Add a Column to a List
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You can specify columns in a list definition, so that each time a user provisions a list of that type, Windows SharePoint Services includes the column on the list by default. List definitions can be included in Features. For more information, see Working with Features.
After a user provisions a list, you can add columns to that list through the Windows SharePoint Services object model.
Specifying Columns in a List Definition
If you want to add a column to a list definition that is part of a Feature, you must add the necessary XML element to the list definition. Then, when a user provisions a list of that type, the column is included by default on the provisioned list.
To add a column to a list definition in a Feature
In the list definition XML, add a Field element to the Fields element.
To define the field as you want, set the attributes of the Field element.
If you make changes to a column on a list that has been provisioned, Windows SharePoint Services never writes those changes back to the XML column definition itself. Instead, Windows SharePoint Services stores updates made to columns as entries within the Windows SharePoint Services database. For more information, see Updating Site Columns.
Adding Columns to a Provisioned List
You can use the Windows SharePoint Services object model to programmatically add columns to provisioned lists.
To add a column to a provisioned list
Use the Fields property to access the collection of list columns on the specified list. This method returns an SPFieldCollection object.
Use one of the following methods of the returned SPFieldCollection object to add a new column to the list:
See Also
Tasks
How to: Reference a Column in a Content Type
How to: Add a Column to a Site