Is there a single place to see all the Approval requests as part of enabling "Content Approval" inside lists and libraries

Question

We have 10++ sites and on some lists and libraries inside those sites we define content approval at the list/library level:-

now the users are bit confused, on how they can access those approval requests? is there a screen they can access to see all those pending approval requests? either for all sites or the current site? as currently most of the items and files are pending approval and no one is taking action on them

Thanks

Answer 1

Hi @john john Pter ,

Sorry, there is a problem with the pnp search web part in my environment, and the test cannot be performed.

It will take some time to fix it. If the pnp search web part is available in your environment, you can try to follow the steps in the following article to see if it can be achieved:

https://www.gravityunion.com/blog/how-to-configure-simple-pnp-search-on-sharepoint-site

https://www.gravityunion.com/blog/how-to-create-custom-column-filters-for-pnp-search

non-official, just for reference.

In addition, please note:

1. Managed Property Availability: The status (or moderation status) field in your lists must be mapped to a managed property that is both queryable and retrievable. In many environments with content approval enabled, the moderation status is stored in a managed property (often named something like ModerationStatus) where a specific integer value represents “Pending” (commonly 0).
2. KQL Query Construction: In your PnP Search web part’s query configuration, you would build a KQL query that targets list items across all sites and filters on that moderation status. For example, your query might look something like this:

      contentclass:STS_ListItem AND ModerationStatus=0
   

Hope this information helps. And hope to hear good news from you.

I will also fix the problem as soon as possible and test it. Sorry again.

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Answer 2

Hi @john john Pter ,

Welcome to Q&A forum! Good days!

Currently, content approval is for the library and list levels. The content approval function does not remind the approver. The approver needs to select the content to be approved and then choose to approve or reject in the command bar. As for what you said, you need to view all pending content on one screen. For the list, the Approval/reject Items view will be automatically generated. This is a view grouped by Approval Status. The approver can see all pending content and approve it. For the library, the view will not be automatically generated, but you can create the view manually to achieve the same effect as the list.

List:

Library:

However, I think your main concern is that you want the approver to receive the reminder of content approval as soon as possible. I think a better way is to use Power Automate. Although it also needs to be set for each list and library that enables content approval, it is indeed more efficient.

Reference:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/business-apps/power-automate/guidance/require-doc-approval

Hope this information helps.

Please do let us know if you have any further queries.

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