SharePoint View Formatting: Clean Folder Tiles with Native Links

Overview

This SharePoint view formatting template turns a list or library into clean folder tiles with a native link. It is designed for a simplified tile experience where the entire card is clickable and the raw URL is hidden.

View Formatting

Why use this layout?

  • Entire tile is clickable, not just the text
  • Uses a native anchor so the browser shows the target URL on hover
  • Removes SharePoint’s default click overlay and selection UI
  • Centers the folder icon and title with consistent spacing
  • Keeps the tile clean when folder names vary in length

What the formatting does

  • hideSelection: true disables SharePoint selection visuals
  • fillHorizontally: true makes the tile span the available width
  • href maps to [$URL_Folder] and opens in a new tab
  • title shows the URL tooltip on hover
  • FolderName renders with a fallback – when empty

How it behaves

🖱 Click anywhere on the tile

  • navigates directly to URL_Folder
  • opens in a new browser tab

🧭 Hover

  • shows the target URL via the anchor title
  • allows browser status bar preview

🚫 Selection

  • disabled with hideSelection: true
  • no SharePoint overlay click area is shown

🎯 Display

  • folder icon displayed using FabricFolder
  • FolderName is the visible link text
  • raw URL field is hidden from the tile content

JSON template

Paste this JSON into your SharePoint view formatter.

{
  "$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/json-schemas/sp/v2/tile-formatting.schema.json",
  "height": 60,
  "width": 254,
  "hideSelection": true,
  "fillHorizontally": true,
  "formatter": {
    "elmType": "a",
    "attributes": {
      "href": "[$URL_Folder]",
      "target": "_blank",
      "class": "sp-card-container",
      "title": "[$URL_Folder]"
    },
    "style": {
      "text-decoration": "none",
      "display": "block"
    },
    "children": [
      {
        "elmType": "div",
        "attributes": {
          "class": "ms-bgColor-white sp-css-borderColor-neutralLight sp-card-borderHighlight sp-card-subContainer"
        },
        "style": {
          "cursor": "pointer"
        },
        "children": [
          {
            "elmType": "div",
            "attributes": {
              "class": "sp-card-displayColumnContainer"
            },
            "children": [
              {
                "elmType": "div",
                "style": {
                  "display": "flex",
                  "align-items": "center",
                  "gap": "6px"
                },
                "children": [
                  {
                    "elmType": "span",
                    "attributes": {
                      "iconName": "FabricFolder"
                    },
                    "style": {
                      "font-size": "16px"
                    }
                  },
                  {
                    "elmType": "span",
                    "attributes": {
                      "class": "ms-fontColor-themePrimary sp-card-content sp-card-highlightedContent"
                    },
                    "txtContent": "=if([$FolderName] == '', '–', [$FolderName])"
                  }
                ]
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Tips

  • Make sure your view includes URL_Folder and FolderName columns.
  • Adjust height and width to fit your design.
  • You can extend the template with additional metadata or custom styling classes.