The Contracts List: A Complete Feature Overview

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Contracts List (And why it matters)
The Filters Dropdown
The Views Dropdown
The Checkbox and Doing Bulk Actions
Combining All Features To Customize Your View
Practical Applications
Tips for Power Users

1. Introduction

The Contracts List is the place where every contract your organization has uploaded lives, and where the majority of your day-to-day contract management work takes place.

Whether you're tracking renewal dates, auditing contract statuses, searching for a specific agreement, or preparing a report for your team, the Contracts List is where you start.

At its core, the Contracts List displays all contracts you have access to in a structured, tabular format.

Each row represents a single contract, and each column represents a data field — such as Contract Name, Status, Owner, Start Date, End Date, Contract Value, and any custom fields your organization has configured. This grid-style layout makes it easy to scan, sort, and compare contracts at a glance.

Why It Matters
Contract management without visibility is contract management without control. The Contracts List solves this by giving users a live, query-able view of their entire contract portfolio. Instead of digging through email threads, shared drives, or paper files, your team can instantly surface the contracts that matter — filtered, sorted, and organized exactly the way you need them.

Key benefits of the Contracts List include:

Centralized access — All contracts, across all departments and contract types, in one place.
Real-time data — Any updates made to a contract's fields are immediately reflected in the list. (Depending on the amount of data changed, you may need to refresh your page)
Flexible organization — Columns, filters, and views can be tailored to fit the needs of different users and teams.
Bulk efficiency — Actions can be applied to multiple contracts at once, saving significant time on repetitive tasks.
Consistency — Standardized views and filters ensure everyone on the team is working from the same information.

Whether you're a contract administrator managing hundreds of agreements or a department head checking in on a handful of key vendor relationships, the Contracts List adapts to your workflow.

2. The Filters Dropdown
The Filters dropdown is one of the most powerful tools available on the Contracts List. It allows you to narrow down the contracts displayed in the list based on specific criteria — so instead of scrolling through your entire contract library, you see only the contracts that are relevant to your current task.

Accessing Filters
Filters are accessed via the Filters button near the top of the Contracts List. Clicking it opens a panel or dropdown where you can add one or more filter conditions.

How Filters Work

Filters work by applying conditions to specific fields. When a filter is active, only contracts that meet all specified conditions are displayed in the list. You can apply multiple filters simultaneously, and they work together to further refine your results.

Important: Doing a general search query is similar to applying filters. You can mix your search result with additional filters or the other way around.

In the screenshot below, an "Active" contract filter is applied, and so, only contracts that are active are shown. (Active refers to contracts that have not expired, whose termination date has not passed)

Available Filter Fields

Filters can be applied to virtually any field in the system, including:

Standard fields — Contract Name, Status, Contract Type, Owner, Department, Start Date, End Date, Execution Date, Contract Value, Counterparty Name, and more.
Date fields — Filter by exact dates, date ranges, or relative timeframes (e.g., "expiring in the next 30 days," "created this year").
Custom fields — Any custom fields your organization has created are available as filter options, giving you the flexibility to filter by the data points most important to your business.
Tags — Filter contracts that have been tagged with specific labels.
Assignee — Filter by the user assigned to a contract. For example, who is set to approve, who has approved, who has signed, who owns the contract, etc..

Filter Operators

Depending on the field type, different operators are available:

Text fields: contains data, is empty
Date fields: is before, is after, is between, is within the next X days
Number fields: equals, does not equal, is greater than, is less than, is between
Value: Min-Max range, does not have a value.
Dropdown/Select fields: is, is not, is empty, is not empty

Combining Multiple Filters

You can stack multiple filters to create highly specific queries. For example:

Show all contracts where Status = Active AND End Date is within the next 60 days AND Owner = Legal Team
Show all contracts where Contract Type = Vendor Agreement AND Contract Value is greater than $50,000

When multiple filters are applied, the list updates in real time to reflect only the contracts matching all conditions simultaneously.

Clearing Filters

Filters can be removed individually by clicking the remove icon next to each condition, or all filters can be cleared at once to return to the full unfiltered list.

Saving Filters as Views

Once you've configured a set of filters that you find useful on a regular basis, you can save them as a View (see Section 3) so you don't have to rebuild them each time.

3. The Views Dropdown

The Views feature allows users to save, organize, and switch between different configurations of the Contracts List. A View captures a specific combination of columns, filters, sort order, and other display settings — essentially a saved snapshot of how you want the list to look for a particular purpose.

Accessing Views

The Views dropdown is accessible from the top of the Contracts List. It displays a list of available views, including any default views and any custom views that have been created by you or shared with your team.

By default, there is the Original and the Upcoming view to get you started.

Be careful! when you are on the "Upcoming View". As applying a filter or modifying this view will change the view dropdown to "Unsaved". The upcoming view typically shows a limited amount of contracts only. If you are seeing much less contracts than before despite not having any filters, you are likely on the Upcoming View.

What a View Captures

When you save a View, it stores:

Active filters — All filter conditions currently applied to the list.
Column selection — Which fields are displayed as columns, and in what order.
Column widths — The sizing of each column as you've adjusted it.
Sort order — The column by which the list is sorted, and whether it is sorted ascending or descending.

This means you can return to a View at any time and instantly see the Contracts List in exactly the configuration you defined.

Default Views

ContractSafe includes built-in default views that provide useful starting points for common tasks, such as:

Original — Displays every contract you have access to, with standard columns. Initially sorted by upload/creation date to highlight the newest contracts first.
Upcoming — Pre-filtered to surface contracts approaching their upcoming dates from today to the next 365 days.

Default views can be modified but not deleted, ensuring there is always a clean baseline to return to.

You can also reset the columns to their original arrangement by going to Actions>Edit Columns>Reset.

Creating a Custom View

To create a new custom view:

Configure the Contracts List exactly as you want it — set your filters, arrange your columns (Including resizing it), and apply your sort order.
Open the "Actions" dropdown beside the View Dropdown, and select the option to Save as New View.
Give your view a descriptive name (e.g., "Active IT Contracts – Q3" or "Expiring NDAs – Legal").
Choose whether the view is Private (visible only to you) or Shared (visible to all users with access to the Contracts List).

Note that when you make changes to your current view, the view dropdown will change to "Unsaved". This is normal, and you can either save the changes you made as a new view, or update the view it was based on (If you are the creator of the view)

When you share a custom view, you cannot set it as the default view for your colleagues. They must be the one to set it as their default view.

Managing Views

From the Views dropdown, you can:

Switch views — Click any saved view to immediately apply it to the Contracts List.

From the Actions dropdown, you can:

Edit saved views — Modify the filters, columns, or sort order of an existing view and save the changes:

1. Rename a view — Give a view a new name at any time.
2. Delete a view — Remove a custom view you no longer need. (Default views cannot be deleted.)
3. Set a default view — Pin a specific view so it loads automatically whenever you open the Contracts List.

Private vs. Shared Views

Private Views are visible only to the user who created them. They are ideal for personal workflows, individual reporting needs, or work-in-progress configurations.
Shared Views are visible to all users who have access to the Contracts List. They are ideal for team-wide reporting, standardized audit views, or departmental dashboards that everyone should reference.

This distinction ensures that personal and organizational configurations can coexist without cluttering each other.

4. The Checkbox and doing Bulk Actions

The Checkboxes enables users to perform operations on one or more contracts at the same time. Instead of opening each contract individually to make changes, the checkboxes let you apply updates in bulk — dramatically reducing the time required for administrative tasks.

Accessing Checkboxes

To use the Checkboxes

Select one or more contracts from the Contracts List by checking the checkbox to the left of each row. You can also select all visible contracts using the Select All checkbox in the column header.
Once at least one contract is selected, the Bulk Actions buttons becomes visible

Available Options

The bulk options available will depend on your user permissions and the contracts selected. Common actions include:

Edit: Bulk update a specific field for all selected contracts at once. For example, you can mark a batch of contracts and edit all of their Counterparties at once.
AI Processing: View pending AI results and Accept or Deny them in bulk. Saving you time from visiting Contracts one by one.
Move: Includes several options

To new folder: Reassign the selected contracts to a different folder in your organizational hierarchy, making it easy to reorganize your contract library at scale.

Attach to existing contract: Turn the selected contracts into attachments, saving you precious contract space. (A great workaround if you're a little tight on contract space) ContractSafe supports unlimited attachments!

Link to existing contract: Links selected contracts into another contract. This allows for easy navigation between the contracts, as they are linked together.

Amend to existing contract: Links and marks the selected contract as an amendment to the target contract.

Replace existing contract: Replaces a contract that's already on ContractSafe. Moves it to the replaced contract's folder location.

Archive: Moves the selected contracts to the Archive, which puts them in a frozen state, and saves on precious contract space.
Delete: Permanently delete the selected contracts. While deleted contracts can be recovered, this action should be used with caution. A confirmation prompt is displayed before deletion proceeds.
Clear All: Clears all selection (checkboxes). This button will also be visible when you have filters applied. In which case, it will clear all filters applied.

Note: Selecting All vs. Selecting a Page

When working with a large list, be mindful of the difference between:

Selecting all on the current page only— Only the contracts visible in the current paginated view are selected.

Selecting all contracts — Some actions offer the option to select all contracts matching the current filter criteria. This is the more powerful option for true bulk operations. To do so, make sure Show All Items is selected in this dropdown:

5. Combining Features to Customize Your View

The real power of the Contracts List comes not from any single feature, but from the ability to combine Filters, Views, column customization, sorting, and Actions together into a cohesive, purpose-built workspace. This section walks through how these features work together and provides practical examples.

The Building Blocks

Think of the Contracts List as a layered system:

Layer	Tool	Purpose
What data is shown	Filters	Narrows the list to relevant contracts
How data is displayed	Column selection + sort order	Organizes visible information
How settings are preserved	Views	Saves the configuration for reuse
What you do with results	Actions Dropdown + Checkboxes	Applies operations to selected contracts

6. Practical Workflow Examples

Example 1: Preparing a Renewal Report

Goal: Identify all active vendor contracts expiring in the next 90 days, sorted by end date, and export them.

Apply Filters: Set filters for Status = Active and Contract Type = Vendor Agreement and End Date is within the next 90 days.
Customize Columns: Display columns for Contract Name, Counterparty, Owner, End Date, and Contract Value.
Sort: Click the End Date column header to sort ascending (soonest expiring first).
Save as View: Save this configuration as a Shared View named "Vendor Renewals – Next 90 Days."
Export: Select all contracts and use Actions → Export to download the list as a CSV for stakeholder review.

Example 2: Team-Specific Dashboard

Goal: Give the Procurement team a view showing only their contracts with key financial fields.

Apply Filters: Set a filter for Department = Procurement.
Customize Columns: Add columns for Contract Value, Payment Terms, and Renewal Type alongside the standard fields.
Sort: Sort by Contract Value descending to highlight the highest-value agreements.
Save as Shared View: Name it "Procurement – All Active" and share it so the entire Procurement team can access it with one click.

Example 3: Bulk Cleanup After a Reorganization

Goal: Reassign ownership of contracts from a departing employee to their replacement.

Apply Filters: Set a filter for Owner = [Departing Employee's Name].
Select All: Use the Select All function to select every contract in the filtered list.
Use Actions: Choose Actions → Assign Owner and select the new owner.
Verify: Clear the filter and spot-check to confirm the reassignment was successful.

7. Tips for Power Users

Layer filters progressively. Start broad (e.g., all active contracts) and add filters one at a time to refine your results. This makes it easier to troubleshoot unexpected results.
Use private views for in-progress work. Build and test your view configuration as a Private View before converting it to a Shared View. This prevents confusing your teammates with unfinished configurations.
Name views descriptively. A view named "Active MSAs – Legal – Expiring FY2026" is far more useful than one named "My View 3." Include department, contract type, and time frame where applicable.
Combine saved views with Actions for recurring tasks. If you run the same report or bulk update on a regular cadence, saving the filter configuration as a View means you only need to open the View, select all, and run the Action — dramatically reducing repetitive manual effort.
Sort by multiple dimensions. While the primary sort is set by clicking a column header, you can use a combination of filters and column order to effectively create a multi-level organization that surfaces the most critical information at the top.
Use column customization to reduce noise. The more columns you display, the harder it is to focus on what matters. Tailor each View's columns to the specific task at hand. A renewal tracking view doesn't need payment term columns; a financial review view doesn't need counterparty address columns.

Summary

The Contracts List is designed to be as simple or as sophisticated as your workflow demands. At its simplest, it shows you all your contracts in a list. At its most powerful, it becomes a real-time, role-specific dashboard driven by saved views, precise filters, sorted columns, and bulk action capabilities — all working together to put you in control of your entire contract portfolio without ever leaving a single screen.

If you need further assistance, please reach out to support@contractsafe.com