Adapting the schema.xml

I wanted to add a new field to the base item content type -- i.e. content type ID 0x01. I also wanted to change the display name of title. This is what worked for my schema.xml.

Copy the Schema.xml from FEATURES\CustomList\CustList to my Feature folder named after the Name attribute of the ListTemplate element.

Comment out both ContentTypeRef elements.

Create a ContentType element that likes like:
<ContentType
ID="0x0100DECA7022CD234bb1BE7E9BCFF593552F"
Name="Item"
Group="List Content Types"
Description="Create a new list item.">
<FieldRefs>
<FieldRef ID="{fa564e0f-0c70-4ab9-b863-0177e6ddd247}"
Name="Title"
Required="TRUE"
DisplayName="My Title"
/>
<FieldRef ID="{AA242460-9794-4d45-A726-938D1B8B7D72}"
Name="My Added field"
Required="FALSE"
/>

</FieldRefs>


</ContentType>

NOTE the ContentType ID structure: follows the GUID method from MSDN http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ie/aa543822.aspx, MAKE sure to remove any hyphens!!!

Add all modified fields to the Fields element, including Title, LinkFilenameNoMenu, and LinkTitle. You can get samples from a schema.xml that you copy from a list in SharePoint Manager.

Adjust View BaseViewID="1" as needed.