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Customizing Static Page Layouts

The right look and feel of an application is important for user adoption, and one way to achieve the right look and feel is by customizing page layouts. As part of the customizing process, you can:

  • Add custom fields to the Edit, Detail, and Create forms.
  • Make fields required on the Edit and Create forms.
  • Add or hide sections on the Detail pages.

    You can make sections unavailable (hidden) to your employees or you can make them available but hide them initially.

There are two methods of customizing page layouts. You can define static page layouts defining specific fields by role, or dynamic page layouts that change based on the type of record being created. Dynamic page layouts can also be assigned by role.

You can create new layouts for each record type and then assign a page layout for each record type to a user role. When a user with that role signs in, the user then sees any customized layout specific to each record type. For example, you can create two page layouts for opportunities: one simplified layout for service representatives showing only the most important fields and another layout for field sales representatives showing many more fields, and assign the different layouts to the different roles. Users who are not assigned the service representative or field sales representative roles continue to see the default layout for the Opportunity page. As another example, you can create two page layouts for contacts, such that the Account field is required when service representatives add new contacts, but not required when service managers add new contacts.

If you do not assign a custom page layout for a record type for a given role, the default page is used for that record type.

When customizing a page layout, you can determine:

  • Which fields appear on the page

    For custom fields to appear, you must add them to the page layouts. After that, users with roles to which the custom page layout is assigned will see the fields on the Edit page, Detail page, and Create form (in the Action bar).

  • Where fields appear on the page
  • Which fields are required
  • Which fields are read-only
  • Which linked record types are displayed in the Related Information sections on the Detail page.

    For example, you might want linked contacts to appear on the Accounts Detail page.

  • How many page sections appear and with which headings.

You can copy standard layouts, but you cannot edit or delete them. You can delete custom layouts, unless it is already assigned to a role or a dynamic layout.

Considerations for Fields in Page Layouts

Some record fields are important to report and forecast calculations. To enforce the consistent use of these fields, they are flagged as required. You cannot change the required flag on these fields when customizing a page layout. You also cannot remove them from a page layout.

Removing fields from a page layout can have important implications for how the records are used. For example, if you remove the Status and Publish fields on solutions records, employees with that page layout cannot approve solutions or make them available to others.

Addresses are grouped together so that the field and their labels reflect the naming convention for each country. Therefore, for some record types, you cannot separate out individual address lines. Instead, you must select the field that includes the group of address lines (a single address option). This option replaces the individual fields that you could select in previous releases, such as Street, City, Zip Code. For example, for leads, the field Billing appears on the Field Setup and Field Layout steps of the Page Layout assistant. The Billing field includes all the Billing Address fields.

Before you begin:

  • To perform this procedure, your role must include the Customize Application privilege.

To create a page layout

  1. In the upper right corner of any page, click the Admin global link.
  2. Click the Application Customization link.
  3. In the Record Type Setup section, click the link for the required record type.
  4. In the Page Layout section, click the required Page Layout link.
  5. In the Page Layout list, do one of the following:
    • Click the Edit button for an existing layout to modify it.
    • Click the New Layout button to create a new layout.
    • Click the Copy button to copy an existing layout.

      The Page Layout Wizard appears to guide you through the process.

  6. In Step 1 Layout Name, enter a name for the layout and a description (optional).
  7. In Step 2 Field Setup, select the field characteristics.

    Select the Required check box for any fields that you want to make required.

    Select the Read Only check box for any fields that you want to make read only.

    CAUTION: Make sure that you do not remove a required field from a page layout. If you do, anyone with that layout will be unable to create or edit a record of that type.

  8. In Step 3 Field Layout, you can:
    • Move fields from the record type Available Fields list to various sections of the record type Arrange Page Layout area.

      Make sure you move the custom fields and the industry-specific fields you want to add to the forms.

    • Rearrange the information.

      NOTE: These changes affect all the forms for that record type when a user with an appropriate role views the pages. Some fields include a group of fields or multi-line fields. Avoid moving those fields around since the information itself might overlap other fields in the final layout. For this reason, the application does not allow you to move multi-line text fields, such as Description.
      The application uses an address template that provides the fields specific to each country. For more information, see About Countries and Address Mapping.

  9. In Step 4 Related Information, you can:
    • Add sections or remove sections that appear on the Detail pages. The sections are the areas where users can link records to the current record.

      For example, if you don't want employees to be able to link products to opportunities, make sure the Products section does not appear in the Displayed or Available Information box.

      NOTE: Users can change these default settings through the Edit Layout link on the Detail page for their application. After users have edited their personal layouts, they do not see new changes to the related information made by the company administrator until they edit their layout another time.

    • Change the order of the sections on the Detail pages.

      NOTE: These changes affect the Detail pages for that record type when a user with an appropriate role views the pages.

  10. Click Finish.
  11. Assign the page layout for this record type to user roles as required, see Adding Roles.


Published 05/11/2007