Canvas templates can now be shared with different CRM organizations

Canvas templates can now be shared with different CRM organizations

----------------------------------------Moderated on 14th February, 2023-------------------------------------------
Dear all, This feature is now open for all users in all DCs. To learn more about importing and exporting canvas templates, read our help doc - Customizing Record Detail Page Using Canvas

Dear All,

We hope you're well! We're here with a useful update for Canvas in Zoho CRM.

Canvas is our flagship feature that helps you add context to your record details pages. With the help of templates, elements, and styles, you can design your CRM records in a way that's coherent and relevant to your business. However, it hasn't been possible so far to share a Canvas template.

In this update, we're adding a new capability to share templates with different CRM organizations. Imagine your business has multiple CRM organizations for different purposes. If you wanted to apply your brand elements uniformly for all your CRM organizations, you had to create new templates each time, one by one. With this new sharing feature, you can now easily transmit templates created in one organization to another.

How is a template transmitted?
You can share a template from one organization to another via a unique key. This key is a combination of alphanumeric characters that is specific to each template. All you have to do is to export the key from one CRM organization and import it into the other. Your template UI will be transmitted immediately.

Let's get further into the details!

Exporting a template: As mentioned above, you can export a template by sharing a unique key with the recipient.

This key is valid for seven days after the date of export, and an organization can have up to 10 active exports at a time. In the event you reach this limit, you'll have to delete old keys to enable new exports.



Importing a Canvas template: You can import a canvas template by applying the unique code shared with you. This code will transmit the design elements from the source and Canvas will automatically incorporate values in accordance to the module you're importing the template into.

Some additional pointers about importing/exporting templates:

  • In addition to the template transfer between CRM organizations, you can also transmit a canvas within the organization.
  • There is no limit to the number of times you can import a template using a key. You can have multiple imports as long as the key is valid.
  • You can import a template into any module or layout.
  • Importing a template counts as creating a new template. CRM follows the same template limits as usual. Click here to learn about the limits of each module.
  • If the export code is deleted or expires before you import, the code will no longer be valid and you'll have to obtain the updated code.
  • Only the formatting and UI placeholders of the template will be transmitted. The values, images, and rules ascribed to them will not be transmitted.
  • Components and presets you've saved to reuse will be carried over.
That's it for the update. We have opened this feature for all users in US DC for now. For the rest of the DCs,  it will be gradually opened.

We hope this added capability will make your work easier. If you have feedback or comments, feel free to start a conversation.

Thanks and have a good one!

Kind Regards, 
Saranya Balasubramanian