Zoho Creator : Paint your records using Canvas Builder!

Zoho Creator : Paint your records using Canvas Builder!


Dear Creators,

We're thrilled to bring you an incredible new feature - the Canvas Builder, the solution that directly addresses the "user experience factor"! This cutting-edge tool is live now, and we are delighted to share how this feature will revolutionize the way you design detailed views for your records within Zoho Creator.

There is no longer a one-size-fits-all approach for every organization, and Canvas provides the precise flexibility we require, with its wide range of customization options. It offers a a simple drag-and-drop editor and pre-designed templates for every industry and department.

Great design drives usage and offers an immersive experience!

Designing made easy

You can now create stunning templates effortlessly. Canvas builder offers you three flexible options that makes re-ordering and visualizing your data easy, thereby drawing attention to essential information quickly and efficiently.

Gallery Templates

We have curated a collection of ten professionally designed templates for you to choose from and design your requirements. Simply select the one that fits best your needs , and with our live data preview, you can visualize how your template will appear in real-time and customize it exactly the way you have envisioned.


  

Create from Scratch

Unleash your creativity! Similar to working on a real canvas, you can intuitively drag and drop elements anywhere on the builder to start crafting your design. The builder is divided into three sections - Data, Elements, and Style - allowing you to customize every aspect of your template with ease and creativity.



Import Templates:

Canvas also allows you to download the custom template you've created in JSON format from the Canvas Builder. Importing these templates directly into your detail view saves you time and effort, making it a breeze to have your layout ready in no time.



A Plethora of Features

The Canvas Builder is packed with a plethora of features to ensure a seamless design experience. By organizing your data components the way you want and applying attractive designs, you are not only making your layouts presentable, but also extremely functional by offering your users exactly what they are looking for, the moment they land on record's detail view.

Drag and Drop Fields: Effortlessly add form fields, system fields, custom actions, blueprints and other add-ons to your canvas by simply dragging and dropping them, thereby streamlining the process of designing your dream layout.   

Primitive Elements: Explore an extensive set of primitive elements available in the Elements section. You can easily incorporate these elements into your design by dragging and dropping them wherever you desire.

Style Customization: The Style section empowers you to format all elements and fields according to your preferences and brand identity, ensuring a consistent and appealing visual appearance.

Use-case

Let's explore the Canvas feature with a real-time use case to provide a clearer understanding of its practical applications. 

Assume that Sam, a real estate entrepreneur wants to use the Canvas Builder in Zoho Creator to create personalized and visually appealing layouts for his property listings.

Accessing the Canvas Builder

  1. Sam logs in to his Zoho Creator account.
  2. He navigates to the "Reports" section from the main dashboard.

Initiating Canvas Layout Creation

  1. Within the "Reports" section, Sam identifies the "Detail View" option.
  2. Sam finds the "Create Custom Layout" button under the "Detail View" section.
  3. When he clicks the button, the Canvas Builder opens up.


 

Selecting Design Preferences

In the Canvas Builder, Sam is presented with two options: pre-designed gallery templates and designing from scratch. He decides to select a template from gallery templates to create a unique layout for his property listings.


Previewing with Live Data

In the "Gallery Templates" section, each template will load with Zoho Creator's live data. This enables Sam to preview each template and visualize how his property listings will appear in the live view using actual property information.



Customizing the Layout

Sam can intuitively drag and drop essential fields, including property details, location, and pricing, from the "Data" section onto the Canvas builder.
He explores and incorporates various primitive elements such as Tabs, Lines, Sections, Buttons, and Icons, aligning them as needed to create an appealing layout.



Styling to Match Brand Identity

Within the "Style" section of the Canvas Builder, Sam customizes fonts, colors, alignments, and spacing to ensure brand consistency and professional presentation. He can also apply his application's theme color or variations of the same inside the builder.



Width Adjustment

Sam sets the width of elements in the layout as "fluid" for some elements/components, allowing them to expand automatically and fill available space.
For other elements/components, he chooses "fixed" so that they will retain their default width.



Organizing Data with Tabs

To enhance the user experience, Sam effectively organizes property data by dragging related blocks into tabs within the layout.
Related blocks are nothing but Lookup and Subform data which are associated in the parent form.
This logical arrangement ensures that potential property buyers can easily access relevant information.


 

Creating Custom Actions:

In the Canvas Builder, Sam has the option to create custom actions that enhance the functionality of his property listings.
He creates a custom action to allow users to directly inquire about a property through the layout.



Fine-tuning Field Properties

Sam utilizes the "Properties" tab for each field to fine-tune specific properties according to his real estate business requirements.
He customizes the display format for the property pricing field to show currency symbols and decimal places.
For example,  he can customize the prefix, suffix, first name & last name properties for the name field i.e., he can hide/show the sub fields as required.


Applying Conditional Formatting

Sam applies conditional formatting to highlight essential data within the layout, such as displaying urgent listings with eye-catching colors.
This feature ensures that potential buyers can easily identify critical information and make informed decisions.



Importing and Exporting Templates

The Canvas Builder offers Sam the option to download pre-built templates in JSON format using the "Export" button. He exports his custom layout as a template for future-use or to share it with his colleagues to re-create the exact layout in other apps.



Ensuring Responsive Web Support

Canvas templates are initially supported for web use only, to ensure a seamless user experience on desktop browsers.

Thus, Canvas is truly a game changer in that it's all set to catapult your Creator user experience to new horizons. And the icing on the cake — you don't need to write a single line of code — and that, in other words, is the pinnacle of customization.

🔗 Access the Canvas Builder now and embark on a journey of crafting beautifully designed layouts with ease!

Release plan:

The canvas builder has been rolled out on August 1, 2023.

Help documentation: 

 
Thank you for being an integral part of the Zoho Creator community. Your feedback is invaluable as we continuously strive to improve and expand our offerings.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

Regards,
The Zoho Creator Team

 

    Access your files securely from anywhere








                            Zoho Developer Community



                                Bootcamp
                                Community
                                Pricing
                                Webinars
                                What's New
                                Integrations
                                Contact Support
                                Contact Sales
                                  Zoho Survey Resources
                                    Features
                                    Survey Templates
                                    Integrations
                                    Community
                                    iOS Mobile Surveys
                                    Pricing
                                    Android Mobile Surveys
                                    Insurvey Blogs
                                    Insight Blogs
                                    Tips & Tricks





                                                Latest Feature Updates

                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                  • Ask the Experts




                                                      Zoho SalesIQ Resources

                                                            • Sticky Posts

                                                            • Introducing Zoho Creator's 2025 Release Projection 2

                                                              Hello Creators! I'm Prakash, from the Creator product management team, and today I'm delighted to unveil our next set of features as part of Release Projection 2 for 2025. With thoughtful analysis and planning, we've curated powerful new capabilities

                                                            • Zoho Creator - 2023 Release Projection 1

                                                              Hello everyone! A very Happy New Year to you and your family. Hope you're all good and having a great time using Zoho Creator to make your lives easier and your businesses prosper. 2022 was an action-packed year for us at Creator, and we hope to continue

                                                            • Zoho Creator User Group meetups in a city near you! - Oct - Nov, 2023

                                                              Greetings from the Zoho Creator team! We're hosting a series of Zoho Creator meetups in various cities across the globe, and we'd love to meet you there! Our meetups are a great opportunity to network with industry peers, exchange ideas and best practices,

                                                            • Zoho Creator - 2023 Release Projection 2

                                                              Hello everyone! Time truly flies when you're having an incredible journey, and today we mark the completion of an eventful and action-packed six months. It feels like just yesterday when we embarked on this adventure together with the launch of our new

                                                            • Upcoming Updates - August 2022

                                                              Hi all, Greetings from the Zoho Creator team! Today we've got news for you on some exciting updates. And rest assured— there’s more to come! In this post, we'll be going over the upcoming features and improvements for this month as mentioned below. A


                                                            Manage your brands on social media
                                                            Access Zoho Social

                                                              Zoho Pagesense Resources


                                                                  Zoho TeamInbox Resources

                                                                    Zoho DataPrep Resources


                                                                      Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                                        Zoho Books Resources


                                                                          Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                            Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                              Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                                Qntrl Resources


                                                                                  Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                                      Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                                      • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                        CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                      • Kaizen

                                                                                        Kaizen

                                                                                      • Functions

                                                                                        Functions

                                                                                      • Meetups

                                                                                        Meetups

                                                                                      • Kbase

                                                                                        Kbase

                                                                                      • Resources

                                                                                        Resources

                                                                                      • Digest

                                                                                        Digest

                                                                                      • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                        CRM Marketplace

                                                                                      • MVP Corner

                                                                                        MVP Corner









                                                                                          Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                          Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                          Get Started Now


                                                                                            Zoho Show Resources

                                                                                              Zoho Writer

                                                                                              Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                              Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                Zoho CRM コンテンツ



                                                                                                  Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                      ご検討中の方




                                                                                                              • Recent Topics

                                                                                                              • Image field in custom module

                                                                                                                Hi guy, Is there any hope of adding a custom image field in the custom module? We created a custom module to keep track of assets, and it would be helpful if we could attach an image to the record. Thanks Rudy

                                                                                                              • Repeat Column merge in ZOHO writer columns doesn't allow to set max columns per row

                                                                                                                I'm using ZOHO writer to merge data from a ZOHO CRM subform and I want it to make a table. We're using Insert Table for Column Repeat, because this is what we need. (Name of column (Teamname) and underneath that a list of names of teammembers). It works

                                                                                                              • Generate leads from instagram

                                                                                                                hello i have question. If connect instagram using zoho social, it is possible to get lead from instagram? example if someone send me direct message or comment on my post and then they generate to lead

                                                                                                              • IF Statement in Zoho CRM Formula Field

                                                                                                                Hi, I am attempting to write a formula field that will give me one result if one statement AND another statement are true, then a different value if the first statement AND a different statement are true, else 0. Stated differently: if account = destination

                                                                                                              • Automatically CC an address using Zoho CRM Email Templates

                                                                                                                Hi all - have searched but can't see a definitive answer. We have built multiple email templates in CRM. Every time we send this we want it to CC a particular address (the same address for every email sent) so that it populates the reply back into our

                                                                                                              • Adding Markdown text using Zoho Desk API into the Knowledge Base

                                                                                                                Hi Zoho Community members, We currently maintain the documentation of out company in its website. This documentation is written in markdown text format and we would like to add it in Zoho Knowledge Base. Do you know if there is REST API functionality

                                                                                                              • Create case via email

                                                                                                                Good Afternoon, I have just registered and am taking a look around the system. Is it possible to create a case via email.  I.e. an employee/client/supplier emails a certain address and that auto generates the case which then prompts a member of staff

                                                                                                              • Need a Universal Search Option in Zohobooks

                                                                                                                Hello Zoho, Need a Universal Search Option in Zohobooks to search across all transactions in our books of accounts. Please do the needful Thanks

                                                                                                              • Custom Sorting based on other columns in table

                                                                                                                I need the ability to apply custom sorting to a text-based dimension in the X axis where the sorting is based on another column in the table. For example, I have a chart report where the X axis is a text label. I would like to be able to sort those text

                                                                                                              • Locked Notebook

                                                                                                                Hi, I hadn't used my Notebook in some time and was refamiliarizing myself with it. I clicked a lock icon and now I can't unlock. When I hit the information or unlock icons I'm taken to a page with the notebook icon and a keyboard. When I type, nothing

                                                                                                              • Zoho Books blocks invoicing without VeriFactu even though it is not mandatory until 2027

                                                                                                                I would like to highlight a very serious issue in Zoho Books for Spain. 1. The Spanish government has postponed the mandatory start of VeriFactu to January 1st, 2027. This means that during all of 2026 businesses are NOT required to transmit invoices

                                                                                                              • Unable to produce monthly P&L reports for previous years

                                                                                                                My company just migrated to Books this year. We have 5+ years financial data and need to generate a monthly P&L for 2019 and a monthly P&L YTD for 2020. The latter is easy, but I'm VERY surprised to learn that default reports in Zoho Books cannot create

                                                                                                              • Hide fields only for creation

                                                                                                                Hello, I'd like to hide some fields only during the creation of a contact in Zoho CRM. In fact I have some fields that are automatically calculated thanks to an automation, so when my users create a contact I don't want them to fill those fields. I know

                                                                                                              • Can I hide empty Contact fields from view?

                                                                                                                Some contacts have a lot of empty fields, others are mostly filled. Is there a way I can hide/show empty fields without changing the actual Layout? I would like to de-clutter my view, and also be able to add information later as I am able. I would be willing to learn to code a button, but I am highly confused about it and thus worried it would be beyond me.  I've looked at a lot of the developer documents and I'm not able to make a lot of sense of them.  Thank you in advance to anyone who knows the

                                                                                                              • Issues with Zoho Sheet in Mac

                                                                                                                I have downloaded the Zoho App from App Store but It is failing to Save As, Open & Download Operations. App Store

                                                                                                              • Weekly Sales Summary

                                                                                                                Is it possible to generate a weekly report in Zoho Books to show -$$ amount of estimates generated -# of estimates generated by Salesperson -$$ amount of Sales Orders created -$$ amount of Invoices generated

                                                                                                              • Can I write a check in Zoho Books with no associated bill?

                                                                                                                This currently does not seem possible, and I have a client that desperately needs this function if I am able to convert them with Quickbooks. Thank you in advance for your reply. 

                                                                                                              • OpenAPI Specs are just plain wrong

                                                                                                                The provided yml files for generating the OpenAPI specs are absolutely riddled with errors and inconsistencies. From missing fields on the objects, to just incorrectly named resource objects. I'm having to go through and manually changing the spec to

                                                                                                              • Why Sharing Rules do Not support relative date comparison???

                                                                                                                I am creating a Sharing Rule and simply want to share where "Last Day of Coverage" (Date field) is Greater than TODAY (Starting Tomorrow). However, sharing rules don't have the option to compare a date field to a relative date (like today), only to Static

                                                                                                              • How create a draft via workflow?

                                                                                                                I wish to create a workflow rule for specific emails that creates a draft response - not an automatic email reply, but just a draft with a set response ready to be verified by an agent who can then manually select recipients. Alternatively, the workflow

                                                                                                              • About Meetings (Events module)

                                                                                                                I was working on an automation to cancel appointments in zoho flow , and in our case, we're using the Meetings module (which is called Events in API terms). But while working with it, I'm wondering what information I can display in the image where the

                                                                                                              • Custom Footer – Zoho Writer Document

                                                                                                                Hello everyone, I’m having an issue adding a custom footer in a Zoho Writer document. I would like to insert my company information (including a logo + address) in the footer. The problem is that when I add these elements, the main content of my pages

                                                                                                              • From Zoho CRM to Paper : Design & Print Data Directly using Canvas Print View

                                                                                                                Hello Everyone, We are excited to announce a new addition to your Canvas in Zoho CRM - Print View. Canvas print view helps you transform your custom CRM layouts into print-ready documents, so you can bring your digital data to the physical world with

                                                                                                              • Workflow Down/Bug

                                                                                                                We have a workflow that sends an email to one of our internal departments 10 minutes after a record is created in a custom module. The workflow actually works correctly. However, we have now noticed that on January 8, between 3:55 p.m. and 4:33 p.m.,

                                                                                                              • Report grouping

                                                                                                                I have added a grouping in a report but it is not working how i had expected. I wanted to group a summary on a field named Size but when i add the grouping the report is still showing me each record and making a summary at the bottom of the report. What

                                                                                                              • Social Media Simplified with Zoho Social: Preview your Instagram grid before posting

                                                                                                                For a platform like Instagram that relies on visual appeal, it's important that you plan your image and video content in a way that holds your audience's attention. Planning your grid ahead of time gives you the benefit of understanding how your posts

                                                                                                              • FSM - Timesheet entires for Internal Work

                                                                                                                Hi FSM Team, Several of my clients have asked how they can manage internal timesheets within Zoho FSM. Since their technicians already spend most of their day working in FSM, it would be ideal if they could log all working hours directly in the FSM app.

                                                                                                              • Free Webinar: Zoho Sign for Zoho Projects: Automate tasks and approvals with e-signatures

                                                                                                                Hi there! Handling multiple projects at once? Zoho Projects is your solution for automated and streamlined project management, and with the Zoho Sign extension, you can sign, send, and manage digital paperwork directly from your project workspace. Join

                                                                                                              • VAT rates - exempt and out of scope

                                                                                                                Good Evening, UK based company here. I am a bit confused in respect of setting up VAT rates for exempt goods and services; at present I am simply leaving the VAT rate blank in the transactions in order to prevent any VAT appearing in the VAT return. When

                                                                                                              • Are there settings for hyperlinks?

                                                                                                                Clicking a hyperlinked cell in Sheet creates this little pop-up with the actual hyperlink inside. Is it possible to have a 1-click link where if you click the cell it opens the link directly with no pop-up?

                                                                                                              • How to loop through Multiple Upload and Display Actual File Name

                                                                                                                I have been reading the help on the File Upload Control and reviewed the Deluge help on files and I can not figure out how to loop through the uploaded files and do anything but get the automatically created file names. The code below will run but each

                                                                                                              • abou arattai

                                                                                                                I want to use the Arattai app for business purposes, so please convert my account to a business account.I have my own invoice app, and I want to link it with the Arattai app for direct messaging.

                                                                                                              • Sending automated messages that appear in the ticket's conversation thread

                                                                                                                Good morning, esteemed Zoho Desk community, warm greetings Today I am here to raise the following problem, seeking a solution that I can implement: I need to implement an automation that allows me to send reminder messages to customers when I am waiting

                                                                                                              • Configurable Zoho Cliq Notifications for Zoho People Alerts

                                                                                                                Hello Zoho People Product Team, Greetings and hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement to Zoho People notifications, enabling a native delivery via Zoho Cliq with admin-level control, similar to the notification settings available

                                                                                                              • Overlapping Reports in Dashboards

                                                                                                                It's rare, but occasionally it would be a good feature if I were able to overlap reports, either fully or partially in the Dashboards. Also, then having the ability to move objects to the front or rear, or make them transparent/translucent would be good

                                                                                                              • PDF Annotation is here - Mark Up PDFs Your Way!

                                                                                                                Reviewing PDFs just got a whole lot easier. You can now annotate PDFs directly in Zoho Notebook. Highlight important sections, add text, insert images, apply watermarks, and mark up documents in detail without leaving your notes. No app switching. No

                                                                                                              • Looking back at Zoho Calendar in 2025

                                                                                                                Hello Zoho Calendar Community, As we step into a brand-new year, we’d like to take a moment to thank you for being an active and valued part of the Zoho Calendar community. Your trust, feedback, and continued engagement motivate us to keep evolving and

                                                                                                              • Why hybrid project management might be the best fit for you?

                                                                                                                Project management techniques are designed to equip teams with proven methods for easy and efficient project execution. While management teams may have apprehensions about adopting the hybrid method of project management, we’ve compiled the top reasons

                                                                                                              • Add a way of clearing fields values in Flow actions

                                                                                                                It would be great if there was an option to set a field as Null when creating flows. I had an instance today where I just wanted to clear a long integer field in the CRM based on an action in Projects but I had to write a custom function. It would be

                                                                                                              • There was an error while connecting to GSTN

                                                                                                                I am trying to file GSTR1. Everything flows smoothly until I reach the final step of filing the return. After I enter the PAN and OTP for filing it raises the error "There was an error while connecting to GSTN"

                                                                                                              • Next Page