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

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

Initiating Canvas Layout Creation

Within the "Reports" section, Sam identifies the "Detail View" option.
Sam finds the "Create Custom Layout" button under the "Detail View" section.
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

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