The Canvas module view gets an exciting face-lift

Announcement moderated on: 4th July,2023

The Canvas module view revamp has been successfully opened for all users in all DCs today.

Dear All,

We hope you're well!

When it comes to business productivity, data organization and accessibility play a crucial role. However, given the reality of a growing business, maintaining a tidy dataset is an uphill battle. For this reason, Zoho CRM enables you to index your data in three systematic module views: list view, Kanban view, and canvas view. While each serves a distinct purpose, today we're here to announce a revamp of our existing canvas view. We're thrilled to talk about it. Let's go!

We're replacing our legacy canvas module view editor with our bespoke Canvas builder.

The all-new Canvas builder is a powerful design suite loaded with sophisticated design elements. True to its name, Canvas is a versatile and highly customizable tool; you can add a range of components to each canvas you create—like your business logo, images, or icons—and apply interactive styling that puts the right emphasis on the most important information.

Now, how does this revamp benefit a CRM user?

The module view serves as the face of your database; it's the first thing a user looks at upon entering a module. The new Canvas revamp not only enables you to design the aesthetic of your database, but also amplifies the user experience and adoption among your employees. It allows you to:

Personalize your CRM to match your brand guidelines.
Enhance data accessibility and user productivity.
Complement your module view designs with that of the designs in your record details page.
Create a memorable customer experience when extended through client portals.

Here's a quick comparison of the outputs of the legacy canvas module view versus the new canvas module view:

In addition to upgrading the canvas view builder, this revamp also comes with new module views to accommodate different types of data.

New views in Canvas

We understand every business accumulates different types of data that requires distinct representations for better comprehension, so we've come up with three types of Canvas module views.

Custom list view

The custom list view is a horizontal stack of your records that offers sufficient space to accommodate vital information without clutter. With elements like sections and lines, you can organize your data within the expanse of the template, giving prominence to each data type. You can also hide or show labels to make more efficient use of the template space.

Tile view

The tile view makes records look like business cards. Much like a product lineup, the tile view arranges your records from left to right, and you can set tiles to be a square or rectangle. This view is a great way to showcase your records in one glance.

Table view

The table view is an extension of the standard list view, which is a simple tabulation of record information. You can keep the entire view in one color or alternate colors between rows. This view is best for displaying simple factual information like inventory, invoices, and so on.

About the new Canvas builder

The Canvas builder is straightforward to use. You can choose designs from the gallery or build from scratch.

Components of the builder

The Canvas builder for module views comes with three fundamental components:

Data

The data component contains all the fields, buttons, and links applicable to the module.

Example: Lead name, email ID, record owner, and so on.

Elements

Elements help you classify and organize your data via images, lines, tables, sections, text boxes, buttons, and icons.

Example: Your logo is an image element that will appear throughout all record items.

Styles

Styles contain formatting options for your data. You can ascribe colors, font types, font sizes, borders, padding, and radiuses, according to your preferences.

Managing canvas templates

Only administrators and users with "manage custom view" permissions can create and manage canvas templates for an organization. Creations are present in a list view under Setup > Customization > Canvas > List view, where you can edit, clone, delete, preview, rename, activate, or deactivate templates. You can also define criteria and manage canvas rules from the same page.

Edition availability and limits

The legacy Canvas editor was available only for organizations using Enterprise and Ultimate editions. Thanks to this revamp, we've extended the new builder to organizations in Standard and Professional editions as well.

Here are the edition-based limits for each view:

If you'd like to downgrade (say, from Enterprise to Professional), only three templates will stay activated for each view, removing the ability to activate/deactivate the rest of your creations. The same will apply when downgrading to the Standard edition.

Important points to note:

While we've provided most design capabilities, native features like reusable components and presets and Client scripts are not available in this first release. We are, however, working on these features and you can expect them soon.
The legacy canvas editor enabled individual CRM users to create and manage templates all by themselves. Now, upon revamping the console, the following points are true:

We will migrate your templates to the new builder without affecting the designs you've created.
All the personal design templates created earlier by users and shared among peers will be publicly available under the Canvas list view tab. Admins or users with "manage custom view" permissions can choose to enable or disable this. If the former designs are enabled, they will be enabled for all users in the organization.
Users without these permissions—even though they might be the original owner or creator of a design—will not be able to view or edit the designs.

That's all for the Canvas module view revamp. For more information on how to create canvas templates, business scenarios, and tips, kindly read our help document Customizing Module View Using the all-new Canvas design suite.

Thanks and have a good one!

Kind Regards,
Saranya Balasubramanian

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