Understanding Layouts and Layout Rules - Online Help | Zoho Desk

Understanding Layouts and Layout Rules

Creating Layouts

Layouts control the organization of fields and related sections on the module page of a department. Each department can have its own layout that consists of both default and custom fields. They also determine which fields are visible, read-only, and required.

You can use layouts to customize the fields on the module pages like Tickets, Tasks, etc. Also, the drag-and-drop feature allows you to add new fields, remove unused fields and re-order fields as per your requirements.

If you support several different products or processes, your agents will need specific information to make them solve tickets faster. This means your help desk will comprise of a bunch of custom fields that show up on the customer-facing ticket forms. So much so that your customers come across fields that are entirely irrelevant to their problem. This is where custom page layouts can come in handy.

Page layouts allow you to show a separate set of fields for each product, process, or service and ensure that your customers and agents see only the relevant fields. This is not just for the ticket; you can add multiple page layouts for accounts, contacts, activities, products, and time entries. For example, you might need the customer's ZIP code to check if you can deliver to their address, and their purchase date to check warranty status. By having specific page layouts based on the type of request a customer makes, you can speed things up and collect the information you need in the format you want.
Points to Remember
Here are some key points to keep in mind before you start adding multiple layouts.
  1. Only those departments to which a user is added will be displayed while creating or customizing a layout.
  2. Agents and customers can select an appropriate layout of the Tickets module while adding a ticket.
  3. Only ticket layouts can be made visible to end users in the Help Center.
  4. Org-wide modules such as AccountsContacts, and Products can have a maximum of 20 active layouts.
  5. TicketsActivities, and Time Entries can have a maximum of 20 active layouts per department.
  6. The Contracts module does not support multiple layouts.
  7. Admins can select multi-select picklist field while creating a layout rule. For example, Admins can create a rule for a "Service Topics" multiselect picklist field in Desk account, enabling customers to select various topics they need assistance with. Upon choosing their topics, a new layout will prompt them to provide billing details. This allows customers using the help center to pick multiple service topics when submitting tickets.

  8. Regex criteria's such as Matches RegexNot Matches Regex, and Contains Regex can be selected while creating a layout rule. Consider a scenario where an admin wants create a layout rule for a field, "Order Number", using Regex criteria. The goal is to ensure a specific format for order numbers. Let's say the admin aims for order numbers to include only alphanumeric characters, like "ORD123." In this case, the admin can utilize the "Matches Regex" criterion, setting it to enforce the requirement for alphanumeric input in the order number field. Following the entry of data into the order number field, a new layout named "Billing Details" will be displayed.

  9. Ticket properties like status values, picklist values, multi-select picklist values, and mandatory fields are set at the layout level, not the department or organization level. For example, you can make the same field required on one layout but optional on another layout.
  10. While adding a page layout, you must assign it to user profiles. Agents can create records in only those layouts that are assigned to their profiles.
  11. When you add a custom layout, you can choose to allow non-department agents with the assigned profiles to access the layout.
  12. A department will consist of a standard layout for each module. This Standard Layout is the default layout, which cannot be deactivated or deleted.
  13. You can add new layouts and specify which layout (standard, or otherwise) must be the default layout for a department.
  14. You can clone a layout within a department and also across departments. The layouts must belong to the same module. For eg., you can clone layout from Tickets module between department A and B.  
  15. By default, a Standard Layout is assigned to all user profiles. Their permissions and display preferences cannot be modified.
  16. You could either rename the Standard Layout and customize it or clone it to create a new layout.
  17. Following are a few examples of the most common differences between two layouts:
    1. Different fields and sections in the layouts
    2. The values of a pick-list field are different in the different layouts
    3. The difference in mandatory fields – while a field is mandatory in one layout – it is non-mandatory in the other
Availability 
Permission Required
Users with the permission to Manage Layouts and Fields can create, edit or delete layouts and layout rules. You can create upto a maximum of 50 layout rules/department. 
Check Availability and Limits
To add a new layout
  1. Click the Setup icon (  ) in the top bar.
  2. In the Setup Landing page, click Layouts and Fields under Customization.
  3. In the Layouts page, select the desired module and the department (when more than one exists) from the drop-down menu.
    If this is the first time you've started to explore page layouts, you'll see the default Standard Layout for the chosen module.



  4. Click Add Layout in the upper-right corner of the page.
  5. In the Add Layout panel, do the following:
  6. Enter the layout's NameDisplay Name in Help Center, and Description.
  7. In the Layout Permissions field, select the user profiles that will have access to the layout.
  8. Select the checkbox for Allow non-department agents with the assigned profiles to access the layout.
  9. Select the checkbox for Display in Help Center.
  10. Click Save and Configure.
    You will be directed to the Edit Layout page.
  11. Customize the layout with the required fields and sections.
    You can add fields and sections, reorder, mark as required, set permissions, edit properties, replace picklist values, or remove fields.
  12. Click Save or Save and Close.

Customizing a Layout

You can perform the following customizations in a module's page layout:
  • Organize page details
  • Make fields mandatory
  • Add new sections
  • Add custom fields

Organize Page Details

The option to Organize Page details is available in each module and helps to change the order of the related list views. Additionally, you can show or hide some of the related fields as per your department's requirement using this feature.
To organize the page details
  1. Click the Setup icon (  ) in the top bar.
  2. In the Setup Landing page, click Layouts and Fields under Customization.
  3. In the Layouts page, select the desired module and the department (when more than one exists) from the drop-down menu.
    Module refers to the Tickets, Tasks, Contacts, etc.
  4. Click Edit Layout at the bottom of the page to open the layout editor.
  5. In the Edit Layout page, drag and drop the fields from the [Module] layout list to the Unused Fields list and vice versa to show or hide the fields.
    Note: Certain fields are mandatory (read-only and standard fields) and cannot be removed from the page layout.
  6. In the [Module] Layout list, drag and drop the fields to change their order on the page as per your requirement.
  7. Click Save Layout.


Marking Fields as Required

You can mark fields as required or mandatory in Zoho Desk.
To mark fields as required
  1. Click the Setup icon (  ) in the top bar.
  2. In the Setup Landing page, click Layouts and Fields under Customization.
  3. In the Layouts page, select the desired module and the department (when more than one exists) from the drop-down menu.
    Module refers to the Tickets, Tasks, Contacts, etc.
  4. Click Edit Layout at the bottom of the page to open the layout editor.



  5. Hover your mouse pointer over the field you wish to mark as required, click the Gear icon  ) and select the Mark as required checkbox.
    The field label is displayed in red to indicate that the field is required.
  6. Click Save Layout.
Note
  • A field can be set as required only when Read and Write permissions are given to all the profiles with access to that field. You can set this permission under Setup >> Layout and Fields >> Field Permissions.

Adding Sections

A section is simply an area on a page layout, where we can group similar fields under an appropriate heading. This makes it easy for your users to quickly identify and enter the information for a record, especially if your record has a significant number of fields. By default, there are certain sections available in each of your modules.
To add a new section
  1. Click the Setup icon (  ) in the top bar.
  2. In the Setup Landing page, click Layouts and Fields under Customization.
  3. In the Layouts page, select the desired module and the department (when more than one exists) from the drop-down menu.
    Module refers to the Tickets, Tasks, Contacts, etc.
  4. Click Edit Layout at the bottom of the page to open the layout editor.



  5. From the Add Field Tray on the right, drag and drop +Add Section to include more sections for the module.
  6. Edit the name of the section, if required.
  7. Click Save Layout.
Note
  • You can add/delete as many sections as you require. 
  • You must remove the read-only and mandatory fields in a section before you could delete it.

Adding Custom Fields

Zoho Desk lets you add custom fields in addition to the built-in fields. When you create a custom field, you configure where you want it to appear and optionally control security at the Profile level. To learn more about adding custom fields, click here.

Deleting Layouts

Admins can delete the layouts that are no longer required for business purposes to declutter the database. Upon deletion all the records that are associated to the layout will also be transferred to the new layout. However, the profiles that are associated to the layout, must be transferred to another layout before deletion.
Automation such as blueprint, layout Rules, workflows, webforms, validation rules, ticket templates, and field dependencies associated with the layout will be deleted. 
Note
  1. Default layouts cannot be deleted, you can make another layout default and then delete it if required. 
  2. Upon transfer the ticket status will be automatically changed to the default ticket status that is set in the new layout.
To delete a layout
  1. Go to Customization > Layouts and Fields > Layouts.
  2. From the list view, hover on the layout you want to delete.
  3. Click the More icon and select Delete Layout.

  4. In Delete Layout popup, select a layout for the profiles from the drop-down.
  5. Click Transfer and Delete Now.

Creating Layout Rules

There are times when it would be ideal for showing different fields or sections on a layout based on field data. For example, if a field for "Issue Type" is selected on a ticket page, it would be nice if a section or field related to capturing more information on "Issue" is displayed. If the field is not selected, then this section or field remains hidden. Layout Rules help you do just these with ease.
The layout rules allow you to define the dependency between related fields based on a user's input in a layout. So, when a user fills in a field, the layout progressively adds more fields or sections based on the users' input. This helps you limit the number of fields that appear on a layout and speed up the process of creating a record.

Let's consider the "Issue Type" field again. When a user selects a Parts transaction on this field, you want to show a part number field. When they choose a Service transaction, you want to show a labor rate. This typically means that when a user submits a ticket for a Parts transaction, the Service transaction-related field should not be displayed although it exists in the layout. You can achieve this type of dynamic layout by creating a layout rule with "Issue Type" as the primary field. Read on to know how you can accomplish this.
Benefits
Here are the three benefits of creating layout rules:
  1. Control the order in which layout fields are presented to users.
  2. Eliminate field clutter by limiting the number of fields that appear on a layout.
  3. Make a field mandatory depending on the value entered in a previous field.
There are three actions that can be triggered when layout rule criteria are met.
  1. Show Fields: Choose this action when you want specific fields to be shown
  2. Show Sections: Choose this action when you want specific sections to be shown
  3. Set Mandatory Fields: Choose this action when you want to make a few fields mandatory
Points to Remember
Here are some points to keep in mind while creating layout rules:
  1. Following is the split up of the number of conditions you can create within a layout rule.
    1. 25 Parent Conditions per rule
    2. 5 Branch Conditions per parent condition
    3. 5 Criteria per branch condition
    4. 25 Actions per branch condition
  2. Layout rules are department-specific. This means, under a single module, say Tickets, you can configure different layout rules on the same field for different departments.
  3. The [Record] Owner field cannot be chosen as the primary field that controls the layout rule.
  4. Layout Rules are applied only when users manually create or edit a record.
  5. Layout rules are not available for records created via importwebforms, and APIs.
  6. Layout rules cannot be created based on a Multi-select picklist field or a Multi-line field as the primary field.
  7. Layout Rules cannot be used on the following fields:
    1. Department Name
    2. Description
    3. Resolution
  8. A primary field used in a layout rule is not available for update from the Mass Actions menu.
  9. The primary field used in a layout rule must be visible on the Help Center to validate tickets submitted through it.
  10. A field once specified in action cannot be added again to another rule.
To create a layout rule
  1. Click the Setup icon (  ) in the top bar.
  2. In the Setup Landing page, click Layouts and Fields under Customization.
  3. Click Layout Rules under the Layouts and Fields sub-menu.
  4. In the Layout Rules page, select the desired module and the department (when more than one exists) from the drop-down menu.
  5. Click Create Rule in the upper-right area.
  6. In the Create Layout Rule pop-up window, do the following:
    1. Enter a name for the rule.
    2. Describe the rule.
    3. Choose a primary field that controls this rule. Example, Issue Type.
    4. Choose a condition to initiate the rule. Example, Issue Type + is + Parts.
    5. Click Next.
  7. In the Layout Rule Editor,  the condition specified is pre-populated. So, click Trigger an action.
  8. Choose from the list of actions. Example, Show Fields.
  9. In the Create Action panel, specify the field to be shown. In this scenario, Part Number field.
    You can specify further conditions and actions as required. Example, Show Sections and Set Mandatory Fields.
  10. Click Done on the right panel.
  11. Check Apply to Help Center to manage dependencies between fields when tickets are submitted through your help center.
  12. Click Save.

Renaming Layout Rule

You can rename a layout rule or update its description at any time.
To rename rule
  1. Click the Setup icon (  ) in the top bar.
  2. In the Setup Landing page, click Layouts and Fields under Customization.
  3. Click Layout Rules under the Layouts and Fields sub-menu.
  4. In the Layout Rules page, hover your mouse pointer over the rule you wish to rename, click the More icon (  ) and select the Rename option.
  5. On the Renaming Rule window, update the rule's name and description.
  6. Click Save.

Deactivating Layout Rule

You can activate or deactivate layout rules at any time. When you deactivate a rule, it is labeled as Inactive. Layout rules can be reactivated, when needed.
To deactivate rule
  1. Click the Setup icon (  ) in the top bar.
  2. In the Setup Landing page, click Layouts and Fields under Customization.
  3. Click Layout Rules under the Layouts and Fields sub-menu.
  4. In the Layout Rules page, click the toggle corresponding to the layout rule to OFF.
  5. Click Deactivate to confirm.

Deleting Layout Rule

Layout rules can be deleted when not in use. When you delete a rule, it will be permanently removed from your help desk and cannot be recovered.
To delete rule
  1. Click the Setup icon (  ) in the top bar.
  2. In the Setup Landing page, click Layouts and Fields under Customization.
  3. Click Layout Rules under the Layouts and Fields sub-menu.
  4. In the Layout Rules page, hover your mouse pointer over the rule you wish to delete, click the More icon (  ) and select the Delete option.
  5. Click Yes, Delete the rule to confirm.


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