Hello and welcome to another week of Kaizen!
This week, we will be discussing Layout Rules in Zoho CRM.
If you need to modify the layout of a module based on user inputs, or to show or hide sections based on the value of a specific field, we have got just the perfect solution for you.
What is a Page Layout?
In simple terms, a
page layout is a template where you can add, choose and arrange the fields and sections that will be displayed in a module. Depending on your application requirement, you can either edit the
standard layout, or create
custom layouts.
What are Layout Rules and why you need them?
Layout rules are a set of criteria that you define to modify the layout of a module. These rules help you keep your layouts clean and clutter-free. Often, you may need to set up dynamic layouts, where the value selected for one field determines the subsequent sections and fields.
For example, in an automobile rental company, the field requirements for a two-wheeler will differ from the ones for a car. By using layout rules, you can display only the relevant sections and fields based on the type of vehicle being rented. This article will use an automobile rental company as an example to explain Layout Rules.
Who can access Layout Rules feature?
Only users with permission to Customize Zoho CRM profile can access this feature.
How and when are Layout rules triggered?
You can trigger the rule when the chosen primary field meets one of the following conditions.
- is
- isn't
- contains
- doesn't contain
- starts with
- ends with
- is empty
- is not empty
You can trigger the following actions when the criteria are met:
- Show Fields - To show specific fields. For example, show the Number of Helmets field only if the Helmets Required is YES.
- Show Sections - To show specific sections. For example, display the Four wheeler section only if the vehicle type is Four wheeler.
- Set Mandatory Fields - To set specific fields mandatory. For instance, make the car type field mandatory if the vehicle type is Four wheeler.
- Show Subforms - To show specific subforms. For example, to show the Accessories Required only if the user chooses to rent accessories.
How to create Layout Rules?
- Go to Setup > Customization > Modules.
- Select the module.
- Go to the Layout Rules section and + New Layout Rule.
- In the New Layout Rule pop-up, enter the following details:
- Rule Name
- Rule Description
- Select the Layout to which the rule is applicable.
- Choose the primary field that controls the rule.
- Choose a condition to initiate the rule.
- Click Next.
- In the Rule Page, click + Trigger an action.
- Select the action and choose the corresponding section/field/subform according to the action you have selected.
- Click Save.

How to trigger more than one action with a condition?
With a single condition, you can trigger more than one action by repeating steps 6 to 8. For instance, if the vehicle type is two-wheeler, you can show the two-wheeler section, and make the bike-type field mandatory.
How to add more criteria to a condition?
To add more than one criteria to the condition, click on Edit Condition after initiating the rule. For example, you can show the Number of seating rows field only if the car type is MUV/SUV AND the seating capacity is greater than 4.
Note : You can add a maximum of five criteria in each condition, combined using AND or OR. You can use the primary field for only one criterion, and this criterion can only have AND operator with others.
How to add more conditions?
To add more conditions and actions depending on the same primary field, click on Choose an option and add them. For example, if the Vehicle Type is Four-wheeler, show the Four wheeler section of the layout.
How to make a field mandatory?
Apart from showing specific fields, sections or subforms, you can also make a field mandatory depending on a condition. For example, you can make the Number of Helmets field mandatory if the Helmets Required field is checked.

Layout Rules in action
The image illustrates the effects of the layout rules. Two-wheeler or Four-wheeler sections are shown depending on the value of the Vehicle Type field. The Number of Helmets required field becomes mandatory if Helmet Required field is checked. If the car type is MUV or SUV, AND the Maximum seating capacity is more than 5, then the Number of seating rows field is displayed.
API support for Layouts and Layout Rules
If you do not specify the layout while creating a record using API call, the standard layout will be applied by default. If you specify a layout, the record will be assigned to it along with mandatory field check configured for that specific layout. In either scenario, the Show Field/Section/Subform layout rules applicable will be applied to the view record page in the UI.
Mandatory Field Layout Rules
In order to apply the mandatory field rules, you must include the apply_feature_execution key in the input JSON. This is supported for Insert, Update and Upsert Records API from v2.
Currently API support is only available for Mandatory Field Layout Rules, during inserting or updating a record.
Here is the sample JSON to create a record applying the layout rules.
{
"data": [ { "Name": "Patricia", "Name1" : "Matt", "Mobile_Number" : "999999999", "Vehicle_Type": "Two wheeler", "Bike_Type": "Standard", "Helmets_Required": true, "Layout": { "name": "Standard", "id": "4876876000002670001" } } ], "apply_feature_execution": [ { "name": "layout_rules" } ] }
|
In this example, the system will throw the following MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND error since we have made the Number of Helmets field mandatory if the Helmets Required field is True.
{ "data": [ { "code": "MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND", "details": { "layout_rule": { "name": "Helmet Mandatory Rule", "id": "4876876000002695023" }, "api_name": "No_of_Helmets" }, "message": "required field not found", "status": "error" } ] }
|
You can use apply_feature_execution key in the Update and Upsert Record APIs to apply mandatory field rules to those records created without apply_feature_execution key.
Show Field/Section/Subform Rules
API support is currently not extended to these rules. When using API calls, you can add values to all fields, even if they are hidden by layout rules. Get Records API returns all the fields in the layout. In other words, using APIs bypasses layout rules for Show Field/Section/Subform.
Points to remember
- You can include the primary field of one layout rule in the "Show Field" and "Set Mandatory Fields" actions for other layout rules, but not as a primary field for another rule.
- The Record Owner field or a multi-select picklist field cannot be the primary field for a rule.
- Layout rules are active when creating a record manually and when creating a record through the API. However, when using the API, only mandatory field rules are applied. Layout rules are not available for records generated via import, webforms or lead convert page. Refer to Layout Rule Exceptions for more details.
- When you edit a primary field associated with a layout rule, and if the actions triggered include making one or more fields mandatory, the system will capture these mandatory fields via a pop-up prompt. For example, when you edit a record, and change the Helmets Required from No to Yes, the Number of Helmets Required field will be captured via a pop-up prompt.
- You cannot use Layout Rules on Auto Number, Lookup, Multi Select Lookup, User Lookup, Formula, File Upload and Multi Line field types.
- Layout Rules are applicable for create, edit and view pages.
We hope you found this post useful. We will meet you next week with another interesting topic!
If you have any questions let us know in the comment section.
Related Links
Recent Topics
Blocking / black listing customers
Hi, We have a situation, we observed that certain customers are blocking multiple appointments with our advsiors but not showing up. Some of these are repeat offenders. This leads to those service hours getting blocked and not available for genuine customers.
Option to block bookings from specific email address or ip adresss in zoho booking
Sometime few of our client keep booking irrelevant booking service just to resolve their queries and they keep booking it again and again whenever they have queries. Currently its disturbing our current communication process and hierarchy which we have
Feature Request: Email Templates for notifications accross all services
Currently in Zoho Bookings, email notifications (such as booking confirmations, reminders, and cancellations) must be customized individually for each service. This becomes time-consuming and error-prone when managing multiple services that require consistent
Allow customers to choose meeting venue and meeting duration on booking page
My business primarily involves one-to-one meetings with my clients. Given the hybrid-work world we now find ourselves in, these meetings can take several forms (which I think of as the meeting "venue"): In-person Zoom Phone call I currently handle these
Approval-based booking with Zoho Creator and Zoho Bookings
Hi community members, We have developed a workaround for approval-based booking using Zoho Creator and Zoho Bookings! This provides a temporary solution as we work on the native feature, and it's useful for anyone needing an approval workflow when confirming
Member Accounts in Related List
Hi Team, Currently, when a parent account is associated with an account in FSM, there is no related list displaying the associated member accounts under the parent account’s related list section. To view member accounts, I have to manually search using
how do i remove a specific Zoho Service from my account
I no longer need Zoho CRM, ZRM Assist nor ZRM BugTracker. How do I remove them from the list of apps for my account?
I Want migarte all invoice details to zoho sheets
I want to migrate all existing invoice details to Zoho Sheet, and automatically update the sheet whenever a new invoice is created.
were can i find my invoices i need this for my accountant
were can i find my invoices i need this for my accountant, how can i get id direct to my email?
ONLY email field not populating Writer fillable document (randomly)
I have a Zoho Writer fillable document that has pulled all my data from my Zoho Sheets file, EXCEPT the email column. It pulled every data before and after that column with no issues. Screenshots attached. It's not my first time using the app or the feature,
My number is marked as spam
Hello Zoho Mail Support, My phone number was incorrectly flagged as “spam” during sign-up. This is my personal number, and I have not engaged in any spam activities. Kindly review and verify my account so I can proceed with my email setup. Thanks.
Personnalisation des paramètres dans Zoho Mail
Pourquoi cela compte-t-il ? La personnalisation des paramètres dans Zoho Mail permet aux administrateurs de configurer l’environnement de messagerie en fonction des besoins spécifiques de leur organisation. Que ce soit pour alléger l’interface pour certaines
How To Save Data Into Zoho CRM Sandbox
Hi Community, I want to save data into my zoho sandbox , for this I am using this api endpoint - https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v8/Patients but I am getting this error - { "success": false, "message": "Zoho API request failed", "error": { "code": "INVALID_MODULE",
Automate pushing Zoho CRM backups into Zoho WorkDrive
Through our Zoho One subscription we have both Zoho CRM and Zoho WorkDrive. We have regular backups setup in Zoho CRM. Once the backup is created, we are notified. Since we want to keep these backups for more than 7 days, we manually download them. They
Question about retrieving unsubscribed contacts (outside of lists) via API
Hello, I am currently using Zoho Marketing Automation and would like to integrate it with our company’s core system. For this purpose, I am exploring the API options available to retrieve contact information. Specifically, I would like to know if there
Getting “mandatory field missing: Service_Line_Items” When Creating Work Order via Zoho Flow Deluge
Hi Team, I’m trying to create a Work Order in Zoho FSM with only a Service Line Item (no Parts). However, I keep getting this error: Work Order Response: {"code":"MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND","details":{"api_name":"Service_Line_Items"},"message":"required field
How to customize the colors of the Client Portal login screen and add the company logo?
As title, how to customize the colors of the Client Portal login screen and add the company logo?
Daily updates/fixes and how to see what was changed?
When I receive the notification that zoho was updated and I need to refresh it. How can I see what was changed or fixed? Sometimes they change things that effect my books and I need to know what they did. For example over this past weekend something was
Upcoming Change: Snowflake Username/Password Authentication Deprecation – Action Required
Hello Users, Snowflake has officially announced that username and password-based authentication will be deprecated by November 2025. You can find the official announcement [here]. If you're using a Snowflake connection in Zoho Analytics to import data,
Why should I choose Zoho Inventory vs Odoo?
Hello there! I have used Zoho in different companies I've worked in, and I have a positive perception of it. I am starting a new import business for pipes, tubes, fittings, valves, elbows, etc., which all have serial numbers, cast numbers, etc., so I
Product Updates in Zoho Workplace applications | July 2025
Hello Workplace Community, Let’s take a look at the new features and enhancements that went live across all Workplace applications this July. Zoho Mail Import bookmarks from Pocket Worried about losing your Pocket bookmarks? Don't worry we have got you.
PLEASE FIX YOR BUGS
PICTURES ARE BEING REJECTED DESPITE THEM FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES ON DIMENTIONS.
Kaizen# 204 - Answering Your Questions | Perform Field Updates before Blueprint transition via Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. One of the questions we received through your Kaizen feedback was: “How can I update fields before Blueprint transition and how to prevent a transition based on a condition using Client Script?”
Create online meetings for Booking Pages with Zoho Meetings and Zoom
Greetings, We hope you're all doing well. We're excited to share some recent enhancements to Bigin's Booking Pages. As you know, Booking Pages let you create public pages to share your availability so that your customers can easily book time slots with
Filters in audit logs
Greetings, I hope all of you are doing well. We're happy to announce a few recent enhancements we've made to Bigin. We'll go over each one in detail. Previously, there were no filters available to narrow down data in audit logs. Now, we've introduced
Enhanced help options in Bigin
Greetings, We're excited to introduce a new enhancement to Bigin's Help section: a comprehensive Help Options panel that brings together all your support resources in a single, well-organized space. Previously, the Need Help? menu provided only a limited
Zoho FSM API Developer Needed
Hi, I’m looking for a developer with experience using Zoho FSM APIs. Scope: Connect WordPress website booking form to Zoho FSM Check availability (date, time, region) Create Work Orders + Service Appointments automatically Notify both customer and scheduler
Revenue Management: #4 What if there are uncertainties in project or service delivery?
Our previous post taught us how Zoho Billing makes life easy for businesses with its automated revenue recognition rule. However, certain businesses have more challenges that an automated system cannot handle, and there are certain situations where automated
This mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com
Bom dia, estou tentando colocar o número 11 94287-6695 e esta com erro "This mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com" pode me ajudar, por favor?
Items Serial Tracking Issue
We enabled Zoho Items inventory tracking then disabled it after some time now we want to enable it again When I check the missing serial number reports I see one item But I cant see any option to Add the serial numbers Where and how to add the serial
Composite Services and Account Tracking
I am looking to garner support/request the ability to make composite services. A quick search in the forums brings up multiple requests for this feature. I fail to see why an item is mandatory while services are optional. I also would like to see the
Zoho Payroll integration with Zoho Books - unable to match multiple bank feeds to one wage payment
For one employee's wage, I make two partial payments. Those bank feed transactions come into Zoho Books via bank integration. I make one pay-run for the month in Zoho Payroll and that comes into Zoho Books via the Zoho integration. Zoho Books doesn't let me match multiple bank feed transactions against a single wage item. Please fix urgently. I can't complete my books because of this.
Add Checkbox Selection & Bulk Actions to Delivery Challans Module
Hi Zoho Team, I’ve noticed that in the Sales Orders module, there are checkboxes beside each entry that allow users to select multiple records for bulk actions such as print, email, or delete. However, in the Delivery Challans module, this option appears
Can't be able to check-in in laptop
even after giving location access still i can't be able to check-in in laptop.
Compensation Cess on Coal ₹400 per tonne. ?????
The compensation cess rate varies by the type of product. And the cess is calculated based on the value of the product without GST. Coal, for example, comes with a cess of ₹400 per tonne. That means that if you sell 2 tonnes of coal that have a value
7 month over zoho book purchase but still not immpliments Golive
7 month over zoho book purchase but still not immpliments Golive one problems zoho team short out then other problems come still very poor mangments and immliments team . struggling with the templates in ZOHO Books. Especially with the placement of some
Average Costing / Weighted Average Costing
Hello fellow maadirs. I understand Zoho Books uses FIFO method of dealing with inventory costing, but do you guys have any plans to introduce average costing? We indians need average costing. It's part of our culture. Please. I beg thee. Thanks.
SMS to customers from within Bigin
Hi All, Is there anyone else crying out for Bigin SMS capability to send an SMS to customers directly from the Bigin interface? We have inbuilt telephony already with call recordings which works well. What's lacking is the ability to send and receive
How to update/remove file in zoho creator widgets using javascript API
Hi Team, I have developed a widget which allows inserting and updating records I have file upload field with multiple file upload. Now while doing insert form record, I am using uploadFile API to upload files for that record. I am using updateRecord API
Parent & Member Accounts (batch updating / inheritance)
Hello, I find the Parent Account functionality very useful for creating custom views and reports, but was wondering if I can also carry out batch editing on all members (aka children) of a Parent Account at the same time. Alternatively, can I set members to automatically inherit the values of the parent? For example: We have a chain of supermarkets that buy our products. These supermarkets are all members of a Parent Account in our CRM. We release a new product and all of the member stores wish to
Next Page