Search Layout Design Guidelines

Search Layout Design Guidelines provide standards for organizing fields in search layouts. Unlike other layouts, search layouts cannot be created nor renamed.

Number of Fields

Include as many fields as possible in search layouts, since staff view adapts to display as many as possible, based on available screen space.

For simpler objects, do not force yourself to populate each search layout with the maximum number of fields allowed. Include only fields that are helpful. 

Field Sequence

For the search layouts that aren't filters, we recommend including the same fields in the same sequence consistently. As much as possible, they should match the other object's layouts, such as list views and compact layouts. Namely, these search layouts are:

• Search Results
• Lookup Dialogs
• Lookup Phone Dialogs
• Affiliations Tab

Learn more about the recommended sequence of fields in Layout Design Guidelines.

For the search layouts that are filters—namely, Search Filter Fields and Lookup Filter Fields—you should start with the same fields used in the other search layouts, and then:

• Omit fields that aren't useful as a search filter and  retain fields that staff would most likely use to hone in on a record. For example, you can generally omit the object's Name when it uses the Auto-number format since it's an autogenerated value that staff don't commit to memory (unless you are very gifted, or a robot).
• Replace awkward fields with more compatible alternates. For example, image formula fields like Status Flag can be removed and replaced with the Status text formula field.

Unlike other layouts, search layouts are used by all records, regardless of record type. Therefore, it is okay to include important fields that are not necessarily used by every record type. This might mean excluding less important fields that are used by all record types.

For example, the Logistic search layouts include room even though the field is only used by the Room record type. It needs to be included because it is the primary field that distinguishes room logistic records from one another.