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Layout Design Guidelines


Layout Design Guidelines provide standards for naming and configuring Staff View layouts such as compact layouts, list views, page layouts, and search layouts. Layouts should contain the most important fields for the record. Since some layouts cannot always display all the fields included in the layout, it is important that administrators use a standard approach for selecting the sequence of fields.

Field Sequence

The most important fields for an object are placed in each of its layouts in a particular sequence, based on the rank specified below. The rank promotes field types that provide the most clarity and efficiency, and groups similar field types together. The first rank is the highest priority field and should be added first.

Once you determine a specific sequence of fields for an object, consistently apply that same sequence to the object's compact layouts, search layouts, and list views, as much as possible, but not at the expense of clarity or efficiency for staff.

Applying a sequence of fields is simple for most layouts because they only allow you to specify a single, linear list of fields. However, page layouts uniquely allow you to group fields into sections and organize them across two columns, so this field sequence ranking is more loosely applied to page layouts.

Keep in mind that every object is unique. You can skip a rank if it does not apply to your object or if strict adherence to these standards negatively affects the layout's clarity, efficiency, or consistency.

RankField(s)Description
1Name

The standard Name field, which links to the original record.

2Alternate Name

An alternate or shortened name that is typically always populated and helps identify records. For example, the Entity Short Name or the Category Title are helpful to include, whereas the Account Casual Name is generally not helpful.

3Record Type

The Record Type or a custom field that categorizes records. For example: the Product Record Type or the Committee Type.

4Lookup(s)

The principal lookup field(s) that helps identify records. Lookup fields render as links so users can easily navigate to related records.

When sequencing multiple lookup fields, prioritize the lookup field that:

  • Most clearly distinguishes the record from others and/or
  • Links to a related object that is more central in the data model

For example, a lookup field to Account is generally the first lookup field listed because:

  • It clearly distinguishes a membership record from others
  • Account is central to the Nimble AMS data model.

For junction objects—that is, objects that link together two parent objects—the first lookup field is the first object listed in the junction object's name. For example, for Membership Type Product Link, rank Membership Type before Product.


Less important lookup fields are included in the "Miscellaneous" rank.

5Contact Info

The principal contact info for the record, listed in the following sequence:

  • Email
  • Phone
  • Website

Less important contact fields are included in the "Miscellaneous" rank.

6Status

The principal status field for the record. Some objects have both a Status and Status Flag field, in which case we recommend only displaying the Status Flag field.

The status does not need to be included for an object in which nearly all records have the same status. For example, the Account Status is typically Active. However, if your association regularly uses Status to indicate inactive accounts, you may want to include it.


7Date(s)

The principal date field for the object that indicates when the record occurs or begins.

If an object has an additional date field that indicates when the record ends, it can be included. For example, Committee Membership Start Date and End Date clearly inform users the exact term for the record.


8Financials

The principal financial field(s) for the record. They are listed in the following sequence:

  • Quantity
  • Unit Price
  • Total Price
  • Payment
  • Balance

For example, Order Grand TotalTotal Payment, and Balance clearly indicate the financial status, while Order Item Line QuantityUnit Price, and Total Price clearly indicate how the total price was calculated.


9Community Hub

The principal field(s) used for Community Hub configuration, listed in the following sequence:

  • Self Service Enabled
  • Bill Me Enabled (not displayed by default)
  • Other Community Hub configuration fields

If Bill Me is used by the client, it can be added to layouts, as needed.

10Miscellaneous

Other helpful fields for the record can be included here, at the end of the sequence, such as less important lookup fields and additional contact info. The Highlights Panel component on Lightning record pages displays email and phone fields in a dropdown list below higher-ranked fields of the same data type.

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Miscellaneous fields that exist on multiple objects—such as Entity Name—should be listed last and in the same sequence, so that more object-specific miscellaneous fields can precede them.

Compact Layout Standards

Compact Layout Design Guidelines provide standards for when to create new compact layouts, how to name them, and how to organize fields.

Learn more.

List View Standards

List View Design Guidelines provide standards for when to create new list views, how to name them, and how to organize fields.

Learn more.

Page Layout Standards

Page Layout Design Guidelines provide standards for when to create new page layouts and how to name them. They also provide guidelines for organizing buttons, actions, sections, fields, custom links, and related lists.

Learn more.

Search Layout Standards

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

Learn more.

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