Why would you want to use Record Sections?

Add sections to records to organize your information, and keep your records looking clean. Sections are particularly useful for Tables with a lot of fields - our personal opinion here at SmartSuite is Solution Managers should start using Record Sections into Tables when they reach over 10 fields.

How to create record sections

General Users will notice them in open records where Solution Managers have created them.

Solution Managers can drop sections anywhere in a record layout by clicking "..." when hovering over any field near where they'd like to place a section.

Working with Record Sections

Sections have been designed with simplicity in mind. Solution Managers can add Record Sections anywhere. Section Headers will be displayed above the field where Solution Managers engage the "..." control and select "Add Section". Name each section once added.

SmartSuite treats every field beneath the section header as part of the same section. Clicking the arrow to the left of the header will collapse the section, hiding all fields within.

Modifying Sections

Once created, hovering over a section header will display our favorite "..." menu on the right. Here you can:

Rename the section
Move it up or down, i.e. moving it up shifts it above the next section (note, there must be multiple sections for this to work)
Delete the section
Collapse the section by default.

Collapse Sections by Default

When a Solution Manager chooses "Collapsed by Default," general users will not see the fields in the section until they click to expand.

Examples of use include:

Collapsing a section called "Getting Started" with a SmartDoc field using a Default Value to describe how to use a table or apply a process. The section then acts as an informative process reference for general users.

Creating a basic workflow within a table with sections that are collapsed and easy for general users to understand the process steps that need to be completed.

Keeping those infrequently used fields off the primary display to make it easier for users to focus on the important items.

Section Descriptions

You can add descriptions below the record sections. Each section can have a multi-line description. Click on the three-dot menu to add one. Use up to 750 characters to explain a particular section's purpose

Switching or editing the description can be done through the three-dot menu, switching it to edit mode to be deleted or modified.

Page Settings: Show / Hide / Manage Sections

While viewing the record, locate and click on the Page Settings button. This button is typically represented by a gear icon or labeled as "Settings."

In the Page Settings modal, you will see a new tab named "Fields" Click on this tab to access the field management options.

By default, all sections are accessible, meaning they are displayed on the edit record page. Click on the eye icon next to any of the sections you wish to hide from the record view.

Upon clicking, the section will now be hidden from the record view. To show the section again, simply click the eye icon again.

From the page settings, you can also change the Section name, add a description, indicate whether to collapse by default, or delete the section entirely.

Conditional Record Sections

Solution Managers can now manage the visibility of sections within the open Record View depending on values in other fields. The record’s layout can adapt to certain workflows, showing sections only when they are needed.

Learn how to set up conditional sections here.