Skip to main content
All CollectionsSmartSuite ViewsWorking with Views
View Panel: Working with Saved Views
View Panel: Working with Saved Views

Instant insight to your data: saved views basics, available types, and using them in SmartSuite

Emma Montgomery avatar
Written by Emma Montgomery
Updated over a week ago

Feature Overview Video


In a traditional spreadsheet, every user sees the contents of your sheets in the same way—if you want to hide or freeze columns, for example, everyone else will be forced to see those changes as well.

In SmartSuite, however, you can create Views, which are set, specified ways of looking at your information. What does this mean? Well, here are some examples of views you could create:

  • If you have a Table of tasks, you could create separate Views for each workspace member to only show the tasks assigned to that particular member

  • If you have a Table with many, many fields, you can create a View that will hide certain fields and make the table a little easier to navigate.

  • If you have a Table for meetings with clients, you could create a calendar View that will plot all of your client meetings on a monthly calendar.

The important thing to understand is that a View is just a different way of looking at the same underlying data This means that if you edit the data in a record while in one view, it will change that data for all views since all views are looking at the same record.

January 2024 Update: Left Side Panel Navigation

We have introduced a new Side Navigation Panel design that simplifies View access. This collapsible side panel can be pinned open for quick access, or closed to maximize the page viewing area.

In addition, your favorite Views are now prominently displayed at the top for even quicker access. Jump to the Using the View Menu section to learn about its new features!

View Basics

Views are specific to each individual Table in your solution: you can use Views to show only specific records or fields, and apply other configurations to manage the information in that view. Each view can have its own unique configurations to hide, sort, and filter records within your solution.

You can select from the following view permissions:

My Favorites

Each user selects which views they want to be their favorites

Public Views

Managed by SmartSuite Solution Managers

Private Views

Personal views to support the specific work you are doing


Available View Types

View projects and processes in a better than spreadsheet grid format with powerful sort, filter, group, and inline edit capabilities. Build what you want, from basic to advanced.

View your data as visual cards that can include logos, images, PDFs, documents, spreadsheets, and other rich content.

Visualize a workflow through the different stages, track progress, and assign tasks in a manner that removes bottlenecks.

View records in a calendar format of your choosing, sorted by a date or date range.

View your projects and processes in a timeline format that is great for visualizing work streams and schedules over a custom period of time.

View any of your location data in a fully interactive map format that includes powerful display features. SmartSuite is your digital playground for physical locations.

Visualize your data with multiple chart types, from bar and line charts to bubble, heat map, scatter, donut, and more.

Build powerful, visually thrilling views into your information. Gain visual insight into the performance of any team, proces,s or project, and make smarter business decisions.

Collect data from external users with SmartSuite Forms. You can share a link to a responsive form view or embed it in your existing website.

The Gantt view offers a comprehensive view of task dependencies, start and end dates, duration, and assigned team members. The primary goal of Gantt View is to facilitate efficient project planning and execution by illustrating task dependencies, durations, and project milestones.


Using the View Panel

The View Panel lets you navigate all of the views and folders (which contain Views) in your Table. With our latest update, the panel is displayed on the left side of the screen, enabling quick and organized access to all of your Views.

Expanding and Collapsing the View Panel

The View Panel has two modes:

  • Expanded. The default mode, the panel displays in a fixed with on left side of the View display. You can change the width of the panel by dragging the right-side edge to expand or shrink the panel horizontally.

  • Collapsed. Clicking the arrow at the top-right side of the View Panel will collapse it. When in this state, the panel will automatically expand when you hover it, displaying your Views and folders.

To change between expanded and collapsed mode, click on the arrow icon displayed at the top-right corner of the panel. This button toggles your display between expanded and collapsed mode.

A Note About View Panel State

The state of the View Panel is saved when you change it, just for your member account. Changing View, selecting a different table or navigating across Solutions will not change its state - your preference is remembered across the entire Workspace.

You can change the configuration of the View Panel any time, and the new state will be carried with you as you navigate across your SmartSuite workspace.

Collapsed Panel Functions

Accessing Views and Folders

To access your views when the panel is collapsed, simply hover over the view panel and it will expand. While your cursor is in the panel area it will remain open and allow you to select a View, reorder views, or add additional Views.

Changing to Expanded Display

To keep the view menu open, select the arrow (pointing right) in the upper right side of the panel - it will have a tooltip labeled Open Navigation. This button toggles the view state between collapsed and expanded.

Working With Views

Whether the View Panel is collapsed or expanded by default, you work with Views and Folders in the same way. This section will explore the functions available to you as you navigate and organize your Views.

Navigating Views and Folders

Accessing a View is easy, just click on its name or icon. The right side panel of your screen will display the contents of the selected View.

There are several other features available to you as you navigate:

  • Add New View. If you have permission to add Views to the current Table, you have two ways to do so:

    • Click the Create New View button in the View Panel footer (you can also add folders by using this button)

    • Click on the plus icon (+) to the right side of a Folder's name (see more below)

  • Access a View's context menu. Click the 3-dot icon at the right side of the View's display to open a context menu.

  • Search Views. Click on the search icon to find a specific View.

  • Drag and Drop Ordering. If you have Full Access or higher permissions you can reorder Views in your list by dragging and dropping them into position.

  • Expand or Collapse Folders. Click on the name of a folder to expand or collapse it in the View Panel. More on folders below.

Add New Views - Footer Button

If you have permission to create a View, you can always use the Create New View button that is displayed in the footer of the View Panel to create a new View or folder.

  • Add New View. Click the View type you want to create, or select or click "Explore View Types" to open a larger modal that provides information about the available View types.

  • Add New Folder. Click Folder to add a new Folder to your public Views list. The folder will be added to the end of your Public Views list, defaulting to a name of "New Folder." Start typing to change its name.

View Permissions

Full access users can create or modify public saved views. They can also delete the public saved views they have created.

View Context Menu Options

Clicking the 3-dot menu icon at the right side of a View will present you with a list of available options:

  • Add to / Remove from My Favorites

  • Rename View

  • Add/Edit Description

  • Duplicate View

  • Delete View

  • View Privacy Mode

  • Autosave Changes

Note that you will only see the options displayed that you have the permission to perform. Let's explore each of these options:

Add to / Remove from My Favorites

Clicking this option toggles the View as a "favorite." Your favorite Views are displayed in a special folder at the top of the list called My Favorites. This folder is shown with a star icon when not hovered, and cannot be repositioned - it's always right up top for easy access.

Favorite Views are actually displayed in the View Panel twice, once in the My Favorites list and a second time wherever it would normally be displayed in the list. Views in folders as well as private Views can be favorites.

This same option displays as "Remove from My Favorites" when it's already on the list, allowing you to drop a View from your favorites when it's no longer in use.

Rename View

This option allows you to rename an existing View. Clicking it will put the View name into edit mode and place your cursor at the end of the text.

Add/Edit Description

You will have the option to include descriptions for Views, which can either appear as icons to the right of the View name, or be displayed below the View name when clicked for increased accessibility.

The description appears in a tooltip when you hover the View and can either appear as icons to the right of the View name.

Displaying the description directly below the View's name makes it easier for others to understand the purpose of that View.

Use the toggle control inside the Edit Description menu to set the display type.


Duplicate View

To make a copy of a View, click Duplicate View in the context menu. You'll be shown a dialog that lets you name the View. By default copied Views will be private Views, but you can choose to make it public if you have Full Access or higher permission to the Table.


Delete View

Users with Full Access or higher permission can choose to delete a View. You will be prompted to confirm the deletion, as deleted Views cannot be restored.


View Privacy Mode

Views can be in one of two privacy states: Public or Private. Public Views are displayed to all users with access to the Table, and Private Views are displayed only to the user that created them.

Locking Views (Professional and Enterprise Plans)

One other option exists here - the possibility to Lock the View. Locking a view can only be done by a Solution Manager or Admin, and locked Views cannot be modified. A Solution Manager or Admin must unlock the View prior to making modifications.

This setting is very useful for important Views that display work queues, account lists and similar data that should only be changed after careful consideration.

Locked Views are marked with a small red lock icon.


Autosave Changes

If you have permission to modify the View, you can toggle whether changes made when using the View are automatically saved. This setting defaults to ON, meaning that your changes to any View setting (sort, filter, group, etc.) are saved to the View as soon as they are made - in other words everyone displaying the View will see those changes.

For Views that are used by a large number of users you may consider toggling this setting off, which will cause SmartSuite to prompt you to save changes when you modify a View. Only when you click the Save button will the changes be applied to the View itself - otherwise your changes are only applied during your current session.


Searching Views

If your Table has a lot of views, it may be helpful for you to search for a specific View by name. Click on the search icon displayed at the top left of the View Panel to get started.

You will then have the ability to start typing, and the list of views will be limited to those containing the text that you enter. Note that Views contained in folders are searched as well, but their folder is not displayed when searching to eliminate clutter and let you hone in on the Views you're looking for.


Private Views

A private view refers to a view that is only visible to the user who created it. It is not accessible or visible to other users. Private views are useful when a user wants to focus on their own tasks and assignments without being overwhelmed by everyone else's work.

Only you can edit and save changes to your private views. They appear at the bottom of the view dropdown under "My Private Views:"

Private Views are displayed with options for renaming and ordering, similar to public folders.

Note: The My Private Views folder name is not editable and will only be displayed if there is at least one existing private view.

Saving a Private View as a Favorite

If there is a view in your private folder that you use frequently, you may want to add to your favorites. This will place the view in a folder at the top of the view menu titled My Favorites.

What Values are Saved in my Personal Saved View?

Updates to the following are saved:

  • Fields to Display

  • Sorting

  • Filters

  • Grouping

  • Spotlight

  • Row Size

Note that values for Find are NOT saved, as you generally use that setting interactively with very frequent changes.

Changing Private View Properties

It can't get any easier - all of your changes to personal saved views are saved automatically! SmartSuite will even remember what you viewed last and return you to that view during the same session.

You can inhibit autosave through the three-dot dropdown to the right of each saved view.


Working With Folders

The View folder feature allows you to organize your Views, placing them in a folder that you can name and position within the View list.

NOTE:

The view folders feature is available for Professional and Enterprise plans

Interacting With Folders

Folders can be expanded or collapsed by clicking on their name or icon in the View list. Views contained in a folder can be clicked on to display their contents, just like Views outside of a folder.

Folders have several other functions and capabilities that are available to you:

  • Adding a New View. You can add a new View that will be placed directly in the selected folder.

  • Moving Views In and Out of Folders. You can drag and drop Views into and out of folders.

  • Repositioning a Folder. You can reposition the folder in the views list.

  • Folder Context Menu. A context menu allows for renaming, opening/closing and deleting of folders.

Adding a New View

Add a new View directly into a specific folder by clicking the plus (+) icon displayed just left of the 3-dot menu when you hover over the folder. The "Explore View Types" dialog will be displayed, allowing you to choose the type of View you want to add.

Moving Views In and Out of Folders

Grab a View and you can reposition it in the View list, including moving it in and out of a folder. Release the View to drop it into position.

You can also reorder Views within an individual Folder, dragging them up or down in the list.

Repositioning a Folder

Just like Views, folders themselves can be repositioned in the View list. Grab the folder name and drag it to the spot where you want it, then release your mouse button.

Note that you cannot put folders inside of folders - dropping a folder on top of another folder will move it above or below the targeted folder, depending on when you release the mouse button.

Folder Context Menu

Clicking the 3-dot menu icon at the right side of a folder will present you with a list of available options:

  • Rename Folder. Allows you to rename the folder.

  • Collapse All. Collapses all of the folders in your View Panel.

  • Expand All. Expands all of the folders in your View Panel.

  • Delete Folder. Deletes the folder, if you have permissions to do so.


Related Video Content

Did this answer your question?