Plan Availability | All plan types |
Permissions | Solution Managers and Administrators: Manage page layout settings. |
Related Reading |
Designing the right page layout is key to making your SmartSuite experience efficient and user-friendly. Thoughtful placement of fields, organized sections, and appropriate page layouts can dramatically improve how your team interacts with and derives value from SmartSuite.
What makes page layout important?
Page layout is fundamental to the user experience in SmartSuite. Meaning - where you place fields, how you organize sections, and the page layouts you choose impact how your team finds value in using the system.
Page layout options
When building new or making updates to existing solutions, we like to start with the data we need to capture - the fields we need to create and add to the record page.
Once you've created the fields you want to capture, it's time to organize them on the expanded “edit record” page. We recommend starting with the type of Page Layout that best fits your Table.
Setting the Page Layout
Change Page Layout in the Page Settings, accessed by clicking the "..." button in any record (available to Solution Managers and Admins only).
Select from the following options:
Single Column - this is great for simple records capturing data in a small number of fields.
Double Column 50 / 50 - this is the default layout because it provides the most versatility in organizing larger volumes of fields (data), and splits the record into two equal columns.
Double Column 70 / 30 - this layout splits the record into two columns, 70% / 30% in size. We recommend this layout for records utilizing a large number of Text, Linked Record, Files & Images, Checklists, and Sub Items fields where additional space on the form are beneficial. Other field types in the record can be added to the smaller 30% column.
Note: SmartSuite determines which fields display in the 70 column and which are displayed in the 30% portion of the 70/30 view. Shorter, single-column field types such as Date, Status, Single Select fields display on the right, while the Text Area, Checklist, Files & Images, Sub Items and SmartDoc fields are presented in the larger 70% column to the left.
Application of Page Layout
The layout you choose is applied at the Table level.
The edit record interface and layout settings apply to all records in the table, regardless of the View they are accessed from.
SmartSuite automatically arranges fields when switching between page layout options.
Fields can be organized using drag & drop to adapt to your use case or individual preferences.
Page layout use cases
1. Two Column 50/50 Default
The Two Column 50/50 layout is the default for new tables. It’s best for general tables with a mix of field types.
2. Use Two Column 70/30 for “Heavy” Field Types
We like using the 70/30 split for tables with numerous Text Area, SmartDoc, Checklist, Linked Record (Expanded Display enabled) and Sub Items field types. These particular fields span two columns by default in 50/50 view for good reason – that’s how they’re best displayed.
The HR Handbook solution is available in the Solution Library and largely contains policies, procedures and content related to HR processes. It’s a great example of when to use 70/30 view.
3. Single Column for “Quick Hit" Tables
For example, our Sales CRM Lite solution available in the Solution Library utilizes the Single Column. It includes Interaction records designed to capture casual and formal actions that may generate leads or sales opportunities.