Page Layouts

On This Page

• Where to Find It
• Settings
• Dependencies and Precedence
• Change Impact and How to Revert
• Permissions
• Validation and Errors

Use a page layout to choose which fields staff see when they open, create, or edit a record. The layout also controls each field’s group, order, and label on that page. For the concepts behind layouts, see Page Layouts Explained.

Where to Find It

• Custom objects: Go to System & Security › Custom Objects › [object name] and open the Layouts tab. Select Create Page Layout to build a layout, or use a row’s Clone, pencil, or trash icon. The default row says This is the default page layout.
• Membership: In the Membership Console, open the Membership & Committees Setup menu, then choose Membership › Page Layouts or Chapters › Page Layouts.
• Submissions: In the Submissions Console, open the Setup menu, then choose Submissions › Page Layouts.

In the Membership and Submissions lists, the create button opens Create a Page Layout. Select Start from an empty form to begin with a blank layout, or copy an existing layout under Custom Forms. Both options open the same designer.

Settings

Setting	Options	Default	Effect
Page Layout Name:	Any text	New [object name] Page Layout for a new layout; Copy of [source name] for a clone	Required. This name appears in lists and pickers.
Add Component	Field Group, Text Block, Table, Web Component, From Another Form...	—	Adds the component to the bottom of the layout. Use From Another Form... to copy a component from another layout for the same record type. Drag cards to change their order.
Field Group Options field list	Select any fields. Search for Fields narrows the list by label.	—	Lets you choose the group’s fields from the record type’s built-in, custom, and system fields.
Field Group Layout:	two column, one column	two column	Shows the group’s fields at half width or full width. A field with its own width setting still uses that width.
Selected Fields (n)	Drag tiles, remove one with the ×, or remove all with Clear	The group’s current fields	Sets the order of the fields in the group.
Field Display Label/Prompt: (in Edit Field)	Any text	Blank, which uses the field’s own label	Changes the field’s label on this layout only.
Required: (in Edit Field)	Make Required / Make Optional (default), or Make Optional / Make Required (default)	The button marked (default), which keeps the field’s own setting	Choose the (default) button to keep the field’s own required setting. Choose the other button to reverse that setting on this layout only.
Make optional in the console (in Edit Field)	On or off	Off	Lets staff leave a required custom field empty in the Console. Portal users must still answer. This appears only for custom fields required on this layout.
Constrain Acceptable Values: (in Edit Field)	Any of the field’s values. You can also type a value.	Blank, which offers all values	Offers only the values you choose on this layout.
Heading Text: and Html: (Header & Text tab)	Text and formatted text	Empty	Adds a heading and explanatory text above the component.
This component is only visible in certain conditions (Conditional Visibility tab)	Off, or on with Rule Set or Expression	Off	Shows the component only when the condition is met. The card then says Conditional Visibility Enabled.
Initialization Hook (Hooks tab)	none, expression, Web + Expression	—	Runs an expression or web call when the component starts (Form Hooks and Expressions).
Table Custom Field: (table only)	This object’s custom fields of the table type	—	Chooses the rows the table edits. The table needs this setting to work.
Page Layout (new table entry):	The other object’s layouts	Use default page layout	Sets the layout used when you add a row.
Page Layout (editing table entry):	The other object’s layouts	Same as edit page layout	Sets the layout used when you edit a row.
Text (Add New Record), Text (No rows/records), Minimum # of Rows, Maximum # of Rows	Text and numbers	Add Record, No records to display., No minimum, Unlimited	Sets the add button text, empty-table text, and row limits.
Table Fields	Pairs of Field and Label, added with Add Field	The object’s default table fields	Chooses the table’s columns.
Component Tag: (web component only)	Any text	Empty	Names the custom web component to show.
(make default) (custom object Layouts tab)	One layout per object	None until you choose one	Makes this layout the one used to show and edit the object’s rows.

Dependencies and Precedence

• Fields come first. Page layouts place fields that already exist, so create any missing fields first (Custom Fields). The designer also links there from Don't see the field your looking for? This applies to built-in fields too. For example, staff can edit and save Last Name in the Console only when that field is included in the contact layout.
• Built-in fields don't show in the Console. If you choose a built-in field, the designer warns, "Important: You have selected built in fields for this layout." The Portal allows built-in fields, but the Console does not display them or let staff edit them.
• Custom objects need a default layout and table fields. Until you choose a default, the object’s page warns, "No custom page layout has been set for this object; you should set one by going to Layouts and choosing a default." If no default table fields are chosen, the page links you to set them "so that page layouts function correctly" (Custom Objects). A missing or unset default layout on a custom object can also cause a Portal record-view error, so check the object’s default layout when a Portal custom object page errors.
• Table headers use Rhythm's standard styling. There is no setting for header color, background, or font. Table Fields controls only which columns show and what their labels are.
• Latitude and longitude are not layout fields. They exist for each address type so you can query on location, but you cannot add them to a page layout or edit them directly. If you need to see or work with them, use a query instead.
• Some Membership settings also depend on page layouts. Under Setup › Other Settings › Page Layouts and 360 Screens, turning on Allow Members to Update Directory Opt Out Info adds a Portal component that lets members check or uncheck the fields your directory layout marked as hideable. Without it, members cannot save directory opt-out choices themselves.
• Which layout is used:
  • For a custom object row, Rhythm uses the object’s default layout.
  • In a table component, Rhythm uses the layouts named for new rows and edited rows, if they are set.
  • For Membership, Membership settings name the console, portal, and chapter layouts.
  • For Submissions, each submission type names its console layout.

Change Impact and How to Revert

• Saving makes the change live immediately; there is no publish step.
• Removing a field from a layout removes it from that page only. The custom field itself is not deleted, and you can add it back at any time. This also applies to parts of a name component, such as a middle name or middle initial. Staff can edit that value only while its field is present on the active layout. Add the field to edit the value, then remove the field again if you want it hidden.
• To undo an override, clear the label or choose the (default) button, then save. Overrides never change the field’s own definition.
• Before you make a large change, clone the layout. To go back, make the copy the default or edit the original layout back.
• Cancel returns you to the list without saving. If you changed the page, Rhythm asks you to confirm first: "You have unsaved changes! If you leave, your changes will be lost." Changing only the name does not trigger this prompt.
• Deleting a layout cannot be undone. On a custom object, make another layout the default before you delete the current default. On Submissions, deleting a layout does not clear it from submission types that name it, so choose another layout on those types first.

Permissions

To manage page layouts in Membership and Submissions, you need the same access required to manage that application’s forms. In Submissions, one permission covers both. You manage custom object layouts from the custom object’s own page, so whoever manages your custom objects also manages their layouts. If your organization’s security settings do not let you create or delete, the button is unavailable and shows "Access Denied: You must have [permission] permission for the request resource in order to continue. Please see your system administrator."

Validation and Errors

What you see	Meaning and what to do
Save is unavailable	The layout has no name. Enter one.
"Unable to save form" with a reason	Rhythm refused the save. Your work stays in the designer, so fix the problem and save again.
"Unable to load custom object", "Unable to load form", or "Unable to load web form"	Rhythm could not open the layout or object. Go back and try again.
"ERROR: You have not specified a table field. This component will not function properly on the form."	Choose a Table Custom Field: for the table component.
"No web component defined. Please define a web component tag."	Enter a Component Tag:.
A Form Errors card in a component dialog	Correct the listed settings before you select Save Changes.
"Unable to set default page layout"	Rhythm could not make the layout the default, and the object may need fixing on its edit page. You can also see this message when a delete fails, even though you were not changing the default.
"Unable to delete" followed by the kind of item, in a Membership or Submissions list	Rhythm refused the delete, and the layout remains.

Warning

If "Unable to save form" appears for a new or cloned layout, check the list before you save again. The layout may already have been saved, and saving again would create a second copy.