Zoho CRM page layouts: how multiple layouts work and what to check first

What layouts are, per Zoho

• Page layouts let one module hold different sets of fields, sections and processes without creating separate modules.
• Layouts can differ in fields, sections, pick-list values and which fields are mandatory. Zoho warns that the difference between layouts must be clearly defined.
• Each module has a Standard layout that you can rename, customise or clone.
• Each layout gets a system-generated Layout field recording which layout a record was created through; it can be used in custom views, auto-follow rules, lead assignment rules and approval processes.
• Users with the Module Customization permission can access the feature. Zoho's FAQ says that if you cannot create a new layout, you are either not on the Enterprise edition or lack the Customize Zoho CRM permission.

Source: Zoho Help: Page Layouts, Zoho Help: FAQs on Page layouts

Creating and assigning layouts, per Zoho

• Go to Setup, Customization, Modules and Fields, select the module, click Create New Layout, add fields and sections, save, then choose the profiles that can access it.
• Cloning copies fields, sections and their properties; you then edit the copy.
• A profile can access several layouts, but only one layout can be its default.
• Changes to a field's properties in one layout do not affect other layouts. Zoho's FAQ says field permissions apply across all layouts in the module.
• When you create layouts for the first time, existing records are assigned to the Standard layout.

Source: Zoho Help: Page Layouts, Zoho Help: FAQs on Page layouts

Which layout does a record get, per Zoho

• You choose a layout when creating records individually, importing, or through web forms.
• Through the API, records go to the layout named by the Layout ID. The help article says that if none is defined, the record goes to the Standard layout; the FAQ says API records go to the module's default layout. Test which applies in your org.
• Records from integrations such as Visitor Tracking, Zoho Books and Zoho Survey go to the Standard layout, per the article.
• Lead assignment rules work the same way: records matching no rule go to the Standard layout.
• Layout rules can move a record from one layout to another, for example with a field-update workflow.

Source: Zoho Help: Page Layouts, Zoho Help: FAQs on Page layouts

Deleting or deactivating a layout, per Zoho

• You must transfer a layout's records to another existing layout; you are prompted to do so on deactivation.
• Workflow rules remain, but their actions will not run for records that no longer meet the layout's criteria.
• Deleting a field from one layout moves it to that layout's Unused Fields, and other layouts keep it.
• A record's owner keeps access and edit rights even if the layout is not available to them or the record's layout changes.

Source: Zoho Help: FAQs on Page layouts

Before you add layouts (practical advice)

This section is advice from experience, not vendor documentation.

• Only add a layout where the fields, mandatory rules or processes truly differ. Too many layouts makes reporting and maintenance harder.
• Decide what your default layout is for integrations, imports and API, since those do not ask a person.
• Plan how existing records move before deleting or deactivating a layout.
• If only a few fields differ, consider layout rules instead of a whole new layout, and trial changes in a sandbox.

Want layouts that fit your teams?

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