When not to use Smart Layouts
Summary
SmartLayouts provide users with professional-looking, high productivity forms. Using SmartLayout tables on a work object form ensures uniform vertical and horizontal alignment of fields and labels. To learn more about SmartLayouts, see How to create attractive flow actions using SmartLayouts.
However, your application may include section, harness, and flow action forms that do not require SmartLayouts. Although no automated conversion is possible, following these tactics helps ensure a consistent approach and can reduce the effort involved.
SmartLayouts are best used on layouts that appear in multiple places and need to align with other screen elements. If you are creating a oneoff, for example a header, SmartLayouts are not necessary (though sometimes useful to ensure that elements don not shift around). Merging cells in a SmartLayout is not recommended. Instead, add a new layout to handle the exception case.
Avoid SmartLayouts with elements that need to control their own sizing. For example:
- List–to–list view control
- Menu Bar (used primarily in Composite Portals)
- List View displays
- Charts control
- Work Area (used primarily in Composite Portals)
Suggested Approach
There are instances where SmartLayouts are not appropriate, when you have layouts that control their own width and single, "one off" instances that do not repeat.
Layouts that control their own width
Double
Single
Free From
Single Instance
A unique header is a good example of a single instance that is not used again or repeated in the section, and is therefore best done without using a SmartLayout.
