In the ever-evolving world of Salesforce, admins and users often encounter challenges that require creative solutions. One such challenge is the limitation around “Always Displayed” fields in page layouts. This issue, highlighted in the Salesforce Idea Exchange, revolves around the inability to remove or modify certain fields that are permanently displayed on record types, regardless of their relevance or necessity.
The Core Issue: Standard "Always Displayed" Fields
Salesforce’s standard page layouts sometimes include fields marked as “Always Displayed,” (the ones with the blue circle) which can be a hindrance. For instance, you might have custom fields replacing standard ones, or you might not need to display certain fields like the Account name. This rigidity can lead to cluttered layouts and confusion, especially when these fields are not relevant to specific business processes.
Salesforce's Response and Partial Solution
Salesforce has partially addressed this issue with the introduction of Dynamic Forms in the Winter ’24 release. Dynamic Forms, available for Lightning Web Components (LWC)-enabled standard objects, offer more flexibility in customizing page layouts. However, this solution is not all-encompassing. It doesn’t extend to all objects (like Tasks) and doesn’t fully resolve the issue in Experience Cloud pages.
Workarounds for a More Tailored Experience
While Salesforce continues to develop more comprehensive solutions, there are workarounds that admins and users can employ to navigate these limitations.
1. Utilizing Dynamic Forms Where Possible
For objects that support Dynamic Forms, leverage this feature to gain more control over your page layouts. This allows for a more tailored user experience, enabling you to display only the fields that are necessary for your specific business processes.
2. Google’s Open Source Project – SF Evolve Forms:
This project offers a lot of flexibility with how you configure page layouts and lightning record pages.You can explore this solution in detail here.
3. Voting on Idea Exchange for Future Features
To influence future updates and feature rollouts, actively participate in the Salesforce Idea Exchange. Voting on ideas like Dynamic Forms for Activities and Dynamic Forms & Dynamic Actions for Experience Cloud can help prioritize these developments.
Embracing Flexibility and Innovation
Salesforce’s ecosystem is dynamic, and while certain limitations exist, the platform’s continuous evolution offers hope for more flexible solutions in the future. In the meantime, employing these workarounds can help you maintain efficiency and a clean user interface.
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