UI: lists, forms & UI16
How you actually see and edit records, the everyday interface.
The platform UI is remarkably consistent: learn how lists and forms behave once and you can operate almost any module, in any product. This lesson covers the two shells (UI16 and Next Experience), the anatomy of lists and forms, and the configuration layers, views, UI actions, formatters, that shape what each user sees.
- Two shells, one record model
- Lists in depth
- Forms in depth
- Views, the same record, different audiences
- Where end users actually work
The platform UI is remarkably consistent: learn how lists and forms behave once and you can operate almost any module, in any product. This lesson covers the two shells (UI16 and Next Experience), the anatomy of lists and forms, and the configuration layers, views, UI actions, formatters, that shape what each user sees.
Two shells, one record model
Crucially, the chrome changes but the record model does not, a form is the same record whether you open it in UI16 or a workspace.
Lists in depth
- Condition builder & breadcrumb, build filters visually; the breadcrumb shows the active query and lets you edit or remove conditions. Right-click it to Copy query as an encoded query.
- Personalize columns, choose which fields show (your view only). You can dot-walk to related fields here too.
- List editing, double-click a cell to edit inline; governed by onCellEdit client scripts and field ACLs.
- Grouping & aggregates, group by a field, show counts/sums per group.
- List actions, select rows and run a UI action, or update all matching records at once.
Forms in depth
Layout is changed with Form Design (drag-and-drop, everyone) or Personalize Form (just you). UI actions can run client- or server-side and can be condition-gated so a button only appears when relevant.
Views, the same record, different audiences
A view is a named form/list layout. The Default view is the full agent form; a stripped-down ess view might show a requester only a few fields. View rules switch views automatically by condition, so the same incident looks different to an agent and an end user without duplicating the record.
Where end users actually work
Most requesters never touch these back-end forms. They use the Service Portal or Employee Center, a responsive site built from widgets, while agents increasingly use configurable Workspaces with a list-and-form layout tuned for productivity. Same catalog, knowledge and records underneath.
Common mistakes
- Using Configure when you meant Personalize and reshaping everyone form.
- Relying on a hidden field for security instead of an ACL.
- Over-customising the Default view instead of creating a purpose-built view per audience.
- Forgetting a mandatory hidden field is still blocking the save.