Layout & View Settings

A DocType controls two things about how its data looks: the form layout (how fields are arranged on the document page) and the view settings (how records appear in the list, report and other views). Both are configured with field properties and a few DocType-level settings, so you set them once and every client gets the same layout.

Form layout

Fields render top to bottom in the order they appear in the DocType. You shape that flow with three layout field types. They store no data; they only group the fields that follow them.

Fieldtype	What it does
`Section Break`	Starts a new section (a horizontal block). Its `label` becomes the section heading.
`Column Break`	Splits the current section into columns. Fields after it move to the next column.
`Tab Break`	Starts a new tab at the top of the form. Fields after it live under that tab.

A typical layout in JSON looks like this:

[
  { "fieldname": "details_tab", "fieldtype": "Tab Break", "label": "Details" },
  { "fieldname": "customer", "fieldtype": "Link", "options": "Customer" },
  { "fieldname": "column_break_1", "fieldtype": "Column Break" },
  { "fieldname": "posting_date", "fieldtype": "Date" },
  {
    "fieldname": "items_section",
    "fieldtype": "Section Break",
    "label": "Items"
  },
  {
    "fieldname": "items",
    "fieldtype": "Table",
    "options": "Sales Invoice Item"
  }
]

That gives you a "Details" tab with two columns (customer on the left, date on the right) and an "Items" section below holding a child table.

Collapsible sections

A Section Break can start collapsed. Turn on collapsible on the section break. To collapse it conditionally, set collapsible_depends_on to an eval: expression:

{
  "fieldname": "more_info",
  "fieldtype": "Section Break",
  "label": "More Info",
  "collapsible": 1,
  "collapsible_depends_on": "eval:doc.status == \"Draft\""
}

Field visibility

These properties live on each field and decide whether and when it shows up.

Property	Effect
`hidden`	Hides the field in the form. The value is still stored and submitted.
`read_only`	Render the field but block edits.
`permlevel`	Field permission level. Fields above level 0 are only visible to roles granted read access at that level. See Permission Model.

For conditional visibility, read-only and mandatory state (depends_on, read_only_depends_on, mandatory_depends_on), see Fields.

List view settings

The list view shows records in a table. You pick which columns appear and which filters are offered using field properties.

Property	Effect
`in_list_view`	Show this field as a column in the list view. For child tables this becomes "In Grid View".
`columns`	Column width in the list view, counted in grid units. Total across fields should stay under 11.
`in_standard_filter`	Add this field to the filter bar at the top of the list.
`in_global_search`	Include this field's value in global search. Not allowed for fields with no value, such as layout breaks.
`in_preview`	Show this field in the hover preview popup.
`in_filter`	Index the field so it can be used as a filter (older setting).

Frappe validates these when you save the DocType. in_list_view is rejected for field types that cannot render in a list (such as text editors and layout breaks), and in_global_search is rejected for fields that hold no value.

{
  "fieldname": "status",
  "fieldtype": "Select",
  "options": "Draft\nSubmitted\nCancelled",
  "in_list_view": 1,
  "in_standard_filter": 1,
  "columns": 2
}

DocType-level view settings

A few settings on the DocType itself control how records are presented across views.

Setting	Effect
`title_field`	Field shown as the record's title instead of `name`.
`show_title_field_in_link`	Show the title field (not the id) when this DocType is referenced in a Link field. Requires `title_field`.
`image_field`	Attach Image field used as the record's image in card and image views.
`search_fields`	Comma-separated fields searched in the link/search dropdown.
`sort_field` and `sort_order`	Default sort field and direction (`ASC` or `DESC`) for the list.
`default_view`	The view the list opens in by default.
`force_re_route_to_default_view`	Always send users to `default_view`, even if they navigate to another view.
`show_preview_popup`	Show a preview popup on hover in lists and link fields.

Other views

The list page is one of several views Frappe builds from the same DocType. The columns, filters and sort settings above feed into them:

List: the default table view driven by in_list_view and in_standard_filter.
Report: a spreadsheet-style view where users add and reorder any column.
Kanban: cards grouped by a Select field. Users create Kanban boards on top of a DocType; the board picks the grouping field.
Calendar, Gantt, Tree and other views are available depending on the DocType's configuration.

Set default_view to open the list in a specific one of these when the user first visits.