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Feature Availability

Vtiger Editions: One Pilot | One Growth | One Professional | One Enterprise | One AI

Introduction

Dependent Fields and Blocks (also referred to as Dynamic Fields) allow administrators to define dynamic business rules at the field or block level. These rules control the visibility, mandatory status, and read-only access of fields and blocks based on specific conditions.

By showing only relevant fields when required, Dependent Fields and Blocks help reduce screen clutter, improve data accuracy, and enhance user experience across record views.

This feature supports dynamic behavior in the following screens:

• Detail View
• Edit View
• Mass Edit
• Workflows (Create Record and Update Fields actions)

Key Features

The key features of the Dependent Fields and Blocks are:

• Dynamic Field and Block Visibility
  • Show or hide specific fields or entire blocks based on user selections in Picklist or Checkbox trigger fields.
• Conditional Mandatory Fields
  • Automatically make fields mandatory only when predefined conditions are met, ensuring accurate and complete data capture.
• Read-only Field Control
  • Restrict field editing by dynamically setting fields to read-only when specific conditions apply.
• Block-level Dependencies
  • Configure dependencies at the block level and add multiple child-field dependencies within a single block.
• Multiple Conditions Support
  • Apply multiple conditions to a dependency using logical operators such as Equals and Not Equals.
• Consistent Field Order
  • Dependent fields retain the same order as defined in the module layout, even after edits.
• Broad View Support
  • Works seamlessly across Detail View, Edit View, Inline Edit, Mass Edit, and supported Workflow actions.
• No-code Configuration
  • Set up complex business logic using an intuitive UI—no scripting or custom development required.

Key Benefits

The benefits of Dependent Fields and Blocks are:

• Reduces Screen Clutter
  • Displays only relevant fields and blocks, keeping record views clean and easy to navigate.
• Improves Data Quality
  • Ensures critical fields are filled only when required, minimizing incomplete or incorrect records.
• Enhances User Experience
  • Simplifies data entry by presenting users with contextually relevant information.
• Supports Complex Business Processes
  • Easily adapts CRM screens to different products, customer types, or deal stages.
• Increases User Adoption
  • Reduces confusion and errors, helping users work faster and more confidently.
• Maintains Process Consistency
  • Enforces business rules uniformly across teams without relying on manual checks.
• Saves Time and Effort
  • Eliminates unnecessary fields and validation steps, speeding up record creation and updates.

In this article, you will learn about:

• Dependent Fields and Blocks
• Adding a new dependency

Dependent Fields and Blocks

Below are the prerequisites:

• Set up Blocks and Fields in Module Layouts and Fields > Detail View Layout.
• Define the Picklist or Checkbox fields that will be later used as a Trigger field.

 

1. Firstly, the controller (Trigger) field is activated. 
2. Next, the specified conditions are checked against the Trigger field.
3. Lastly, based on the access rules, the Dependent Fields and Blocks are shown. 
4. Each time the condition matches, the dependent field is to be filled in by users.

Consider this example.
A customer sells insurance for Products A and B. He has 120 custom fields for Product A and 120 custom fields for Product B. The customer’s requirement is straightforward.  They don’t want Product B’s fields visible while working on Product A, and vice versa.

Here is the solution.
With the help of Dependent Fields and Blocks, we can achieve the above requirement. When the customer selects Product A from a Picklist or Checkbox field, only the fields related to Product A are shown; when he selects Product B, only the fields related to Product B are shown.

Configuring a Dependency

Once you understand the functionality, configuring the dependency is quite easy. We have divided the process into four steps for clarity. Read on...

Step 1: Accessing the Dependent Fields and Blocks screen

This is the primary step for accessing the Dependent Fields and Blocks screen.

1. Log in to your CRM account.
2. Go to the main Menu.
3. Click Settings.
4. Go to Module Management.
5. Click Module Layouts & Fields.
6. Select the module for which you want to configure dependent fields.
7. Click the Dependent Fields/Block tab.

Step 2: Adding a new dependency

You can add both block dependency and field dependency here.

If you choose a block dependency, you can add multiple child field dependencies under it. You cannot do the same for a field dependency.

8. Click +New Dependency. 
9. Click the drop-down under the Dependent Fields/Block column.
10. Select a block or field.
11. If you wish to add a child field dependency under a block, click +New Field Dependency. 

Step 3: Setting the access rules

Once you decide on the dependent blocks and fields, you must specify the user’s action on the field.

12. Click the drop-down under the Access column.
13. Choose the access rule. For block dependencies, the default and only option is Show, which shows the block. For field dependencies, you can choose among the following options:
    • Show (Read + Write) - Show the field with read and write access.
    • Show (Read + Write & Mandatory) - Show the field and make it mandatory with read and write access.
    • Mandatory - Make the field mandatory.
    • Show (Read only) - Show the field with only read access.

Note:

• If you wish to add another action to the same dependency, click +New Action, then repeat steps 12 and 13.
• Fields that are defined as mandatory at the module level (in Detail View Layout) are not affected by the access rules set in Dependent Fields and Blocks. This applies only to Show (Read + Write & Mandatory) and Mandatory access rules.

Step 4: Specifying the conditions

Once you add the access rules, you must mention the trigger field and its value. The trigger is a condition that must be satisfied for the dependent fields/blocks to be shown.

14. Click the field drop-down under the Condition column.
15. Select a field. Only picklists and checkbox fields will appear here.
16. Click the operator drop-down. 
17. Select either equals or Not Equals.
18. Enter the picklist value in the text field.
19. Click Save to save the dependency.

Note:

• If you wish to add another condition for the same dependency, click +Add Condition and repeat steps 14-18.
• You can delete a condition by clicking the Delete icon next to the condition.  

You can edit or delete an existing dependency by hovering over the dependency.

Limitations

• A dependent field cannot be a controller (Trigger) field.
• If you move the Trigger field to a different block in the Detail View Layout after setting up a dependency rule, you must reset the rule associated with the Trigger field. 
• When a Trigger field is disabled, the condition is in Strikeout mode.
• Dependent fields will slow the list views. If List View columns include dependent fields, loading the list may take longer.