This article provides step-by-instructions for using the View Layout Replicator in XrmToolBox.
Originally published in H2 2018 D365UG/CRMUG Magazine
One of my favorite tools in the XrmToolBox is the View Layout Replicator. This allows you to take the columns and column widths from one view and copy to another view. This is useful in a few situations:
- Creating a new entity: You have built a slick new custom entity with lots of fields. You want to adjust all the views to look the same. With the View Layout Replicator, you can update one view and then copy these changes to all the others.
PRO TIP: Always match your Default view with the Quick Find view. This will ensure that when Users search, the columns don’t change or “jump around” when results are displayed. - New fields added: You add a new field to the entity, and it needs to be visible in all existing views. Add to one, then copy this layout to all the others.
- Picky User controlling your views: A cool feature of the View Layout Replicator is that you can copy from an Advanced Find View (meaning it does not need to be a System View). So, you could allow a User to create the view they want and then use the tool to copy all the details. This will ensure that you get the column spacing just right.
Now, let’s walk through how to use the tool step by step. Let’s look at the case where you have an existing entity, and you are adding columns to a view.
Modify Your View Inside of CRM
To start we will create a solution with the view you want to edit/ copy and the view you want to copy the columns to. Here we created a solution with the Account Default Public View and the Quick Find View.
Let’s edit the My Active Accounts view by adding additional columns such as more address information. You can also change your column widths, move columns around, etc. When it looks fabulous, Save and Close then Publish your changes.
Now we are ready for the magic to happen.
Copy in XrmToolBox
Launch XrmToolBox. If you do not have it yet, you can download it at www.xrmtoolbox.com. Connect to your organization (the environment where you created the solution and modified the view). Then open the View Layout Replicator tool.
When the tool loads, the first thing you need to do is click Load Entities. This will pull in the data from your connected Organization that is needed to move forward.
You will now see all the entities in our system on the left-hand side. For this example, we will select Account to see the views on the Account entity.
The Source Views area (top right) is the view you want to copy; in our example it’s My Active Accounts. When selected, you will see the columns for that view to verify you have selected the correct view. Target Views (bottom right) allows you to choose one or more views to copy this layout to. We will select My Active Accounts on the Top and Quick Find Active Accounts on the bottom. Note the columns being displayed include the additional address columns (State, Zip) that we added to the view originally.
TIP: If you are not seeing the expected columns, make sure you have Saved and Published your changes to the Source View in your organization, then try again.
If columns look good and you have selected all your Target Views, then it’s time to pull the trigger! Click Save Views and then Publish Entity. This will make all the changes in your organization. When the publish completes, you can refresh your environment and see your handiwork.
Next Steps
Now you can go back to your CRM environment and review the magical results! Navigate to the Accounts area and check out the column on the My Active Accounts view. Now search. Verify the columns don’t change (i.e. they match your My Active Accounts view). Celebrate!
If possible, it’s best to do this in a development environment. This allows you to test the tool and perfect your views before releasing to all Users. To do this: Create your solution and include all the edited views. Use the XrmToolBox in the development environment to make the changes. After these are published, you can export the solution you created previously and import into your other environments. Now the next time someone asks for a change to all views, you can make it in just a few minutes!
