OK so you are using the SalesLogix web client and you are searching for records using the standard group/list functionality available on the main pages like Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities.
You might say to yourself "Self, great I can find records, and look I can see some columns. You know what would be helpful? If my lookup result also had column X.". The next logical question would be lets change the Lookup Result layout. The next question is "How do I do that?"
Well in the current 7.5.1 web client it is not too easy. In fact, unless you know how it works you might say it can’t be done.
Lets take a look at how it works.
Behind the scenes, whenever you go to a main view for the first time the system checks the USEROPTIONS table to find a hidden little nugget. It uses a query similar to this:
select * from USEROPTIONS WHERE UPPER(USERID) = ‘U6UJ9A00003Q’ AND UPPER(CATEGORY) = ‘DEFAULTGROUP’ AND UPPER(NAME) = ‘ACCOUNT’
Now, the query will change depending on the currently logged in user (USERID) and what view you are opening (NAME). If you have a main view in your system called "Umbrellas" your query might look like:
select * from USEROPTIONS WHERE UPPER(USERID) = ‘U6UJ9A00003Q’ AND UPPER(CATEGORY) = ‘DEFAULTGROUP’ AND UPPER(NAME) = ‘UMBRELLAS’
If the system does not find a row it does a funny little query to determine what Group should be used as the default row. I say funny but I mean dumb. What it does is grab the first group that is returned for the current user based on a condition like:
select … from PLUGIN plugin0_
where (plugin0_.TYPE=[23 or 8] )and(upper(plugin0_.FAMILY)='{THE CURRENT VIEW FAMILY}’ )
order by plugin0_.NAME , plugin0_.FAMILY , plugin0_.DEV , plugin0_.MODIFYDATE
This is of course going to restrict the query to only groups the user has access to. Regardless, the end result is your "Lookup Result" default layout is defined by the first group it comes to alphabetically.
???
Now if you want to change your default "Lookup Result" group the only way you can do so is to delete the USEROPTIONS record for the user, then have the user log back in, go to the area you want to establish a new layout. The system will then set the USEROPTIONS based on the group it first finds. Alternatively you could update the USEROPTIONS row to have the correct record.
This is a real pain. Based on what group is available to a user the first time they go to an area of SalesLogix the default Lookup Result layout is assigned. This means each user could have different layouts for their default. It could also mean that their Lookup Results doesn’t even work (if the group on which it is based is flawed in some fashion). This group is also subject to change by another user, meaning all of a sudden your default "Lookup result" layout changes.
Ideally you would insert a row into the USEROPTIONS table or update existing rows for the user to make sure everyone has the same row. It is important you do not introduce duplicate rows in the USEROPTIONS table for any one user for the same attributes. Doing so will crash the SalesLogix web application…
Another funny side effect of this is if you have a Group with INNER JOINS that would filter out certain data rows used as your default group.
For instance, My default group has an Inner Join to Lead Source (because it is on my layout), and a condition where STATE = ‘NY’.
When SLX Picks my default group for a lookup, it does clear the conditions, but that doesn’t apply to the Inner Join. Since my layout is kept, the inner Join is kept, so now all of a sudden we get the Complaint from the users that their lookup results are wrong since it never finds a given Contact.
On 7.2 it was easier to overwrite this functionaliy. I had made it to where it was always inheriting from a set of groups I had built (depending on user membership).
Never the less, this is one of those things that get you the first time….