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Edit Forms

Edit forms are forms built with Form Mode = Edit. They power the instance Edit page — the screen users see when they open an existing instance to change its data.

Everything about building an edit form — containers, fields, widgets, display conditions — works exactly as described in Forms. This page covers the settings and behavior that are specific to Edit mode.

Key Concept

On an Edit page, not every attribute is editable for every user. Computed attributes, permission-restricted attributes, and state-locked attributes render as read-only text. The setting below lets you hide those instead.

Form Settings — Edit Mode​

Open the form's Settings ⚙ in the Form Builder. When the form's mode is Edit, the following setting is available in addition to the standard form details:

SettingDescriptionDefault
Show Only Editable AttributesWhen enabled, the Edit page renders only the attributes the current user can actually edit. Read-only attributes are hidden instead of shown as static text.Off

This setting is not shown for Create, View, or Quick Edit forms.

How "Show Only Editable Attributes" Behaves​

With the setting off (the default), the Edit page behaves as it always has: every configured field renders, and non-editable attributes appear as read-only text.

With the setting on:

  • Only editable attributes render. An attribute is considered editable when the current user is allowed to update it on this instance — permissions, computed/calculated attributes, and lifecycle-state restrictions all factor in.
  • Empty containers are hidden. A container whose fields are all non-editable disappears entirely, and the remaining containers reflow to fill the space — no gaps, no empty boxes.
  • State and Lifecycle fields always render, regardless of editability.
  • Non-field containers are unaffected. Text/Title widgets, Standard widgets, Custom widgets, and Separators render normally.
  • Display conditions still apply. A field or container hidden by a display condition stays hidden; the editable-attributes filter applies on top.
  • If nothing is editable, the page shows the standard "No form widget available." message instead of an empty form.
Different users see different forms

Editability is evaluated per user, per instance. With this setting enabled, two users opening the same instance can see different sets of fields — that is the intended behavior, but keep it in mind when designing the layout and when troubleshooting "missing field" reports.

When to Use It​

Enable this setting when:

  • The type has many computed or system-maintained attributes that clutter the edit experience.
  • Role-restricted attributes would otherwise render as read-only noise for most users.
  • You want a lean, action-focused edit form without maintaining a second, stripped-down form definition.

Leave it off when users rely on seeing read-only context (reference data, calculated results) next to the fields they are editing.

Next Steps​