What They Are
A line item builder is the grid where somebody enters the lines of an order, quote, invoice or any other record made of items.
Where to find it
Architect Panel → Forms:
- Dynamic Add Fields — the definitions, then View Fields on a row
- Conditional Forms — show and hide rules
- Line Item Builders — the builders, then View Line Fields on a row
What a builder defines
Which table and field it belongs to, a name, whether the master row can be entered manually, how lines are displayed and grouped, an optional callback, a filter, whether all fields are forced, whether selection is fetched as you type, and which field is emphasised.
The line fields themselves are managed through View Line Fields on the builder’s row.
It is a component, not a datastore
The builder is how lines are entered and displayed. The lines themselves are records, with everything that implies — permissions, audit and reporting.
Emphasise the field people scan
Usually the description or the product name. On a grid of eight columns, one being visually dominant is what makes a long list readable at a glance.
Fetch-as-you-type matters on long lists
Where lines are chosen from a catalogue of thousands, loading them all is slow and a dropdown of thousands is unusable. Fetching matches as somebody types is the difference between a usable grid and one people avoid.
Grouping organises long documents
An order of forty lines is easier to read grouped — by category, by delivery date, by section. Grouping is display rather than structure, so it costs nothing in the data.
Manual master entry is a real choice
Whether somebody can type a line that is not in the catalogue. Allowing it is flexible and produces free-text descriptions that cannot be reported on; refusing it is clean and blocks the genuine one-off.
Most businesses need it and should watch how often it is used — frequent manual lines mean the catalogue is missing something.
Keep the columns few
Every column is entered per line. A grid with eleven columns is one where people fill in four and leave the rest, which is worse than not having asked.
Design it for keyboard entry
Somebody entering twenty lines is typing, not clicking. Tab order, sensible defaults and the ability to add a line without reaching for the mouse are what make the difference at volume.
Worked example
An order builder shows five columns with the description emphasised, fetches products as the user types, groups by delivery date, and permits manual lines. Manual line use was reviewed after three months and identified eleven products missing from the catalogue.
Recommendations
- Emphasise the field people scan.
- Fetch as you type for anything above a few hundred options.
- Few columns — each is entered per line.
- Watch manual line use as a catalogue signal.