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Create or open a canvas view

Load a new or existing canvas view​

To get started, either create a new canvas view or open an existing one. Feel free to create or open another at any time! If the current canvas view has any unsaved changes, you'll be prompted to save before continuing.

You can create any number of canvas views for yourself. However, keep in mind that your subscription has a total limit! You can also share your canvas views with some or all of the users in your customer project.

Create a canvas view​

On the start screen, select Create item canvas. If you already have one open, select + Create in the top-right corner instead. Choose one of the following options.

The Create View menu

Create new​

To create a new canvas view from scratch, choose Create new. Fill in the following fields as needed:

  • Name * - enter a distinct name for the canvas view.

  • Design or interface * - choose the design/interface that the canvas view will apply to.

  • Icon - use the icon picker to change the canvas view's icon. By default, the icon of the chosen design/interface is used.

  • Colour - use the colour picker to change the canvas view's colour. By default, the colour of the chosen design/interface is used.

  • Screen tags - select at least one screen tag. These represent scenarios that the canvas view can be used in. If you like, you can create different canvas views for different use cases!

    For example, you could have one canvas view that targets the Boards app (WEB/BOARDS/*), one that targets Alloy Mobile (MOBILE/ALLOYMOB/*), and one that targets Alloy Web (Application on web platform).

    Custom tags

    Select Add custom tag to define your own. Use the format platform/application/screen as follows:

    • platform - enter WEB, MOBILE (Android/iOS) or * for all.

    • application - target an individual app, e.g. LISTS, BOARDS, ALLOYWEB or \* for all.

    • screen - target a specific screen or process within an app, e.g. ActivitiesCreateTeam (The Create Teams process in Alloy Web) or * for all.

    Alternatively, just select All platforms, applications and screens! 😅

Select Create to finish. You can then edit the canvas view to configure its layout and add data sections.

The Create View window displaying the properties of a new canvas view
Note

If you're unable to create a canvas view, your subscription may have reached its limit. Consider deleting canvas views that are no longer needed or contact Support for assistance.

From template​

To create a canvas view based on an existing template, choose From template and then choose one from the list. Some of the available templates may have been created by your organisation. Others may be included with optional modules that were installed for your customer project.

A copy of the chosen template will be created, ready for you to start editing. Any changes you make are saved to the copy, not the original template! This makes it easy to reuse established layouts and quickly produce canvas views for related designs/interfaces.

For example, you could create a canvas view for the Jobs interface, which would apply to all job items. You could then use it as a template for creating similar canvas views that are tailored to specific job designs.

An example list of item canvas templates

Open a canvas view​

To open an existing canvas view in the current customer project, select Item canvas on the start screen. If you already have one open, select Open Canvas in the top-left corner, or select Search in the top app bar.

By default, the Search window displays all the canvas views available to you. Depending on your last search, you may need to select the button beside the search box and choose the Item canvases category to see them. To search the available canvas views, enter one or more terms into the search box, and then press the Enter key.

Browse the search tabs to see:

  • Results - the canvas views that match your search terms and settings.

  • Recent - the things you've recently viewed across all the Alloy Apps, including canvas views, items and other features.

Select a result to open it. To open it in a new browser tab, use middle-click or Ctrl-click.

A list of canvas views in the Search window
Note

To learn more about searching for canvas views and other things, see Search in Alloy Home.

Filter results​

To refine your search results, select Advanced search on the right. You can use these settings to filter the resulting canvas views in various ways.

Only show item canvas views which:

  • Design or interface - apply to the selected design, or a design that implements the selected interface.

  • Mine - were created by you.

  • Shared - are shared specifically with you.

  • Public - are shared with everyone in your customer project.

Select Apply to filter the results according to your settings. To clear these settings (but not the search box), select Reset.

The Search window showing a filtered set of item canvas views