Use Extensible Flexfields

You can create a standalone table layout that uses an extensible flexfield (EFF) business object as the primary business object. You can also choose a descendant EFF business object for a dependent layout.

Like descriptive flexfields (DFF), EFF business objects have a one-to-one relationship with their parent business object. However, EFFs define additional extended attributes on child business objects. The extended attributes defined on any one-to-one children of the EFF business object are automatically expanded into the EFF layout. For more information about EFFs, see Overview of Extensible Flexfields.

Before you proceed, refer to Notes on Extensible Flexfields for information on feature interactions and limitations.

To create a layout with EFFs:

1. Create a new worksheet for your layout and click Designer to launch the New Layout Setup wizard.
2. Follow the instructions in the wizard, selecting a business object as the primary business object when prompted in the second screen..

   If you want the layout to use an EFF business object, select it here. If you want to add the EFF to a dependent layout, you'll do this in the fourth screen.

   
   

   
   Description of the illustration new-layout-eff.png

   
   

   In this example, the Additional Information business object is selected for the layout.

3. When prompted, select Table Layout or Form-over-Table.
4. When you reach the fourth screen of the wizard, you are prompted to select descendant business objects for your layout or layouts.

   If you want to add the EFF as a dependent layout, select it here. In this example, Lines as well as the EFF, Additional Information, are selected.

   
   

   
   Description of the illustration new-layout-eff-descendant.png

   
   
5. When you reach the final screen in the wizard, review the details of the new layout, then click Finish.

When you add an EFF to a layout, the EFF expands to include all global segments and the discriminator field defined on the base EFF business object as well as all the context-sensitive fields (extended attributes) defined on one-to-one children of the EFF business object.