How to Configure Menu Layouts and Quick Access in CrmLeaf
All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. Menu layouts are configured at platform level by a Super Admin; Quick Access pinning is available to every user.
Availability: All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. Menu layouts are configured at platform level by a Super Admin; Quick Access pinning is available to every user.
Overview
CrmLeaf's sidebar is not fixed. What exists is declared in a registry, and where it appears is decided by a menu layout that can be different for each product edition. On top of that, every user can pin their own Quick Access favourites. This is why the manual never promises an exact three-level menu path.
The most important rule is this: a layout controls placement, never access.
How It Works
The navigation is defined in two places. A registry declares what exists and who may see it. A layout decides where it goes. Individual users then personalise their own shortcuts.
Registry declares feature → Gates checked → Layout places it → Menu style applied → User pins Quick Access
- The registry declares what exists and who may see it - the route, the icon and the gates. The gates are whether the module is enabled, which product edition applies, and which permission is required.
- A layout can place, reorder, rename, group or hide a feature, but it can never grant access. The gates stay in the registry, so a mis-set layout cannot expose a feature the account has not purchased.
- Layouts are per product edition, and can optionally be tied to a package. A layout with no edition set applies to all of them. Layouts can be cloned between editions, which is the fastest way to start a new one.
- Two menu styles ship side by side. The newer style is flat and grouped by feature with no app switching. The legacy style is a per-app sidebar. The style is chosen per product edition by a Super Admin switch; a global force-legacy flag takes priority, then the layout's own setting, then the legacy default.
- Users personalise their own navigation. Each user can pin up to 12 favourites into a Quick Access area, and can move a group between the sidebar and a "More" fly-out. These choices are saved per user and per Company.
- Modules register their own menu entries by shipping a menu file, so a newly enabled module contributes its entries automatically.
Who Can Use This Feature?
Administrator
- Plan the grouping, order and labels that suit each edition's workflow.
- Request or apply layout changes, and clone a layout between editions.
- Explain to users that hiding an item is not a security control.
User
- Pin up to 12 favourites to Quick Access.
- Move a group between the sidebar and the "More" fly-out.
- Use Search when a screen is not where a document says it is.
Access depends on the modules and role assigned by your Administrator. Menu layout editing is a Super Admin function at platform level.
Prerequisites
- The modules whose features you want to place are enabled for the account.
- Permissions are already set, because the layout cannot change them.
- For layout editing, Super Admin access to the platform.
What a Layout Can and Cannot Do
| Action | Possible in a layout? |
|---|---|
| Place a feature in a group | Yes |
| Reorder features and groups | Yes |
| Rename a feature's menu label | Yes |
| Hide a feature from the menu | Yes |
| Apply a different arrangement per product edition | Yes |
| Clone an arrangement to another edition | Yes |
| Grant a user access to a feature | No - access comes only from the module being enabled and the user's permission |
| Expose a module the account has not purchased | No - the module gate is in the registry |
For Administrators
Step 1: Decide the grouping before editing anything
What to do: Write down the groups your edition needs and the order features should appear in. Follow the way your teams actually work - for a Payroll account that usually means HR, attendance, leave and payroll first.
What to verify: Every feature your users need appears once, in a group they would look in.
Step 2: Open the Menu Layouts editor
What to do: Select the layout for the product edition you are configuring, or clone an existing layout as a starting point. Set the edition the layout applies to; leaving it blank applies the layout to all editions.
What to verify: The layout you are editing names the edition you intend to change.
Step 3: Arrange groups, order, labels and visibility
What to do: Create the groups, place features into them, set the order, adjust labels where your industry uses different wording, and hide the features your edition does not use. Save the layout.
What to verify: Sign in as a user on that edition and confirm the sidebar matches the plan. Anything the user cannot reach is a permission or module question, not a layout one.
Step 4: Choose the menu style for the edition
What to do: Set whether the edition uses the newer flat, feature-grouped menu or the legacy per-app sidebar. Remember the resolution order: the global force-legacy flag wins, then the layout's own setting, then the legacy default.
What to verify: A test user on that edition sees the intended style.
Step 5: Clone the layout to another edition if needed
What to do: Clone the finished layout to a second edition and adjust the differences rather than rebuilding it.
What to verify: The cloned layout is attached to the correct edition and does not affect the original.
For Users
Step 1: Pin the screens you use every day
What to do: Pin your most-used features to Quick Access. You can pin up to 12. Pins are saved per user and per Company, so each account you belong to keeps its own set.
What to verify: The pinned items appear in your Quick Access area after reloading.
Step 2: Tidy the sidebar with the "More" fly-out
What to do: Move a group you rarely use out of the sidebar into the "More" fly-out, or bring a group back into the sidebar.
What to verify: The group is still reachable in its new position.
Step 3: Use Search when a path does not match
What to do: If a help article names a screen you cannot find, use Search. The arrangement of your sidebar depends on your edition and your account's layout.
What to verify: You reach the screen and can pin it so you do not have to search again.
Expected Result
Each product edition has a menu arrangement that fits its workflow, features that are not relevant are hidden without changing anyone's access, and individual users have their own Quick Access pins and group placement.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- Hiding a feature is not a security measure. Access is controlled only by whether the module is enabled and what the user's permission scope allows.
- Renaming a menu label does not rename the feature elsewhere in CrmLeaf. Reports, notifications and help articles continue to use the product name.
- Per-edition layouts are the live behaviour. Layouts can also be tied to a package, but that capability is not in general use.
- Newly enabled modules contribute their own menu entries automatically, so check the layout after enabling a module.
- Quick Access pins are limited to 12 per user per Company.
Common Scenarios
Example: a payroll-led account. The Super Admin clones the Worksuite layout to the Payroll & HR edition, promotes the HR, attendance, leave and payroll groups to the top, and hides the procurement features that this edition does not use. Access is unchanged; only the arrangement is.
Example: a field technician. A technician uses only three screens. They pin those three to Quick Access and move the finance group into the "More" fly-out, so their sidebar shows only what they need.
Example: industry wording. A construction account renames a menu label to the wording its site engineers use, so the sidebar matches the language on site.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| A feature was placed in the layout but a user still cannot see it | The user's permission for that feature is none, or the module is not enabled | Set the permission scope and enable the module. Layouts cannot grant access. |
| The sidebar looks different from a colleague's | Different edition, different layout, or different pinned items and group placement | Compare the edition and the user's own pins. Use Search to find a screen. |
| A layout change had no effect | The layout is attached to a different product edition, or the edition resolves to the legacy style | Check the edition on the layout and the menu style resolution order. |
| A newly enabled module is not in the menu | Its entries have not been placed in the layout, or the user lacks permission | Review the layout after enabling a module, then check permissions. |
| A user cannot pin another favourite | The 12-item Quick Access limit has been reached | Unpin an item first. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a menu layout to restrict what a user can open?
No. A layout can hide an item from the menu, but it never grants or removes access. Use permissions.
How many Quick Access items can I pin?
Up to 12, saved per user and per Company.
Why do two accounts I belong to look different?
Layouts are configured per product edition, and the two accounts may be on different editions with different layouts, different enabled modules and your own separate pins.
Can I rename a feature for my industry?
A layout can rename the menu label. The product name is still used elsewhere in CrmLeaf.
Which menu style will my users see?
The one resolved for their product edition: the global force-legacy flag first, then the layout's own setting, then the legacy default.
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