Manage Objects – Create, Edit, Delete

Intro

This section describes the different interaction flows for managing objects. These flows include create, edit, and delete. They can be used for all floorplans, depending on the use case and the type of object being processed, such as:

Simple object
Part of an object
Object with subpages – main page and subpages refer to different objects (for example, a sales order and contacts)
Object with subpages – main page and subpages refer to one object (for example, a sales order and sales order items)

The flows make use of forms, tables, and other controls. You can apply them as part of the dynamic page and flexible column layout. For all flows, you can also opt to incorporate draft handling.

If multiple objects (or parts of them) need to be edited simultaneously, check out the article on mass editing.

The section on usage below provides an overview of each flow to help you choose the best one for your use case.

Responsiveness

The edit and create patterns reflect the responsive behavior of the forms and controls they use.

Usage

Use the simple flow to create, edit, or delete a whole page or object. If the object has subpages, use the local flow or global flow instead.

Use the partial flow if you want to let the user edit only part of an object (single sections or items). There are two variants:

Partial edit in place (recommended): A local Edit button makes the content editable. The basic layout remains unchanged.
Partial edit with dialog: The Edit button opens a dialog with the editable fields. Use this option if the layout in edit mode differs substantially from the layout in display mode.

Tip: If your page contains a lot of editable sections, consider switching the whole page to edit mode (simple flow).

Use the local flow or global flow if your object contains subpages:

Use the local flow with reference items if your system setup requires every subpage to be saved separately (for different objects, such as a sales order and contacts). To leave a subpage in edit mode, the user has to save the changes, or discard them (data loss message).
Use the global flow with subitems if you want to let the user navigate freely between the main page and multiple subpages in one editing session (for one object, such as a sales order as the main object with sales order items as closely related subpages). In this case, the subpages do not have an explicit Save button. Any changes to the subpages are saved automatically in the background (temporary save). After editing, the user has to navigate back to the main page to save or discard the changes to all subpages.

Tip: If you want to keep unsaved changes for the local or global flows, you need to implement draft handling.

Managing objects - When to use what

Naming Guidelines

Object actions, such as create, edit, and copy, come with a special mode that is reflected in the object name (header title within dynamic page layout or the snapping header of the object page). To be consistent across SAP Fiori and to avoid redundancies, the wording for the object name is also aligned with the page title in the launchpad shell bar. These naming conventions have already been implemented in the SAP Fiori elements framework, except for the subobject level <Subitem> (1 of 10).

Note: This alignment applies to all pages in SAP Fiori, even if the dynamic page or object page is not being used.

Action	Label of Triggering Button	Title in Shell Bar (example)	Object Name (Placeholder) in Header Title (within app)
Display	Navigation link	Purchase Order
Create	Create [Purchase Order]	Purchase Order	New Purchase Order
Edit	Edit [Purchase Order]	Purchase Order
Copy	Copy [Purchase Order]	Purchase Order	Copy of Purchase Order
Display Subitems	Navigation link	Purchase Order Items (1 of 10)
Add Subitem	Add [Purchase Order Item]	Purchase Order Item	New Purchase Order Item
Edit Subitems	Edit [Purchase Order Items]	Purchase Order Items (1 of 10)
Copy Subitem	Copy [Purchase Order Item]	Purchase Order Item	Copy of Purchase Order Item

Dynamic page with header title

Resources

Want to dive deeper? Follow the links below to find out more about related controls, the SAPUI5 implementation, and the visual design.

Elements and Controls

Form (guidelines)

Implementation

Form (SAPUI5 samples)
Simple Form (SAPUI5 samples)