Updated: May 14, 2020

Object Page Floorplan

Information
This article contains general guidelines for the object page floorplan. Note that some features may not be available if you are using the SAP Fiori elements implementation.

For the latest information on SAP Fiori elements, see the documentation and SAP Community wiki.

You can also refer to the object page floorplan article for guideline version 1.52, which includes the main features of the SAP Fiori elements implementation. However, please note that this page is no longer updated.

Intro

The object page floorplan allows the user to display, create, or edit an object. This is the recommended floorplan for representing both simple and complex objects in SAP Fiori. The object page floorplan comes with a flexible header, a choice of anchor or tab navigation, and a flexible, responsive layout. These features make it adaptable for a wide range of use cases.

Object page floorplan
Object page floorplan

Usage

Use the object page floorplan if:

  • Users need to see, edit, or create an item with all its details.
  • Users need to get an overview of an object and interact with different parts of the object.

Do not use the object page floorplan if:

  • Users want to edit several items at the same time. Use the list report floorplan instead.
  • Users need to find relevant items without knowing the exact item details. Use the list report floorplan instead.
  • Users need to find one specific item, where the item or an identifying data point is known to the user (such as a barcode identified by a barcode scanner). Use the initial page floorplan instead.
  • Users need to be guided through a series of steps when a new object is created. Use the wizard floorplan instead.
  • The creation process for a new object is not linear, but can have different paths, depending on the information selected. Use the wizard floorplan instead.

Responsiveness

The object page floorplan is responsive and supports all SAP FIori screen sizes: small (S), medium (M), large (L), and extra large (XL).

Object page – Size S
Object page – Size S
Object page – Size M
Object page – Size M
Object page – Size L
Object page – Size L

The layout for size XL (large display) contains four columns.

The default layout for size L (desktop) contains three columns. If you want to display two content elements that require an equal amount of space, you can also use an optional two-column layout (for example, two tables next to each other). Do not use the two-column layout with forms.

Object page layout – Size L
Object page layout – Size L

The layout for size M (tablet) contains two columns.

Object page layout – Size M
Object page layout – Size M

The layout for size S (smartphone) contains one column.

Object page layout – Size S
Object page layout – Size S

Structure

Warning
Ensure that you build the object page using the dynamic header and not the former object page header. This ensures consistency across all floorplans and provides greater flexibility. For details, see the Header section below.

The object page is a full screen floorplan with a display mode, a create mode, and an edit mode.

In all modes, the object page contains:

  • A dynamic header
  • A navigation bar (optional)
  • A content area

The following sections explain these components in more detail.

Schematic visualization of the object page
Schematic visualization of the object page

Header

The header is the uppermost element of the object page floorplan. It contains key information about the business object and provides the user with the necessary context. The header also contains global actions for the object.

Ensure that you build the object page using the dynamic header and not the former object page header. This ensures consistency across all floorplans and provides greater flexibility.

The header consists of the following elements:

  1. Title (mandatory)
  2. Subtitle (optional)
  3. Global actions (optional)
  4. Object marker (optional, placed in the key information container of the dynamic header)
  5. Header content (optional)
  6. Breadcrumbs (optional)
  7. Visual indicator (mandatory if the header can be collapsed and expanded)
Object page with the dynamic header
Object page with the dynamic header

If the object page is used in the flexible column layout, it can also contain navigation actions.

Please note:

  • To display images and placeholders in the header, use the avatar control.
  • The subtitle is now below the title. (For the former object page header it was next to the title.)

For an example of an object page with the dynamic header, see this SAPUI5 sample. A sample with an image can be found here.

For more information, see the Dynamic Header section for the dynamic page layout.

Header Facets

The header content is optional and is located below the title.

It can be used to display app-specific contextual information. You build the content using smaller content containers, called facets. Each facet contains a distinct information set, as described below. If there aren’t any facets, the header content is always hidden.

The facets are arranged in line with a left float. Each facet adapts its size to the content and makes optimal use of the space without truncating the texts. If the facets do not all fit on one line, those on the right wrap to the line below.

If the header collapses, the header content is hidden. If the header content is empty, you can also hide it.

There are several types of header facets, depending on the data that they display. The facets need to be handmade for stand-alone object pages.

Form Facet (Dataset)

The form facet can be used to display datasets in the header. It consists of a headline and up to five label-text pairs.

  • The headline is optional.
  • The form facet contains at least one label-text pair, and a maximum of 5 pairs.
  • The labels can be invisible, but need to have a text for accessibility purposes.
  • The labels can be icons, but need to have a text for accessibility purposes.
  • Each text in a label-text pair can have a press event.

Form facets are typically used for document information (such as creator and creation time), address or contact information, and general information.

Developer Hint
For non-SAP Fiori element object pages only:

For each label-value pair in the form header facet, use a sap.m.Label and a sap.m.Text or sap.m.Link, nested within an sap.m.HBox.

Header facet - Form facets
Header facet - Form facets

Plain Text Facet

The plain text facet can be used to display a continuous text in the header. It consists of a headline and a continuous text.

  • The width of the facet does not depend on its content, but can be set. The default width of the facet is 300px.
  • The headline is optional.
  • If the headline is broader than the facet width, the headline will wrap.
  • Press events are only available inline in the continuous text. These can be links that navigate to another page or open a quick view. There can be more than one link in the continuous text with different actions.
Developer Hint
For non-SAP Fiori element object pages only:

To set the width of the plain text facet, nest the text within an sap.m.HBox and set the property:width of the sap.m.HBox.

Header facet - Plain text facet with default width
Header facet - Plain text facet with default width
Header Facet - Plain text facet with custom width
Header Facet - Plain text facet with custom width

Image Facet

The image facet can hold exactly one image. The header can have only one image facet, or no image facet.

The image can be:

  • Square or circular
  • An icon
  • Initials consisting of two letters

The image can have a press event. The default press event enlarges the image.

When the header collapses, the image facet moves to the left of the title and becomes smaller.

Recommended usage:

  • Use round images for people, especially for portraits. If no image is available for a person, use the person’s initials instead (first letters of the first and last names).
  • Use square images for all other images. If no image is available for an object, show a suitable icon.

Always make it clear to users how they can upload and manage images. This either be done in edit mode on the object page, or using an external tool. External tools can be helpful if there are a lot of images.

Developer Hint
Always use the avatar control for the image in the header. This applies to both expanded and collapsed images.
Header facet – Image facet specification
Header facet – Image facet specification

Key Value Facet

The key value facet contains a label in a smaller font size and a text or number in a bigger font size. It can be used to highlight important data or KPIs.

If the key value facet is used with a text, such as a status, you can also display an icon to the right of the text. This icon must only be used to visually support the text it relates to, and not to add an another aspect of meaning.

Developer Hint
For non-SAP Fiori element object pages only:

Larger value texts are now possible with the introduction of new properties for the Object Status and Object Number.

Header facet – Key value facets with KPIs and a status
Header facet – Key value facets with KPIs and a status

Micro Chart Facet

The micro chart facet consists of a headline, a subtitle, a micro chart, and a footer.

The headline and the micro chart are mandatory while the subtitle and the footer are optional. To display the unit used in the micro chart, use the footer.

The following micro charts can be used in the micro chart facet:

The micro chart facet can have a click or tap event on the chart itself. This could  lead to a page with a bigger chart or open a quick view, for example.

For more information see micro charts.

Header facet – Micro chart facets
Header facet – Micro chart facets

Progress Indicator Facet

The progress indicator facet consists of a mandatory headline and a progress indicator (sap.m.progressIndicator). In addition, it can have two supplementary texts: a subtitle and a footer.

Header facet - Progress indicator facet
Header facet - Progress indicator facet

Rating Indicator Facet

The rating indicator facet consists of a headline, a rating indicator, and one or two supplementary texts, which are dependent on the use case.

The rating indicator can be modified as described in the rating indicator article.

We recommend the following property settings when using the rating indicator in header facets:

  • 5 symbols as the default.
  • Use the Favorite icon as the symbol.
  • Display half-stars to represent decimal values.

The rating indicator facet can be used for two different use cases, which are described below.

  1. Aggregated rating:

    A typical example of an aggregated rating is the average of several user reviews for a product. The facet for aggregated rating has a mandatory header, an optional subtitle, the rating indicator itself, and a footer.

    Use the subtitle to indicate the amount of data being aggregated. For example, if you show an average rating, the subtitle shows the number of ratings.

    In the footer, display exact aggregation value. Use the format “<average rating> out of <maximum rating>”. For the average rating, use the exact value with one decimal place.
    Example: 2.2 out of 5

  2. Single value rating:

If you display the rating as a single value, the facet has a mandatory header, an optional subtitle, and the rating indicator itself. Here, you can use the subtitle for a supplementary text. Do not use a footer.

Header facet - Rating indicator facet with aggregated rating
Header facet - Rating indicator facet with aggregated rating
Header facet - Rating indicator facet with singe value rating
Header facet - Rating indicator facet with singe value rating

Toolbars

The object page supports two toolbars:

  • Header toolbar: Use this toolbar for global actions, such as Edit, Delete, Copy, and Share.
  • Floating toolbar: Use this toolbar for closing and finalizing actions, such as Save, Post, Accept, Reject, and Activate.

This applies to all object page modes (display, edit, and create).

Navigation

There are three ways to navigate within the object page:

  • Anchor bar (by default)
  • No navigation (flat scrollable page)
  • Tabs

Usage

  • To offer a flat page for a simple object, use the dynamic page to prevent having sections and navigation. Create the header in the same way as for the object page.
  • For more complex objects, use anchor or tab navigation.

Anchor Bar and Overflow

The anchor bar is the default navigation control for the object page. It consist of a series of anchor links, which are arranged horizontally at the top of the page. The anchors represent sections or subsections of the page. Clicking on these links directs the user to specific sections of the page. The anchor links remain visible when the user scrolls down the page.

Developer Hint

Anchor Bar and Overflow

Use title case for the anchor bar texts. To do this, you need to change the default capitalization (block caps) by changing the the property upperCaseAnchorBar to “false”.

Overflow

If there are more anchors than the screen can accommodate, the remaining anchors move into an overflow menu. The overflow overview button on the right of the navigation bar ( ) opens a hierarchical dropdown list of all sections and subsections. When the user scrolls down the page, the anchor links scroll horizontally to ensure that the active anchor is always visible.

You might also see a small right arrow on the anchor bar. This arrow allows you to scroll horizontally to reveal any hidden content, and only appears when you hover over the overflow menu. In the meantime, this arrow has been replaced by the overflow overview button, but is still supported technically for legacy reasons.

Responsiveness

On small screens, the anchor bar becomes a dropdown list. The text field of the dropdown list shows the section currently selected. Clicking the dropdown menu opens a hierarchical list with all the sections and subsections of the document.

Object page – Anchor bar
Object page – Anchor bar
  1. Active anchor
  2. Inactive anchor
  3. Subsection dropdown
  4. Subsection
  5. Subsection dropdown indicator
  6. Overflow carousel button
  7. Overflow overview button
  8. Overflow overview dropdown
  9. Section (hover) in overflow overview
  10. Section in overflow overview
  11. Subsection in overflow overview

Behavior and Interaction

  • Clicking an anchor link scrolls the page to the selected section.
  • Clicking a section anchor that contains more than one subsection opens a subsection menu.
  • Clicking a subsection scrolls the page to the selected subsection. The keyboard left and right arrows allow the user to move between the anchor links.
  • Hovering over the fade area to the left or right of the anchor bar causes an overflow arrow button to appear (compact mode only). The overflow arrow button is always visible in cozy mode.
  • Clicking the overflow scroll button (right arrow) scrolls the anchors horizontally to bring anchors that are hidden in the overflow into view.
  • Clicking the overflow overview button ( ) displays a hierarchical dropdown list with all the sections and subsections of the document. Clicking an item in the overflow list scrolls to the respective section or subsection.

Hiding the Navigation

You can hide the navigation bar from the object page, leaving a flat, scrollable object. We recommend using this flat view for simple content that doesn’t require anchor navigation.

Tab Navigation

As an alternative to anchor navigation, you can also opt for tab navigation. The tab bar works in a similar way to the icon tab bar, but is not the same control. Tab navigation for the object page is a variant of the anchor bar, and is handled by the object page layout control.

If you set the tab bar property (useIconTabBar = “true”), the navigation bar displays tabs instead of anchors. The object page only supports text-only tabs; icon tabs and icon/text tabs are not available. The object page sections and subsections are reflected in the tab navigation: sections of the object page become the tabs, and subsections become the internal content of the tab. The tabs can have an item counter, which is displayed in parentheses next to the title of the tab.

On small screens, the tab bar uses the same horizontal carousel overflow pattern as the icon tab bar. This differs from the dropdown approach used for the anchor bar.

Tab Bar Subnavigation

To make it easier to reach specific content on a long tab page, tabs can have subnavigation. Subnavigation is optional and the default state is “false”. If the state is set to “true”, a dropdown arrow is shown next to the tab. Clicking on the tab displays a dropdown menu with the subsection anchors for that tab.

Object page – Tab navigation
Object page – Tab navigation

Breadcrumbs

If the object page uses a hierarchical parent-child drilldown, you can offer a breadcrumb for navigation.

Content Area

The object page content consists of sections and subsections arranged in a column layout. For large documents, you can enable a lazy loading mechanism (property: enableLazyLoading) to mitigate the loading time.

Sections

Sections are containers for subsections. They provide the basic structure for navigation, and are directly reflected in the navigation bar. Sections can have a title, subsections, and actions. However, they cannot contain controls.

Use title case for the section title (property titleUppercase = “false”). The title can have an item counter, which is displayed in parentheses. If a section contains only one subsection, the title of the subsection is used as the name of the section. In this case, there is no subsection submenu in the anchor bar.

Global actions are always placed at subsection level. Sections can only contain subsections, not content. Because of this, the object page only provides toolbars for global actions at the subsection level.

Subsections

Subsections are the containers for actual content. Always place individual controls inside the subsections. Subsection content is arranged according to the column layout approach for the respective screen size. A subsection can include containers for different controls (mixed content).

Subsections have a progressive disclosure mechanism to show and hide content. App developers can specify which content is shown initially, but the user can also display everything by selecting the Show All button at the bottom right of the subsection.

Each subsection can have a toolbar, which is placed at subsection header level on the right. The toolbar contains actions that affect the content of the subsection.

Subsections can have an item counter, which is displayed in parentheses next to the subsection header.

You can include various types of related content in one subsection. The layout blocks for the object page give you the flexibility to combine different content types.

Responsiveness

The content blocks in a subsection display in a row. The width of the row depends on the column layout for the respective screen size. If there is not enough space to display a content block, it wraps to the line below.

Object page – Content responsiveness
Object page – Content responsiveness

Forms

Forms follow the standard layout of the object page:

  • Extra large: 4 columns
  • Large: 3 columns
  • Medium: 2 columns
  • Small: 1 column

Forms are located within subsections. They follow the column design of the object page, whereby each form group is arranged into a column. The title of the form is given by the subsection header. Only use the form title if you are using several forms within the same subsection.

Use top-aligned labels for form fields. Top-aligned labels are known to reduce completion times, and are the best approach for forms requiring localization or long labels. Using top-aligned labels also avoids issues with the spacing between the label and form field, which can occur with left- and right-aligned labels.

If you are using the object page without object page blocks, you can use the column layout for forms, which automatically distributes form groups across the columns in the object page.

Blocks

Layout blocks allow content to be aligned within the columns as follows:

  • Layout 1: Occupies the maximum available horizontal space of one column.
  • Layout 2: Occupies the horizontal space of only two columns. If there is only one column available, it occupies one column.
  • Layout 3: Occupies the horizontal space of three columns. If there is only one column available, it occupies one column. If there are only two columns available, it occupies two columns.
Object page – Blocks
Object page – Blocks

Tables

If a section or subsection contains only one table and no other content, remove the table title to avoid having duplicate titles for the table. In this case, the section or subsection title acts as the table title.

If you want to embed analytical tables, grid tables, or tree tables in an object page, use an object page with tabs, and place each table in its own tab. Because the analytical, grid, and tree tables have their own vertical scroll bars, they are not allowed within scrollable object pages. If you are using a scrollable object page without tabs, use a responsive table instead, and offer navigation to a list report with the respective table type.

In an object page, tables with up to 20 expected items can be displayed right away without lazy loading.

If a table is expected to have more than 20 items, use one of the following 3 options for long tables:

1. Lazy Loading Behavior (“More” button)

If you expect up to 100 items, use the More button of the responsive table. The initial amount of items shown depends on the height of the rows. We recommend initially showing 5 to 10 items, but not more than 20. If there is more than one table in the object page, this option should be used only for tables with up to 50 expected items.

2. Tab Navigation

If you expect to have more than 50 to 100 items, but less than 400, using the object page with tab navigation instead of anchor navigation also solves the problems associated with long tables. Here it is important to place the table within a tab as the only or at least the last element and to enable the scroll to load behavior.

3. Navigation to List Report

For tables with more than 400 items, or when the tab approach is unsuitable, the table itself should be restricted to a reasonable amount of items. We recommend only showing a preview of the data in the table, which should not contain more than 20 items. Ideally, you should have about 10 items. This can be either be achieved by prefiltering and/or by sorting the table, and if necessary, by restricting it to a fixed amount of items (such as top 10). To provide the user with a way to work with the entire table, a navigation to a separate list report containing the full table must be offered.  This navigation should be located below the table in the form of a right-aligned link labelled Show All (x), with x representing the total amount of items in the table.

For all of the three options mentioned above, we recommend providing a search, and if feasible, sort and filtering for the table in the object page. Grouping should be avoided.

Table with navigation to a separate list report
Table with navigation to a separate list report

Child Page Representation

In object pages with drilldown navigation, child pages are represented in two ways:

  • Breadcrumbs: A breadcrumb is displayed above the object title. Limit the breadcrumb to the drilldown levels within the object page.
  • Item navigation arrows: Up and down arrows in the layout action area allow the user to navigate between subitems without going back to the original list.

Behavior and Interaction

Edit

The basic layout of the object page in terms of header, navigation, and content remains the same in all modes (display, edit, create). In edit mode, the object page can contain a mixture of editable and read-only content.

If the user needs to edit elements in the header, a header section is added in the content area for edit mode to enable editing.

Use the same content layout for both display and edit mode. Content should not change location when the user switches between display and edit modes.

For global and local editing guidelines, see manage objects – create, edit, delete.

Editing the Header

The object page header can be edited in two ways:

  • Global edit
  • Partial edit

Global Edit

The header can be edited when the entire object page is in edit mode.

Because the header snaps on scroll, there are no editable forms in the header itself. Instead, a temporary header section is added before the other sections of the page. The title bar information and all editable fields from the header container move from the header to the new editable header section. Any non-editable content displays as read-only. You can leave out header content that doesn’t make sense in edit mode (for example, aggregated values that are calculated from several sources, KPIs, or micro charts).

If only a few fields in the header are editable, and they match an existing section, they are moved to that section. In this case, no editable header section appears.

The header container in edit mode may contain independent facets that are not included in the header content in display mode. They provide information to assist editing.

If the entire object page is in edit mode, but there is no editable information in the header, no editable header section is added.

Any changes made to the header are not reflected until the user saves them.

Partial Edit

The user can edit the header content separately by pressing the Edit Header button.

If there are only a few elements to edit, the partial edit triggers a dialog.

If there are too many elements to fit on a dialog, the partial edit triggers a subpage. The subpage contains all editable information from the header. However, it differs from the “Header” section in global edit mode in that it has no action buttons in the toolbar, no navigation, and no breadcrumbs.

Create and Edit Subobjects

The following options are available for creating or editing subobjects:

  • Navigation to a subobject page
  • Inline create or inline edit in a table
  • Dialog containing the fields of the object

If the subobject has less than 8 fields, use a dialog or the inline create/edit option (no separate page for the subobject). Exceptions can apply if additional content for the subobject is available but not part of the edit process, or if other apps need to offer deep links to the subobject page.

Unsaved Changes

If draft handling has been implemented, documents are automatically saved as draft versions in the background. An editing icon to the right of the object title indicates that a draft version exists. In other words, either the current user or another user has made changes, but not yet actively saved the document (“unsaved changes”). Do not show the editing icon for unsaved changes if draft handling is not supported.

Selecting the editing icon invokes a popover with more information about the unsaved changes. This normally states:
•Who made the changes
•When the last changes were made

The popover closes when the user clicks or taps the Close icon or anywhere outside the popover.

Unsaved changes popover
Unsaved changes popover

Create

Create mode is similar to edit mode, except that the user creates a new object and defines a title for it. Until the new object title is known, use the placeholder text “New ” (for example, “New Purchase Order”). Replace the placeholder text with the actual name or ID of the new object as soon as this has been entered or generated.

Consider using the wizard floorplan instead of the object page floorpan if:

  • You need to guide the user through a series of steps when a new object is created.
  • You need a progressive disclosure approach for the creation process.
  • The creation process is not linear, but can have different paths, depending on the information selected.
  • The user is not familiar with the creation task.

Guidelines

Header

Use the header to set the context. Ensure that it is clearly structured and contains only essential information. Too much information impedes the main purpose of providing clear context.

If you intend to use images in the header for an object, consider the following:

  • How will the user manage the images?
  • How will the system block people without permission from editing images?
  • How will these images be reflected in other floorplans if they are part of the object?
  • If there are a large number of items, how would a user be able to manage images without having to navigate from page to page?
  • Will the organization be able to manage the images?
Developer Hint
How to achieve a small header:

  • The header container is always optional. If there is no important data to be displayed, you can omit it. In this case, only the header title bar is shown.
  • Omit the image if it is not necessary. It is generally the tallest element in a header container.
  • Use a light theme to reduce the emphasis on the header if it doesn’t contain much information.
  • Consider moving information from the header into a general information section.

Actions

Arrange the actions in the header toolbar with care, and consider what matters most to the user:

  • Highlight actions that are common or most important.
  • Differentiate between secondary and generic actions.
  • Use either a text button or an icon for an action, but not both.
  • Place the most important actions on the left (actions go into the overflow from right to left).
  • Establish a coherent visual approach.

Tab Navigation

Use tab navigation if you need a facet approach to your content. This could be due to performance issues in a flat view, or in response to a specific user preference.

Not a Content Dump

Avoid using the object page as a universal container for masses of information. You should use the object page in accordance with the SAP Fiori principles: role-based, coherent, simple, and adaptive.

Simplify Content for Your Users

Give your users quick and easy access to the information they need to complete their task(s). Use a progressive disclosure strategy to keep your interface clean. You can always provide additional information on request. Furthermore, only present your users with information that makes sense for their industry, role, activity, and task.

Dynamic Side Content

You can offer dynamic side content alongside the object page under the following conditions:

  • Use the side panel only for contextual content. Do not place finalizing or global actions in the side panel. This is because opening the side panel occupies the whole right side of the screen. There is no way to show it only below the header and anchor bar.
  • Do not place object information in the side panel. This information should always be in the content area of the object page.

Standard Naming Conventions

For all objects, follow the standard conventions for action buttons, the object name, and the title in the shell bar. For more information see Manage Objects – Naming Guidelines and Launchpad Shell Bar – Page Title and Navigation Menu.

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

Implementation