Layouts

A layout is how the create/edit form looks for an entity type. Without one, every field stacks on top of the next in the order you added them. That’s fine for three or four fields. By the time you have a dozen, you’ll want to break them into tabs and sections.

Layouts only change the arrangement. They don’t change what data you collect — they make the form feel like a thoughtful set of questions instead of a survey.

Three pieces

Layouts have three building blocks. You’ll use mostly the first two; tabs are for big, busy types.

Block	What it does
Section	A box that groups related fields together, with an optional title and description.
Tab	A header strip across the top — clicking each one shows a different group of sections.
Field	The actual input box. Always lives inside a section, optionally inside a tab.

A small entity type might have one section called “Basic info” and that’s it. A character with combat stats, biography, relationships, and gear might have four tabs, each with a few sections.

Building a layout

Open Management → Entity Types, click the type, switch to the Layout tab.
The middle panel shows your layout-in-progress. The right panel shows fields that haven’t been placed yet.
Drag a field from the right panel into the layout to place it.
Use the buttons at the top to add a new Section or Tab Group.
Drag and drop to reorder sections, tabs, and fields.
Click any item to rename it, set an icon, or change column count.
The form saves automatically a second after you stop editing.

You can keep adding, removing, and rearranging without committing — the autosave handles it.

Sections in detail

Click any section to open its editor. The most useful settings:

Title — what the user sees as the section header. Short is good (“Combat”, “Origins”).
Description (optional) — a one-line note shown under the title. Use it to explain what this section is for, especially for fields that need context.
Columns — how many fields per row. One column is calm and obvious; two columns packs more in; three or four is for short fields like stats. Don’t go above two columns for fields with rich text — they’ll feel cramped.
Collapsible — if on, the section starts collapsed and the user clicks to open it. Use this for optional fields you don’t always need to fill in (e.g. “Advanced Stats”).

Tabs in detail

Tabs are useful when you have so many sections they’d scroll forever. A character with 15 sections is exhausting; the same character split into 4 tabs of 3-4 sections each is approachable.

Each tab has:

Label — what shows on the tab header (e.g. “Overview”, “Combat”, “Story”).
Icon — optional; helps users skim across tabs quickly.

Tabs only appear once you’ve added a Tab Group container and put sections inside it. You don’t have to use tabs at all; many types are happiest as a flat list of sections.

Per-field options

When you click a placed field in the layout, you can adjust how it shows up:

Width — full row, half row, third, or quarter. Mix half-width fields side by side to use horizontal space.
Read-only — the field appears but can’t be edited. Mostly used for auto-calculated fields that the system computes itself.

Layout contexts

The same entity type can render in different places: the full edit form, the entity detail page, a small card in a list, a tooltip when you hover. Contexts let you give each surface its own layout.

You’ll find a context picker at the top of the layout editor:

Context	Where it appears
Full Page	The main create/edit form and the entity detail page.
Modal	When the entity is edited from a popup (e.g. clicking a link in an editor).
Sidebar	When the entity is shown in the right-hand sidebar of the writing environment.
Card	The small preview card shown in entity lists.

You don’t have to configure all four. The system uses sensible defaults for any context you skip. Customise a context only when you want a tighter, more focused form there — for example, the Sidebar layout might show just the name, portrait, and a few key fields.

Tips that pay off

Group by what users do, not by how data is stored. “Combat” should hold every combat-related field, even if some are numbers and some are choices. Don’t create a “Numbers” section.

Hide rare fields behind a collapsible. If a field is only needed sometimes (e.g. “Death date”), put it in a collapsible “Advanced” section. The form looks lighter; the data is still one click away.

Use descriptions on sections, not just on fields. Sections like “Personality” or “Relationships” benefit from a one-line context note above the inputs.

Match column count to field length. Single-line fields can sit two-up nicely; rich text wants the whole row.

Where to go next

Visibility Rules Hide fields based on subtype or other field values.

Common Pitfalls The layout mistakes most new users hit at least once.