When you access a tab in GraceBlocks, the layout of the information presented is based on the view. If the messaging thread field has been added or an email field with email messages activated by a builder, then messaging has been enabled for the tab. When messaging is enabled, users have the option to use the messaging view, which allows them to focus on messaging (email/text or both), including sending texts or emails to multiple records at once (learn more about that here), while working inside GraceBlocks.

This article covers:

• Using messaging view
• Working with records in messaging view

Using messaging view

By default, when you click to access a tab for the first time inside GraceBlocks, the page body displays in the last accessed view layout. If messaging has been activated by the builder, you can toggle to messaging view. Future visits to the tab are sticky; if you left the tab while using messaging view, when you return to the tab, it displays in messaging view. Follow the steps below to access messaging view.

Step	Action	Visual
1	Click on any tab inside the block (other than the Home tab) to access that tab. 🔔The Home tab is always reserved to share information that the builder prescribed when designing the block.
2	Click the messaging view icon to toggle to messaging view.   If you do not see the messaging view icon, messaging is not available for the tab because neither the email field has email messaging activated, or the message thread field is not present in the tab.
3	The tab displays in messaging view.

Working in messaging view

Working in messaging view lets you focus on one record at a time and on the messages, you are exchanging, be it email or text. Finally, from messaging view, you can send messages in bulk to up to 50 (for text) or 200 (for email) selected individuals. When you do, each message is individually delivered to each recipient. (The message is not sent as a group message).

Several additional actions are also available in this view. Review the table below to understand the actions available from this page. The numbers in the illustration shows where to find each action on the layout.

#	Feature	Description
1	Total records	The Total records number is the total number of records saved in the tab, regardless of any filters that may be applied.
2	Refresh	Click the Refresh icon to refresh the records on the page. This option is useful when other individuals use the data simultaneously because clicking Refresh applies their latest updates to the page.
3	View	View: Click one of the View options (if more than one is available) to select the view in which you work. This area is where you select the messaging view to get to this page.
4	Bookmarks	Bookmarks: Click the Bookmarks icon to access and create bookmarks. A bookmark in messaging view is essentially a saved version of the page, including any filters you applied. When a user accesses a tab for the first time, the "public default" bookmark displays. To return to the original starting point, click the Bookmarks icon and select the bookmark set as the "public default." To learn more, see managing bookmarks.
5	Filter	Filter: Click the Filter icon to filter records. You can choose filter fields from the search filters modal, enter criteria, and then apply the filter criteria. To learn more, see filtering records.
6	Filter criteria	Filter criteria: If any filter criteria or field-specific ascending/descending sorts have been applied to the view, these attributes display in text bubbles in the Filter criteria field to show the attributes that define the content displayed on the page. Most criteria syntax is self-explanatory, but an explanation may be helpful for the following:   Syntax Meaning (c) contains (nc) does not contain (sw) starts with = equal to != not equal to incoming The last message was incoming* outgoing The last message was outgoing* * Only applies for messaging fields To learn more about filters, see filtering records.
7	New Record	Click + New record to add new records. Here's a preview of this button when you hover the cursor over it if there is more than one web form enabled for adding records.  The primary button will launch the Default Web Form and the other forms that have been made public will also be available for users to select.  Click here to learn more: managing web forms.
8	Oldest | Newest	Sometimes it's easiest for the newest records to be at the top; other times, a chronological sort by date added works best. Click Oldest to toggle the display of the records to show the oldest records first; click Newest first to toggle the display to show the newest records first. By default, records are sorted from oldest to newest unless you have clicked this toggle (to flip to newest first).
9	Message text summaries	Toggle this on to the most recent exchange from sent or received text messages. This option will only appear if a builder has activated the texting messaging by adding the messaging thread field type to the tab.
10	Compose text button	Use this option if you'd like to send the same text message to more than one record in the list. First filter and then choose the desired records using the select checkboxes (see #13 below) then click this button to launch the mass text option. To learn more, see sending messages in bulk.
11	Compose email button	Compose Email button: Use this option if you'd like to send the same email message to more than one record in the list. First filter and then choose the desired records using the select checkboxes (see #13 below) then click this button to launch the mass email option. To learn more, see sending messages in bulk.
12	Select checkboxes	Use the top checkbox to select all records in the list. Use the individual checkboxes to select or deselect individual records. Then choose the Compose option (#11 Email or #12 Text above) to send emails or texts to the selected records. To learn more, see sending messages in bulk.
13	Record	Each record in the list is represented here by a record box. Inside this box, you can see the following: a) First letter of the record name, b) Full record identifier name, c) text of the last message (either sent or received and only visible of the text message summaries toggle is activated #10) d) how long ago the last message was sent or received (in s=seconds, m=minutes or d=days depending on how long ago the message was sent), and e) checkbox to select or deselect the message for sending mass email/text (#s12/13 above).
14	Details	Click this icon to show the details for the record, which takes up most of the page in messaging view and works according to the same behavior as the information section of the details page. It contains the information related to most fields for the tab, as organized and grouped into sections by builders.
15	Messages	This is the default selected section for the auxiliary information area in the messaging view. It works according to the same behavior as the messages section of the details page.
16	Text	When this subtab of the message is selected, the text message summaries will appear. It works according to the same behavior as the messages section of the details page.
17	Email	When this subtab of the message is selected, the email message summaries will appear. It works according to the same behavior as the messages section of the details page.
18	Related records	Click this icon to show the information for relational fields that are multi-select for the tab. It works according to the same behavior as the related records on the details page.
19	Collaboration	Collaboration: This section allows you to track comments related to the record. Any time another user references you using the @ symbol in this panel, an alert will be sent to you and appear under Notifications(). These notifications are sent immediately. Learn more about collaboration.
20	History	This section displays the history of changes that have occurred to the fielded data associated with the record. Each change is date stamped, illustrates what fields changed, and denotes the user who made the change. The period tracked for history is controlled by the pricing plan of the Zone where the Block is located. (Free: Two weeks, Basic: 3 months, Pro: 3 years). Learn more about history. Learn more about history.
21	Viewing x of y records	In the Viewing x of y records field at the bottom of the view, the first number (x) is the number of records currently loaded in your browser session. If there are a lot of records, it may be that only the first 500 of 25,000 records are loaded in your browser. In this case, x would be 500. The second number (y) is the number of available possible records according to any filter criteria that have been applied. If no filters are applied, y equals the number displayed for Total records in #1.
22	Vertical scroll bar 1 (to the right of records)	A vertical scroll bar appears if more records exist than can be viewed on the screen simultaneously. Use the scroll option provided to navigate up and down the record list.
23	Vertical scroll bar 2 (to the right of the body section - currently showing messages)	A vertical scroll bar appears to the right of the auxiliary information section if the content shown in the auxiliary information area exceeds the page length. Navigate up and down using this scrollbar to see all the content for the section.

🔔 The attachments section is not currently available from the messaging view. You must work in spreadsheet view to view attachments until this feature is added.