Frappe Workspace Implementation Workflow

Step-by-step workflows for creating and customizing Workspace pages. Workspaces are the block-based dashboard/navigation pages in Frappe Desk.

Version: v14/v15/v16 (version-specific features noted)

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Quick Reference

Concept	Description
Workspace	Block-based page with 12-column grid layout
Public Workspace	Visible to all permitted users; requires Workspace Manager role to edit
Private Workspace	Per-user dashboard under "My Workspaces"; any Desk User can create
Content field	JSON array storing the block layout
Child tables	6 tables: charts, shortcuts, links, quick_lists, number_cards, custom_blocks
Module association	Primary access control mechanism

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Master Decision: What Do You Need?

NEED A WORKSPACE?
│
├─► Default DocType landing page?
│   └─► NO workspace needed — Frappe auto-generates list views
│
├─► Custom dashboard for a module?
│   └─► Create PUBLIC Workspace (Workspace Manager role required)
│
├─► Personal dashboard for a user?
│   └─► Create PRIVATE Workspace (appears under "My Workspaces")
│
└─► Navigation link in sidebar?
    └─► type="Link" (internal) or type="URL" (external)

ADDING COMPONENTS?
│
├─► Key metrics (counts, sums) → Number Cards
├─► Trend / time-series data  → Dashboard Charts
├─► Quick navigation links    → Shortcuts
├─► Grouped link categories   → Link Cards (Card Break + Links)
├─► Custom HTML/JS content    → Custom HTML Blocks
└─► Recent record lists       → Quick Lists

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Workspace DocType Structure

Key Fields

Field	Type	Purpose
label	Data	Display name in sidebar
title	Data	Page title (defaults to label)
module	Link → Module Def	Associates workspace with a module for access control
parent_page	Link → Workspace	Nesting under another workspace in sidebar
icon	Data	Sidebar icon (e.g., "chart-line")
type	Select	Workspace / Link / URL (v15+)
sequence_id	Int	Sidebar ordering
content	JSON	Block layout as JSON array
for_user	Data	If set, workspace is private to that user
roles	Table → Has Role	Role-based access restrictions
app	Data	Owning app identifier (v15+)
indicator_color	Color	Sidebar indicator dot (v15+)

Child Tables (6 total)

Child Table	DocType	Purpose
charts	Workspace Chart	Dashboard Chart references
shortcuts	Workspace Shortcut	DocType/Report/Page/URL shortcuts
links	Workspace Link	Grouped navigation links
quick_lists	Workspace Quick List	Recent record lists
number_cards	Workspace Number Card	Metric card references
custom_blocks	Workspace Custom Block	HTML block references

CRITICAL: The content JSON and the child tables MUST stay in sync. ALWAYS use the Workspace Builder UI or programmatic API — NEVER manually edit the content JSON without updating child tables. See references/anti-patterns.md.

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Content JSON Format

The content field is a JSON array. Each element represents a block in the 12-column grid:

[
  {
    "id": "unique-block-id",
    "type": "header",
    "data": {"text": "Overview", "level": 4, "col": 12}
  },
  {
    "id": "unique-block-id-2",
    "type": "chart",
    "data": {
      "chart_name": "Sales Trends",
      "col": 12
    }
  },
  {
    "id": "unique-block-id-3",
    "type": "number_card",
    "data": {
      "number_card_name": "Open Orders",
      "col": 4
    }
  },
  {
    "id": "unique-block-id-4",
    "type": "shortcut",
    "data": {
      "shortcut_name": "New Sales Order",
      "col": 4
    }
  },
  {
    "id": "unique-block-id-5",
    "type": "spacer",
    "data": {"col": 12}
  }
]

Block Types

Type	data fields	Description
header	text, level, col	Section heading (h3/h4/h5)
chart	chart_name, col	References a Dashboard Chart doc
number_card	number_card_name, col	References a Number Card doc
shortcut	shortcut_name, col	References a Workspace Shortcut child
card	card_name, col	Card break for grouped links
quick_list	quick_list_name, col	Recent records for a DocType
custom_block	custom_block_name, col	References a Custom HTML Block doc
text	body, col	Rich text / Markdown block
spacer	col	Empty vertical space
onboarding	onboarding_name, col	Module onboarding widget

col values MUST be 1-12 and represent grid column width. Blocks in the same row MUST sum to ≤ 12.

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Implementation Workflows

Workflow 1: Create a Public Workspace via UI

1. Navigate to /app/workspace → click + New Workspace
2. Set Label (appears in sidebar), Module, Icon
3. Use the Workspace Builder to drag-and-drop blocks
4. Add components: Charts, Number Cards, Shortcuts, Links
5. Click Save → workspace appears in sidebar for permitted users
6. In developer mode: JSON auto-exports to your app directory

Workflow 2: Create a Workspace Programmatically

import frappe
import json

workspace = frappe.new_doc("Workspace")
workspace.label = "Project Dashboard"
workspace.module = "Projects"
workspace.icon = "project"
workspace.type = "Workspace"
workspace.sequence_id = 10

# Build content blocks
workspace.content = json.dumps([
    {
        "id": frappe.generate_hash(length=10),
        "type": "header",
        "data": {"text": "Project Overview", "level": 4, "col": 12}
    },
    {
        "id": frappe.generate_hash(length=10),
        "type": "number_card",
        "data": {"number_card_name": "Active Projects", "col": 4}
    },
    {
        "id": frappe.generate_hash(length=10),
        "type": "chart",
        "data": {"chart_name": "Project Status", "col": 12}
    }
])

# Add child table entries (MUST match content JSON)
workspace.append("number_cards", {
    "number_card_name": "Active Projects"
})
workspace.append("charts", {
    "chart_name": "Project Status"
})

# Role restrictions (optional)
workspace.append("roles", {"role": "Projects Manager"})

workspace.insert(ignore_permissions=True)
frappe.db.commit()

ALWAYS add corresponding child-table rows when setting content JSON programmatically.

Workflow 3: Create Supporting Documents First

Before adding components to a workspace, create the referenced documents:

Number Card:

card = frappe.new_doc("Number Card")
card.label = "Active Projects"
card.document_type = "Project"
card.function = "Count"
card.filters_json = json.dumps([["Project", "status", "=", "Open"]])
card.is_public = 1
card.insert(ignore_permissions=True)

Dashboard Chart:

chart = frappe.new_doc("Dashboard Chart")
chart.chart_name = "Project Status"
chart.chart_type = "Group By"
chart.document_type = "Project"
chart.group_by_type = "Count"
chart.group_by_based_on = "status"
chart.type = "Donut"
chart.is_public = 1
chart.insert(ignore_permissions=True)

Shortcut: Shortcuts are child-table entries on the Workspace, not standalone docs:

workspace.append("shortcuts", {
    "label": "New Project",
    "type": "DocType",
    "link_to": "Project",
    "color": "Blue",
    "format": "{} Active",
    "stats_filter": json.dumps([["Project", "status", "=", "Open"]])
})

See references/workspace-components.md for complete component reference.

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Permission Model

Three Layers of Access Control

Layer 1: Module Access (PRIMARY)
└─► User must have access to the workspace's module
    └─► Controlled via "Module Def" and user's "Block Modules" list

Layer 2: Role Restrictions (OPTIONAL)
└─► workspace.roles child table
    └─► If populated: ONLY users with listed roles see the workspace
    └─► If empty: ALL users with module access see it

Layer 3: Workspace Manager Role
└─► Required to create/edit PUBLIC workspaces
└─► NOT required for private workspaces

Rules

• ALWAYS set module on public workspaces — without it, the workspace is visible to ALL Desk users
• ALWAYS add role restrictions for sensitive dashboards (financial, HR)
• NEVER set for_user on workspaces shipped with an app — it creates a private workspace

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Version Differences

Feature	v14	v15	v16
Workspace Builder UI	Basic	Redesigned (drag-drop grid)	Incremental fixes
type field (Workspace/Link/URL)	Not available	Added	Available
app field	Not available	Added	Available
indicator_color	Not available	Added	Available
Name collision protection	Manual	Manual	Auto-deduplicate
Welcome header config	Not available	Not available	Added
Content JSON format	Same	Same	Same

Migration Notes

• v14 → v15: Workspace Builder UI changed significantly; existing JSON content remains compatible
• v15 → v16: Minor field additions; no breaking changes to workspace structure
• ALWAYS test workspace rendering after major version upgrades

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Shipping Workspaces with a Custom App

Directory Structure

myapp/
└── mymodule/
    └── workspace/
        └── my_workspace/
            └── my_workspace.json

Export Process

1. Enable Developer Mode (frappe.conf.developer_mode = 1)
2. Create/edit workspace via Workspace Builder UI
3. On save, Frappe auto-exports to the app directory above
4. Commit the JSON file to version control

CRITICAL: Ship Dependencies Too

A workspace JSON alone is NOT sufficient. You MUST also ship:

Component	How to Ship
Number Cards	fixtures in hooks.py OR myapp/fixtures/
Dashboard Charts	fixtures in hooks.py OR myapp/fixtures/
Custom HTML Blocks	fixtures in hooks.py OR myapp/fixtures/
Linked Reports	Already shipped via report directory structure
Linked Pages	Already shipped via page directory structure

# hooks.py
fixtures = [
    {"dt": "Number Card", "filters": [["module", "=", "My Module"]]},
    {"dt": "Dashboard Chart", "filters": [["module", "=", "My Module"]]},
    {"dt": "Custom HTML Block", "filters": [["name", "in", ["My Block"]]]},
]

See references/shipping-with-app.md for complete shipping guide.

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Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Module Dashboard with KPIs

[Header: "Key Metrics"]
[Number Card: Open Orders (col=3)] [Number Card: Revenue (col=3)]
[Number Card: Pending (col=3)]     [Number Card: Overdue (col=3)]
[Spacer]
[Header: "Trends"]
[Chart: Monthly Revenue (col=12)]
[Header: "Quick Access"]
[Shortcut: New Order (col=4)] [Shortcut: Reports (col=4)] [Shortcut: Settings (col=4)]

Pattern 2: Role-Based Workspace

# Sales Manager sees full dashboard; Sales User sees limited view
# Option A: Two separate workspaces with different role restrictions
# Option B: One workspace — use Number Card/Chart permissions to filter

# Option A implementation:
ws_manager = frappe.get_doc({"doctype": "Workspace", "label": "Sales Management", ...})
ws_manager.append("roles", {"role": "Sales Manager"})

ws_user = frappe.get_doc({"doctype": "Workspace", "label": "Sales Overview", ...})
ws_user.append("roles", {"role": "Sales User"})

Pattern 3: Sidebar Hierarchy

# Parent workspace
parent = frappe.get_doc({"doctype": "Workspace", "label": "CRM", "module": "CRM"})

# Child workspaces (nested in sidebar)
child = frappe.get_doc({
    "doctype": "Workspace",
    "label": "Lead Pipeline",
    "module": "CRM",
    "parent_page": "CRM"  # References parent workspace label
})

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Reference Files

File	Content
references/workspace-components.md	Number Cards, Dashboard Charts, Shortcuts, Custom Blocks — full API
references/shipping-with-app.md	JSON format, fixtures, module structure, install hooks
references/anti-patterns.md	Common workspace mistakes and how to avoid them