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# How to customize the connected panel on a card
- URL: https://blog.jestor.com/customize-the-connected-panel-on-a-card/
- Published: 2026-09-16T18:51:43.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-16T18:51:43.000Z
- Author: Bruno Bannach

Customizing the **connected panel on a card** turns a generic list of related records into something shaped for the process. In **Jestor**, you choose which columns appear, reorder them, set them read only, apply a filter and decide whether people can add records from there.

## Why the default view is rarely the right one

A connected panel showing every column of a related table gives the person a small spreadsheet they did not ask for. They are looking for two facts, and everything else is in the way.

Filtering matters even more: a contacts panel showing every contact ever associated with an account is less useful than one showing only the active ones.

What customization addresses:

- Panels showing every column of the related table
- Related records the person does not need to see
- The add button available where new records should not be created
- Fields in an order that suits the table, not the task

## What you can control

| Setting          | What it does                        | When to use it                        |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| Column selection | Chooses which fields appear         | Almost always                         |
| Reordering       | Sets the display order              | Put the key field first               |
| Read only        | Prevents editing from the panel     | Reference data                        |
| Filter           | Limits which records show           | Active records only                   |
| Add button       | Shown or hidden                     | Hide where creation belongs elsewhere |
| Panel order      | Which connected table appears first | Most consulted at the top             |

## Step by step to configure it

1. **Open the card** and go into the form editor.
2. **Find the connected panel** you want to adjust.
3. **Reorder the panels**, putting the most consulted first.
4. **Select the columns** that should appear, keeping the set minimal.
5. **Set reference fields as read only**.
6. **Apply a filter** so only relevant records show.
7. **Hide the add button** where records should be created through a proper flow.

## Why hiding the add button is often the right choice

Creating a record from a side panel skips whatever validation, approval or automation the normal creation flow applies. That is convenient and occasionally harmful. Hiding the button pushes creation back through the intended path, without removing the panel's value as a view.

- **Columns chosen deliberately:** the panel shows what the task needs
- **Filtered records:** relevance rather than completeness
- **Read only where appropriate:** visible without being editable
- **Creation controlled:** the add button is optional

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can I choose which columns appear in the connected panel?

Yes. Columns can be selected, reordered and set read only. See [jestor.com](https://www.jestor.com/?ref=blog.jestor.com).

### Can I filter which related records appear?

Yes. A filter can limit the panel to the relevant records.

### Can I stop people creating records from the panel?

Yes. The add button can be hidden.

## Video Tutorial: Step by Step

With **Jestor**, you can automate workflows, connect teams, and build internal systems your way, all without code and powered by **AI**. Discover Jestor at [jestor.com](https://www.jestor.com/?ref=blog.jestor.com) and see how to take your company's operations to a new level of efficiency and control.