🏔️ Summit 2026 Feature
Add Searcher tables to portal-based record tabs so users can review related data tables, such as addresses and jobs, from one custom record experience.
🏗️ Provisional document
This feature is pending release, and this document may change over time. Check What’s New for the latest releases.
Searcher widgets place Slate data tables in a portal view. When the portal is assigned to a custom record tab, users can review related record data without moving between separate system tabs.
These ready-made, configurable tables are useful when a record tab should combine related information that normally lives in different places. For example, a person tab can pair addresses with jobs, or a constituent tab can pair giving history with relationships.
How Searcher widgets work
Add searcher widgets to a portal view. Select the type of record or related object for which they should create a sortable table.
Create a custom tab and set the Type to Portal. Select the portal to which you just added the Searcher widgets.
The custom tab renders Searcher tables.
📝 Note
Searcher widgets are still in early access. Available types and refresh behavior can vary while the feature is completed. Test each type in a test environment before replacing a system tab or relying on the tab for daily work.
You might use Searcher widgets to:
Create a person record tab that combines address, job, school, and score tables so admissions staff can review the applicant's background from one tab.
Create a student record tab that combines course, address, and relationship tables so advisors can see key context before an appointment.
Create a constituent record tab that combines giving, opportunity, relationship, and research source tables for gift officer preparation.
Before you begin
Create or identify an Express Portal with the scope and security needed for the record tab. For a person record tab, use a person-scoped portal with user security.
Decide which related data tables belong together on the record tab.
Identify the Slate users or permissions that should see the tab.
Choose a test record that already has related data for the Searcher types you plan to show.
For background on portal setup, see Express Portals. For background on record tabs, see Custom Tabs.
Adding a Searcher widget to an Express Portal view
Go to Database → Portals.
Select Express Portals.
Open the Express Portal that should supply the record tab content.
Open the view that should appear on the tab.
From the view palette, select Searcher.
Configure the following settings:
Name: Enter the heading or internal label for the table.
Status: Active
CSS Class Name: Enter an optional class name when the portal styling should target this widget.
Type: Select the data table to show, such as Address or Jobs.
Add filters when the table should show only a subset of related records.
Select Save.
A portal view can include more than one Searcher table. Add each widget separately, then use static content headings or other portal content to group the tables in a way that matches the work users do on the record.
For example, a person tab can include an Address Searcher widget followed by a Jobs Searcher widget.
Adding the portal to a custom record tab
Go to Database → Tabs.
Select Insert, or open an existing custom tab.
Configure the following settings:
Status: Active
Name: Enter the tab label users should see on the record.
Scope: Select the record scope, such as Person.
Type: Portal
Portal: Select the Express Portal that contains the Searcher widgets.
Order: Enter an order value when the tab should appear in a specific position.
Read Permission: Select a permission when only some users should see the tab.
Write Permission: Select a permission when only some users should edit data from the tab.
Show for Records in Population: Select a population when the tab should appear only for matching records.
Select Save.
Testing the record tab
Open a test record in the same scope as the custom tab.
Select the custom tab.
Confirm that each Searcher widget appears as a table.
Confirm that the table rows and links match the related data for the record.
Select a row or a new-record link in the table.
Confirm that the standard edit modal opens from the parent record window.
Close the modal without saving if you are only testing the setup.
Troubleshooting
The Searcher option does not appear in the view palette
Confirm that the feature is available in the environment and that you are editing an Express Portal view. Also confirm that the portal scope and security match the record-tab experience you are building.
The custom tab does not appear on the record
Review the tab's Status, Scope, Read Permission, Show for Records in Population, and Portal settings. Then test with a record that matches the scope and population settings.
The table appears but has no rows
Confirm that the test record has related data for the selected Searcher Type. Then review the widget filters and the access permissions for the users who should view or edit the data.
Recently changed data does not appear immediately
Refresh the record or reopen the tab while refresh behavior is standardized for this feature. Test any workflow that depends on immediate updates before using the tab for daily work.