A subform is the 1:n related list on the same mask as the parent Businessobjekt. On a customer you see contacts. On an order you see lines. On a project you see milestones. Without a subform, users jump between masks and lose context. With a subform, the case stays in one work view. For decision-makers: fewer media breaks, less double entry, clearer process guidance.

What a subform delivers in business terms

ERP work is rarely a single field. Cases have child objects. The subform makes that relationship operable without leaving the parent. Create, change, and read related records happen in the context of the main case. That is process automation at mask level: fewer clicks, fewer mis-assignments, faster throughput.

Technically the subform hangs on the layout of the parent mask and on the reference relationship between Businessobjekte. It is configuration in the Nuclet, not an embedded third-party app. Platform context: Nuclos 5 as a platform. Mask basics: mask and layout.

Typical usage patterns

• Contacts and partners on a customer
• Lines and delivery rows on an order
• Documents or inspections on a production order
• Dates or tasks on a case

In all cases the list belongs to the parent. Parent status and rights can steer how child data is handled. Anyone who takes state models seriously checks when subforms are editable and when read-only. See state model.

Nuclosian and subforms

Nuclosian adds subforms to existing masks. In business language you describe the relationship: “Contacts should be visible as a list on the customer.” Nuclosian writes the change directly into the instance. A line compare with Undo can appear afterwards, while the previous version of the mask is still held in memory. That shortens the path from requirement to usable mask. Entry points and function names: Nuclosian: first steps.

Technical wiki guide: Add a subform. The wiki is the configuration reference. This article answers the buy and scope question: how do related records stay in the same work view?

What subforms do not replace

A subform does not replace a clean data model or process clarification. If the relationship is unclear in business terms, no list on the mask helps. Equally wrong: pack every detail as a subform until the mask is unreadable. Subforms belong where 1:n is needed in the same work step. Rare special maintenance can stay on its own mask.