Dynamics 365 CE: Change fields in the Timeline

Timeline control uses card forms to list an activity’s information. Admins/Developers can modify the Card from of the entities to configure key information to be shown in the timeline.

You can find the details in the official documentation here:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-service/customer-service-hub-user-guide-timeline-admin#customize-a-card-from-within-timeline

To summarize, following fields show information form the Card form:

• First 2 fields of the Header section.
• First 3 fields of Details section.
• Color stripe section is ignored.

However, as per my observation, modifying the card form is not enough, you have to change the Timeline properties on the host form as well. This post is an extension to the the original steps defined in this documentation.

However, to get the full picture, lets walk through the full steps.

Problem

Changes in the Card from does not reflect in the Timeline.

Solution

After changing the Card form, update the Timeline configuration.

Lets assume we need to show Priority and Due Date of an Email record in the Timeline, here are steps to follow:

• Go to make.powerapps.com.
• Go to Advanced Settings -> Customization -> Customize the System (or open your solution) -> Entities -> Email -> Forms.
• Open Email card form.
• Add the Priority and Due Date to the header section. Please note, these should be first 2 fields in the header. You can similarly add or change fields in the Details section, and first 3 will be shown in the timeline.

• Save and Publish the form.

Next step is to to the update the host form, for example, Contact:

• Go to Advanced Settings -> Customization -> Customize the System (or open your solution) -> Entities -> Contact-> Forms.
• Open the the form you use, in this example Contact form.
• Open the Timeline properties and update following configuration under Unified Interface Properties (New) -> Activities tab:
  • Display activities using: Card form
  • Select activity: Email (you have to choose the entity you want to modify)
  • Select Card From: Email Card from

• Click OK then Save and Publish the form.

You may repeat this steps for other entities or forms as per you need (e.g. Lead, Account, Opportunity etc.).

Result

Now we see Contact form’s timeline reflects the changes from the Email card form:

That’s it, Quite Easily Done!