A common requirement in any application is the ability to see more information about an item in a list without losing context. This “master-detail” pattern—where a master list drives the content of a detailed view—is essential for making informed decisions. A user might need to check stock availability before selecting a product or view a customer’s ID before approving a request.
During a recent Pega User Experience Expert Circle webinar, Principal System Architect @wajtk showcased several out-of-the-box ways to implement this pattern in Pega Constellation, all without complex, custom-coded actions.
Watch the video (4 minutes) →
What you will learn
The Foundation: It Starts with a Data Reference
Just like with selecting from a list, the key to any master-detail pattern is the data model. The business outcome is to “select a product” or “view a customer,” which is achieved by using a data reference. Once you have a field that links to another record, Constellation unlocks multiple ways to display the details of that referenced record.
Three Effortless Ways to Show More Detail
Krzysztof outlined three primary, configuration-driven methods to achieve a master-detail experience:
- Additional Details View: This is the simplest approach. In your view configuration, you can specify an “Additional Details” section for your data reference field. When a user makes a selection from the list, the configured fields (e.g., product name, category, stock level) instantly appear directly on the form beneath the selection. It’s an inline, non-intrusive way to provide immediate context.
- Preview Panel or New Tab: For scenarios requiring more extensive information, you can configure the data reference to open its details in a preview panel or a new browser tab. The preview panel is especially powerful, as it slides out on the side of the screen, presenting a full summary view of the item—complete with tabs and rich data—while keeping the user’s main form fully visible. This allows for deep exploration without navigating away from the core task.
- Highlighted View (Modal): Introduced in Infinity '25, the highlighted view offers a more traditional pop-up experience. When a user clicks an item in a table or list, the details are presented in a clean, focused modal dialog. This is perfect for when you want to draw the user’s full attention to the details of their selection. This can be configured to display anything from simple text fields to images, such as showing a photo of a driver’s license from a list of applicants.
Summary
In all three cases, the implementation is not a matter of building complex actions, but of choosing the right display option in the view’s configuration.
By leveraging these built-in patterns, you can deliver rich, contextual, and dynamic master-detail experiences with just a few clicks.
