Said It Here

Why does setting field display types on sublists fail?

Platform-enforced workflows ignore custom settings like 'Set Display Type' on specific native sublist fields, forcing users to use restricted tools that break existing setups. Trying to bypass these restrictions with custom workflows can lead to severe account termination risks.

Overview
People affected4 accounts across 2 forums
Workarounds found6 items attempted
Community agreement10 total upvotes
Editorial ConsensusSynthesized across r/Netsuite, r/salesforce
Verification standards →

Core Friction Pattern

Analysis of 4 peer accounts across online developer and community forums reveals that “Why does setting field display types on sublists fail?” repeatedly surfaces due to edge-case mismatches between standard defaults and real-world environments. Standard troubleshooting frequently falls short, compelling practitioners to develop custom workarounds.

Top Peer-Reported Fix
Adjusting custom skills to use the CLI where necessary

+5 alternative community-tested workarounds cataloged below.

Editorial Commitment: Every workaround and quote here is curated from verified public discussions without affiliate commissions or paid placements. Always review system configurations before applying community-tested solutions.

What the numbers show

Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count

  • People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

6 items+ Contribute

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

  1. 1
    Adjusting custom skills to use the CLI where necessary
    Did this help you?
  2. 2
    Deploying code from a sandbox environment via CLI
    Did this help you?
  3. 3
    Turn on workflow logging and check the execution log
    Did this help you?
  4. 4
    Test a small beforeLoad User Event in sandbox
    Did this help you?
  5. 5
    Use a small client script with pageInit, lineInit, and postSourcing to disable the field
    Did this help you?
  6. 6
    Add a Return User Error in a sublist action group or a beforeSubmit check
    Did this help you?
Tried another approach not listed above?+ Share your workaround ↑

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/salesforce2 people · September 2026

“The setup process is a pain, especially if you had a good workflow.”source ↗

AirborneBubba · r/salesforce · 5 upvotes

“My account got terminated after I made and used this. Entire SF account.”source ↗

Own-Poet-5900 · r/salesforce · 1 upvotes
r/Netsuite2 people · November 2026

“I’m trying to disable the Location (Line) field in the Items sublist using a Set Display Type workflow action, but it doesn’t work.”source ↗

Mediocre-Train-8385 · r/Netsuite · 3 upvotes

“Set Display Type on sublists only works for some native line fields, and Location (Line) is one that ignores it.”source ↗

dilalipk · r/Netsuite · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

r/Netsuiter/salesforcesoftware configurationsoftware developmenttroubleshootingworkflow automation

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