Asset layouts are the building blocks of information storage and asset documentation in Hudu. They help standardize your documentation within a client and across all clients by supplying customizable "category templates" for storing information.
Creating and editing asset layouts is available only to admins and super admins.
Asset layouts give your team the ability to:
- Maintain accurate, up-to-date information on client assets and infrastructure.
- Search asset information globally or filter to a single client.
- Manage information from multiple integrations within a single space.
- Relate device information to knowledge base articles, passwords, websites, processes, and anything else stored in your Hudu environment.
Because they're so customizable, asset layouts let Hudu serve as an organization and documentation tool for MSPs, internal IT departments, school districts, real estate agencies, and anyone else who needs easy, secure, organized documentation.
Related: Assets, Understanding Integrations, and Connected Fields.
Guides
Creating asset layouts
- Navigate to the Hudu admin area on your Hudu toolbar.
- Under the Core category, click the Asset Layouts tab.
- Click New Asset Layout.
- Choose how you'd like to build it:
- Start from scratch — give the layout a name and click Create. This generates a layout with no existing fields.
- Start from a template — templates come pre-built with generic fields useful for the chosen asset type. Click Preview to see a template before using it.
However you create a layout, nearly every feature and function remains customizable afterward. Layouts are built in a drag and drop visual builder with a live preview pane, so you can see exactly how the layout will appear on an asset as you add, remove, or rearrange fields.
As of version 2.45, asset layouts save automatically as you build them, so there's no save button to click before navigating away.
- Navigate to the Hudu admin area → Asset Layouts.
- Click the asset layout you'd like to add fields to.
- Drag a field type from the field panel onto the canvas. To rearrange existing fields, drag them into place.
- Select the field to configure it. Customization options vary by type, so read them carefully.
Fields let you organize client information much like a spreadsheet, and store it in a way specific to what you're documenting. The available types are:
- Text — basic text box.
- Rich Text — long, formatted text. Rich text fields use the same block editor as KB articles, including markdown support.
- Heading — a header to separate information.
- Check Box — Boolean info; yes/no, on/off, etc.
- Link — link to external websites and IP addresses.
- Confidential Text — confidential information that is hidden by default and audited. Not available in password lists.
- Number — numerical info.
- Date — a date calendar; optionally add items to expiration lists.
- List Select — select from a pre-created list. See the Admin guide "Lists" for more.
- Embed — store custom HTML (YouTube videos, Lucidcharts, Draw.io, etc.).
- Copyable Text — basic text that can be copied to the clipboard.
- Phone — phone numbers.
- Asset Link — link to other assets from within an asset's card.
- Address — store addresses with a link to open in Google Maps. With Mapbox, a map displays within the asset; enable "Include as pin on map in Company overview" to add pins to the company homepage map.
- Dropdown (legacy) — non-functional on version 2.28.0 or later; use List Select instead.
- Asset Link (legacy) — non-functional on version 2.1.5.5 or later.
- To display a custom field as a column when viewing a group of assets in a company, enable Show in table view. Data synced into an integration card isn't available as a column unless it's mapped to a custom field with Connected Fields.
- To ensure technicians complete necessary documentation, enable Make field required — the asset can't be saved until the field is filled out.
Use Connected Fields to map data points from an integration to a custom field. Any asset layout that's a sync location for a supported integration lets you, in certain field types, select the integration source and map its data points to a custom field.
Visit Connected Fields for additional information.
Editing asset layouts
Beyond custom fields, asset layouts can be given unique behaviors, abilities, and icons to suit your team.
- Navigate to the Hudu admin area → Asset Layouts → click an individual asset layout.
- In the top tab menu, click Settings.
- Update the name of the asset layout.
- Provide a description of what it should be used for.
- Choose which folder it belongs to.
- Check Use For Locations to associate locations with rack storages or networks.
This section customizes the default Name field for assets:
- Alternate Name — the only required entry field is Name by default; use this to rename it.
- Name List — replace the default name field with a dropdown to standardize asset names.
Abilities live on the right-hand menu inside each asset and are configured per layout. All abilities are enabled by default; disable any you don't want:
- Include processes — relate processes to assets in this layout.
- Include passwords — relate passwords to assets in this layout.
- Include photos — upload photos directly to an asset page.
- Include files — attach files directly to an asset page.
- Include comments — add a section for technicians' comments.
Standardized icons are a visual way to organize layout types. You can:
- Change the main color (icon background) and icon color.
- Change the icon — choose from the pre-loaded list, or supply a code for a different icon from FontAwesome.
Managing asset layouts
Editors, admins, and super admins can manage the assets within a layout, though editors can't create or edit the layout itself.
- Navigate to an asset layout within an individual client space. From here you can manage all assets in that layout:
- Export the asset list to CSV.
- Select one or more assets to show Bulk Actions — move assets to other client spaces or archive them to the museum.
- Choose Manage Asset Layout to return to the admin creation/editing page.
Tools
As of version 2.45, QR labels are configurable for each asset layout. Add extra asset information and custom text, and reorder fields to match how your team labels equipment on-site. Changes preview live.
To configure a label, [LOCATION IN BUILDER].
Visit Assets for additional information on generating and printing QR codes for individual assets.
Group related asset layouts into folders so you can quickly expand a set of related information and collapse it when you don't need it. Like asset layouts, folders are global across all of your client spaces.
In Admin → Asset Layouts, view all layouts and folders on one page. Each folder is a collapsible section containing its layouts.
Hover a folder name to show the edit and delete icons; use edit to rename it. Within a folder, hover an asset layout to reveal the delete icon and a checkbox for selecting multiple layouts to move to another folder in bulk.
Although every active asset layout is available in each client space, the Hide Empty Items toggle at the bottom-right of the left-hand menu removes any layouts that contain no information for the space you're currently in. Your choice is saved per space.
FAQ
Global. Once a layout is created and activated, it appears in every client space, giving you a standardized structure across clients.
Troubleshooting
- First, confirm the layout is active in Admin → Asset Layouts (an admin or super admin must do this).
- Then check that Hide Empty Items isn't enabled in that client space.
By default, integration data lands in its own card, not in your custom fields. To surface it in a custom field, set up Connected Fields — the field's asset layout must be a sync location for that integration, and some field types (list select, asset link, heading, confidential text) can't be connected.
Fields that aren't populated don't appear in an asset's custom card. Edit the asset and fill in the new field for it to display.