If you use NetSuite, then chances are you use the same types of NetSuite pages on a regular basis. For instance, you may regularly access transaction records like sales orders or purchase orders, or you may regularly access customer or vendor records. Perhaps there’s a saved search that is essential to your job, or maybe it’s a specific report. In order to access any essential NetSuite pages quickly, you may want to set up a shortcut for them using one of two shortcut locations.

Adding Shortcuts

When considering setting up a shortcut, keep in mind that there are two different locations where you can add a shortcut. First, you could add a shortcut using the shortcuts menu icon. To add a shortcut here, simply navigate to the page you want a shortcut for, hover over the star icon in your navigation center, and select Add to Shortcuts.

The second way you can add to your shortcuts is through the shortcuts portlet on your dashboard. To do this, first ensure that the shortcuts portlet has been added to your dashboard. Then, hover over the three dots in the top right corner of the shortcuts portlet and select New Shortcut. If you add a shortcut through this portlet, note that you will have to provide the URL for the NetSuite page you want the shortcut to link to.

Similarities Between Shortcuts

The two shortcut locations share a number of similarites.

One Shortcuts List

A common misunderstanding about the shortcut options in NetSuite is that the shortcuts menu and the shortcuts portlet are two separate lists. However, the two shortcut options are simply two different locations which house the same list of shortcuts. When you add a shortcut to one of these locations, the shortcuts list automatically updates on the other.

Options When Creating Shortcuts

In addition to having the same list of shortcuts, the different locations also provide some similar options when adding a new shortcut. When you add a new shortcut from either location, you can provide a custom name for the shortcut and determine if the shortcut will open in a new window.

Options When Managing Shortcuts

A third similarity between the shortcuts locations is that you have the same options for managing your shortcuts no matter which location you start from. For example, you can change the order of your shortcuts from either location. You can also remove a shortcut from either location by deselecting the Enable checkbox for that shortcut while in the Set Up Shortcuts window, keeping in mind that any change you make in one location will also be reflected in the other. Note that any shortcuts with an asterisk next to them have been assigned to your role and cannot be removed or renamed.

Differences Between Shortcuts

Given all the similarities between the shortcuts menu and the shortcuts portlet, it would be easy to wonder why anyone would even use the shortcuts portlet. After all, accessing your shortcuts through the menu icon is far more convenient. A couple key differences, however, justify the use of both the menu and the portlet.

Set Up Window/Page

One of the least significant differences is in the appearance of Set Up Shortcuts. When you access Set Up Shortcuts through the shortcuts menu, it appears as a separate NetSuite page. However, when you access the exact same information through the shortcuts portlet, it appears as a separate window. Granted, this is a minor difference, but it’s still worth noting.

External URL Links

Perhaps the most significant difference is that if you want to add a shortcut that links to an external website, you can only do that when adding a shortcut through the shortcuts portlet. Remember that when you add a shortcut through the shortcuts portlet, you need to provide the URL of the NetSuite page you want to link to. But the link that you include when adding a shortcut in this way is not limited to NetSuite pages. You can link to an external webpage here as well.

As with any other change you make to your shortcuts, the change will automatically update in the other location. In other words, while you can’t add a shortcut to an external webpage using the shortcuts menu, once you add the external shortcut using the shortcuts portlet, that shortcut will also appear in the shortcuts menu.

Conclusion

Understanding the similarities and the differences between the two shortcut locations helps to round out your knowledge of the NetSuite UI, which is one of the sections of the SuiteFoundation exam. We trust that this overview has been helpful and informative! To learn more about this and other related topics, check out the related posts linked below. And don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list so you can be sure never to miss out on our latest posts!