Updating Record Sublist Lines

Supported Records and Sublists

As of NetSuite 20.1, sublist processing is limited to specific records and sublists:

Items Sublist

Available on Transaction record subtypes:

• Sales Order, Purchase Order, Invoice
• Estimate, Opportunity, Quote
• Item Fulfillment, Item Receipt
• And other transaction types with Items sublist

Expenses Sublist

Available on the Expense Report transaction subtype.

Identifying Sublist Fields

Sublist fields are identified by a "Line" suffix in SuiteFlow dropdown lists:

• Location (Line) — the sublist field
• Location (Main) — the transaction body field

The Line Field

Each sublist line has a unique Line ID:

• Assigned when line is added (not visible on form)
• IDs are NOT sequential—if line 2 is deleted, line 3 doesn't become line 2
• Line IDs only available at After Record Submit
• Use in conditions: Line = 3 to target specific line

Using Line Fields in Formulas

Reference sublist fields with the line. prefix:

line.rate = line.rate * 0.75 (apply 25% discount)

Sublist Action Groups

The only way to execute workflow actions on sublist fields is through Sublist Action Groups.

Creating a Sublist Action Group

1. Workflow must be on Transaction record type with supported subtypes
2. Edit the workflow state
3. Click New Sublist Group
4. Select the sublist (Items or Expenses)
5. Add conditions at the group level (optional)
6. Add actions to the group

Supported Actions in Sublist Action Groups

Action	Purpose
Create Record	Create related records based on line data
Set Field Value	Update line field values
Send Email	Send notifications based on line data
Return User Error	Validate line data and show errors

State-Level Sublist Actions

Some actions manipulate the entire sublist and are configured at the state level (NOT in Sublist Action Groups):

Action	Purpose
Create Line	Add new lines to the sublist
Set Field Display Label	Change column header labels
Set Field Display Type	Show/hide/disable columns
Set Field Mandatory	Make columns required

Set Field Value on Before Record Load

Special considerations when using Set Field Value in Sublist Action Groups at Before Record Load:

Capability	New/Copied Records	Existing Records
Retrieve sublist field values	✓	✓
Set body/sublist/workflow fields	✓	—
Set workflow/state fields only	✓	✓

Practical Example: Promotional Item

Automatically add a free promotional item when specific products are ordered:

Workflow Design

1. Create workflow fields: "Loft Promotion" and "Chair Promotion" (checkboxes)
2. Create Sublist Action Group on Items sublist
3. Group condition: Either promotion field is false (unchecked)
4. Add Set Field Value actions to set promotion flags when specific items found
5. Create Create Line action at state level to add promotional items

How It Works

1. User adds "Parsons Dining Table" to order
2. Sublist Action Group evaluates each line
3. Condition matches → Sets "Chair Promotion" workflow field to True
4. Create Line action fires → Adds "Armless Dining Chair" with $0 price