Removing a field from a form within a patch and deploying to target environment

Question

I recently created a new patch where I removed a field from the main form of one of my custom entities. I didn't delete it from the entity because I want to retain any old data on the target environment, just removed it from the form.

The patch was deployed onto another environment where the same field still existed on the form on the base solution.

I expected the patch to update the same form on the target environment but it didn't, its still on the other form. I have no idea where to go from here, what do I need to do in order to remove a field from a form on the target environment?

Answer 1

I've come across something similar before - hopefully you're facing the same issue -

The form in question may have an Active unmanaged layer in your target environment that is effectively superseding your installed managed solution. You can check this within a solution by switching to classic > navigating to the form > select the form > select 'Solution Layers' under 'more actions'.

If there is an unmanaged layer, you will see it at the top (listed as the Active item).

You can delete this unmanaged layer by clicking the elipses (3 dots) and selecting 'Remove Active Customisations'.

If this is a test or prod environment, those customisations probably should not be there anyways. It's easy for this mistake to occur if you open the form editor and save and close without making any changes - this effectively creates the unmanaged layer