Data Fields
Using Data Fields on a sales form allows you to collect information from your users without requiring the purchase of a product or SKU. You can add data fields in addition to products on your form, or you can create a form that is 'data only.' For example, a Faculty Favorite Things form.
Data Fields are fully edit-able by Admins once the information has been submitted by the user. (See the article Editing Submitted Data in a Data Field for more information.)
If you are using a Sales Form, you can also add Data Fields to your Products (SKUs) to collect data based on the number of purchases of each product. This is useful for collecting Lifetime Membership information, Spirit Wear Personalization, Yearbook Shout-Outs, Team Members, and Donations.
- See the Knowledge Base article on Adding Data Fields to a SKU for more information and step by step directions.
- Reminder - After you have saved the field, go to the Form Specific tab for the SKU - You must set the Max Quantity to 1 or greater for the SKU in order to present the drop down choice for the number to be purchased. This triggers the data fields. If left blank, no data fields will present.
- Reminder - Product Data Fields will NOT work for SKUs that have a sales price set to Custom or Various amounts.
Adding a Data Field to a Form
- Go to Store & Forms and Select the Form.
- Select the Products & Data Fields tab.
- Select the blue "add a data field" button.
Definition Tab
Field Name - Just like every product has a unique SKU, every data field need a unique name. If you duplicate a field name, the information won't present correctly in your reports.
Field Label - This is what you want your user to see on the form.
Description - Use this for additional information about the data you are collecting.
If your form is 'data only,' Section Headings will not present on the form. If you'd like to have sections on a data only form, you will need to add each heading as an HTML field. See the article on Data Field Types for more information and instructions.
Presentation Tab
Field Type
- Text (single line) - The user is limited to the number of characters that will fit in the width of the field.
- Text (multiple lines) - The text will word wrap
- Select Box (drop down) - The user can choose from a list of preset choices that will "drop down".
- Checkboxes - The user will be able to select more than one option.
- Radio Buttons - The user will be able to select only one option.
- Name List (from contacts) - This will associate the form with the tagged contact and you can elect to have this person automatically notified. See our article on Tagging Contacts for more information.
- File Upload - This allows the user to select an image or document to upload when they submit their form.
- HTML Block (no field) - This option is for when you do not want to include an actual field box, but would like to include a picture or text within the page.
To get more information, see our Knowledge Base article about Data Field Types.
Size - The width (# of characters) of your field. This only applies if you are creating a text field (see above). If you want to increase the height, enter the width, then the height separated by a comma. Ex) 20,2
Maximum Characters - Set a maximum amount of text allowed in the field for both single and multiple line type fields. If you want to allow only 5 characters, enter 5 as the size. If you want no limit, enter 0.
Default Value - If you want the field to default to certain data.
Options - These are the choices you want to present when using a drop down menu, check boxes, or radio buttons. Enter one choice per line. Do NOT use commas. Hyphens, underscores, and colons are okay to use.
We recommend typing 2 or 3 spaces and a hard return as the first choice so that the default value of the field is blank and does not automatically default to the first choice in your list.
Input Translation - These options allow you to set up a data field that will present as a telephone number, email address, number, or dollar amount.
Allow Blank? - Data fields can be set so that an answer or choice is required. For more information on how to do this, see FAQ - How do I make a data field required?
Layout Tab
If you want to add/remove spaces or line breaks before or after the field itself, use the HTML Before or After Field boxes.
Each <br> equals one line break.
If you need to add space between the check box (or radio button) and the text that displays on your form, use the HTML Before or After Each Option boxes.
Add in for each individual space that you want to add. Don't forget the semi-colon!
Right - Justifying Data Fields on Sales Forms
On the Layout tab of the data field, place "floatright" (no spaces) in the CSS class field.
Visibility Tab
Visibility - If you no longer want one of your fields to be presented to your users, you can "hide" it. It is best practice to hide the field rather than deleting it from the form. Otherwise, the form report will NOT include any information related to that field on the form report.
Requires Membership - Select "yes" if you want the field to only be presented to Members of your organization.
Present Only to Grade - Select which grade levels should see this field, or leave it blank to have it present to everyone.
Related Articles
Editing Custom Fields
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When creating Data Fields, there are several types of fields to choose from on the Presentation tab: Text (single line) Text (multiple lines) Select box (drop down) Checkboxes Radio Buttons Name List (from contacts) File Upload HTML Block (no field) ...