Editing Custom Fields

Editing Custom Fields

Adding a Custom Field


At this time, Admins cannot add a custom field, but they are able to edit the data once it has been collected. If you would like to have a custom field added to your parent or student information, create a help desk ticket and one of our Team Members will be happy to assist you.

Once a Custom Field has been created, Account Owners (only) are able to edit their settings.
  1. Go to People / Configuration / Custom Fields.
Keep in mind that editing the "Options" in a custom field that has already been selected by your users will break all of the current records recorded for that option. If you must edit an option, we recommend downloading a list of the people associated with the option you are editing so that you can go back and manually edit their records with the new option.


Definition Tab


If you want to change the Custom Field Title that is seen by your users, you can do so on the Definition tab.



Presentation Tab


If you want to change the design or options for your custom field, go to the Presentation tab.
REMINDER - editing/changing the "Options" in a custom field that has already been selected by your users will break all of the current records recorded for that option.
  1. For example: if you change a teacher name after a user has already selected it, the user's record will not automatically be updated with the new name.
If you must edit an option, we recommend downloading a list of the people associated with the option you are editing so that you can go back and manually edit their records with the new option.



Field Type
  1. 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.
  2. Checkboxes - The user will be able to select more than one option.
  3. Select Box (drop down) - The user can choose from a list of preset choices that will "drop down".
  4. Radio Buttons - The user will be able to select only one option.
  5. Text (multiple lines) - The text will word wrap.
  6. Date - A calendar will pop up and the user will be able to select a date.
  7. Text (single line) - The user is limited to the number of characters that will fit in the width of the field.

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

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.
  1. Enter one choice per line. 
  2. 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.
  3. Be sure that each option is unique. For example, if you have two teachers with the same last name (1st & 5th grade) you might want to use Jones1 and Jones5.

Input Translation
These options allow you to set up a custom field that will present data as a telephone number, email address, number, or dollar amount.

Input Validation - Requiring an Answer

Custom fields can be set so that an answer or choice is required. If users try to submit the form and they have not completed a field that is set to be required they will receive an error message with an explanation on what they need to do.

It is important that you follow this format: NOTBLANK(comma)(sentence) or NOTBLANK,Message Goes Here 

  1. There are no spaces between NOTBLANK, the comma, and the first letter of the message.
  2. The "message" can contain spaces. 
  3. The "message" is what users will see if they try to submit the form and they have left the field blank.

If you are using a Select Box (drop down) for your field, the top line of the Options needs to be blank before listing your choices. Otherwise the system thinks the field has been answered since there is default data in the field and therefore will not require the user to go back and answer.




Layout Tab


If you want to change the way your custom fields look on your contact information forms, you will need to change the Layout.



  1. Sort Order - Where do you want the field to be presented on the form? Click on "more" to see where the other fields are located. It must be less than 50 to apply to the primary member.
  2. CSS Class - Leave this blank if you do not know what it means
  3. HTML - Controls the spacing of the fields.
  1. To add space between two custom fields that you want on the same row: use  
  2. To move a field to another row:  use <br>

Visibility Tab


You can capture information in a custom field and control the privacy of the information. You can make exclusions and manage the security of your information. For example, you might want to collect the teacher names for all of your students, but you may not want to include that information in your online directory.



Available for Privacy - Should the field be included in the privacy options on the Publish Preferences form for the Directory?
  1. If you select NO, users will not have the option to select whether they want the information in the directory.
  2. If you select YES, users will be able to choose if this information appears in the online directory.
Present in Directory - Should this information be presented in your online directory?

Directory Search - Should this information be presented in the directory search options? If you select YES at the top of your online directory there will be a search field that allows users to quickly filter the directory by this custom field. 

Directory Label - The label for the information in the directory.

Column Label - A short label for the field that is used in reports.


Other Visibility Settings are trumped by Permission Settings.

For example: If you have “present in directory” turned on, but set the permissions to “CANNOT see or change this field value”, the field won’t show up in the directory.


Permissions Tab


Permissions refer to what Admins can do and what Contacts (users) in your database can do with regards to Custom Fields.




User Permissions - These three options determine what your contacts on your site are able to do with the Custom Field.
  1. Can see and change field value - the user can read what's in the field and enter data in the field (this is the default setting)
  2. Can see but NOT CHANGE field value - the user can only read what's in the field
  3. CANNOT see or change this field value - the user can’t see the field at all

Enforce Uniqueness - This ONLY applies to custom fields that the user is NOT able to change. Admins can select if the data entered in the custom field must be unique or if duplicate data is allowed.

Admin Permissions - This allows your organization to specify what each type of Admin can do with the custom fields. Each level of Access Control that an Admin can be assigned is listed. For each role the permission can be one of the following:
  1. Blank - the Admin cannot see the field at all (this is the default for all levels of Admin Access except for Dashboard Access)
  2. Can see and change the field value - the Admin can read what's in the field and enter data in the field  (Note: this is the default setting for all Admins with Dashboard Access.)
  3. Can see but NOT CHANGE field value  - the Admin can read the data in the field, but can’t make changes

Important Notes:
1) The default setting for all Admins with Dashboard Access is "Can see and change the field." If you want to restrict access to certain levels of Admins, change the Permission for Dashboard Access to Blank and grant specific permission to the other roles.

2) When the system evaluates what an Admin can do, all roles that are have permissions set are evaluated, and the greatest level of access wins.
For example:  If an Admin has “Member Edit” and “Member View”, but the permissions for the custom field are set so that “Member Edit” can edit the field and “Member View” can only read the field, an Admin with both roles could still edit.

3) If you need more information about the different levels of Administrator Access, see our Knowledge Base article: Access Control for Administrators.

4) Other Visibility Settings are trumped by Permission Settings.
For example: If you have “present in directory” turned on, but set the permissions to “CANNOT see or change this field value”, the field won’t show up in the directory.

Show Field on Reports? - This allows you to specify whether or not the custom field is available for downloaded reports (XLS or PDF). If you set this to "No,"  the field will never show up on a report. If you set it to "Yes," the custom field will be presented on the report if the Admin running the report has permission to see the field.

Field Available for Conditions? - This allows you to specify whether or not the custom field should be available to be used for form conditions.

Field included on Receipts? - This allows you to specify whether or not the custom field should be included on customer receipts.

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