Custom fields

Use this page to create custom fields to manage data related to your specific business activities. You can determine how information is collected and displayed on a page. Custom fields display on the main list and can be included in reports and dashboards.

The main list displays fields you already created. Select one to view details or make changes.

Working with custom fields requires advanced knowledge of Sage Distribution and Manufacturing Operations and your business activity needs.

If you have multiple tenants, custom fields are specific to the tenant in which they are created.

 

User type

System administrator

Create a field

When you create a field, the Create custom field widget guides you through the process. You can access the widget from the Custom fields page and then select the record type or page where you want the field to display.

You can only add custom fields that display on pages and in grids. You cannot add custom fields unique to pop-up windows like the Stock details panel.

An easier way to add a custom field is to start on the page where you want to add the field.

  1. Navigate to the page where you want to add the field. For example, Sales > Customers.
  2. From the main list, select Create. This opens the page to create a new record. Select the Create field icon. If the page contains a More actions menu, the Create field action is located in this menu.

This launches the Create custom field wizard. This wizard is easy to follow, but there are some important points to remember for each step.

  1. Record type: Select a record type that is managed on the page where you want your new field to display. For example, when you add information on the customer page, the record type needs to be associated with the customer record itself, or the customer item record.
  2. Field details: This is basic information like the field label, the technical name, and the type of field. The technical name needs to be unique and is used for API access and import/export operations. The field label is automatically used to generate the technical name, but you can change it. The technical name should use camelCase for API consistency and cannot be modified later
    See the Working with custom field types for more information on the different field types and related options.
  3. Position: Define where your field displays in the record type, either before or after an anchor field. If the anchor field is not displayed, the custom field displays last.
  4. Display: Provide additional details that can help others to fill out the field correctly and if the new field is required.
  5. Validation: You can define a validation rule that checks the value against certain criteria depending on the field type you select. For example, you can specify a minimum and maximum length for a text field, or a range of valid dates for a date field. If the value does not meet the validation rule, an error message displays and the user cannot save the record.
  6. When you finish, the wizard closes and your field displays on the page.

Edit a field

You can edit most values for a custom field. You cannot change the following:

  • Record type
  • Technical name
  • Field type, except for changing checkboxes to on-off switches and the reverse
  1. Select the field you want to edit from the main list.
  2. Fields that cannot be changed, like the technical name, are disabled.
  3. The tabs that display show the values you entered in the wizard.
  4. You can change if the field is required or not.
  5. If the field type is a dropdown list, you can change the order for entries on the Display tab. In addition, the Drop-down list details tab displays. You can add or remove lines and change the displayed label. You cannot modify the technical name.

Delete a field

You can delete a custom field. Deleting a custom field does not delete stored custom data. After deleting, the custom field is no longer be available on pages or through the API.

Working with custom field types

This section explains options specific to the different field types in the Create custom field wizard. There are also different editing options for each field type.

Date field options

On the Validation step, you can define a date range.

Checkbox field options

If you edit this type of field, on the Display tab, you can change the type to a switch field.

Drop-down field options

A new step is added to the wizard, called Drop-down list details. In this step, you can enter values that display in your dropdown list. Each entry has a technical name that cannot be changed later.

By default, the entries display in the order they are entered. You can change this by editing the field, and selecting Sort drop-down list by name on the Display tab.

Numeric field options

On the Position step, you can enter a prefix or postfix. These values are appended to the user-entered numeric value.

On the Validation step, you can enter minimum and maximum values. You can change these values if you edit the field. You can also enter a Scale, which defines the number of decimal places. This value cannot be changed later.

On-off switch field options

If you edit this type of field, on the Display tab, you can change the type to a checkbox field.

Text field options

On the Position step, you can enter a prefix or postfix. These values are appended to the user-entered text.

On the Validation step, you can enter minimum and maximum values. You can change these values if you edit the field.

Text field content displays on any customer-facing documents. For internal communication, consider adding internal notes from the Notes tab.