TOC: About Custom Fields | Customizing the Label | Adding a Custom Open Text Field | Adding a Custom Drop-down Field | Editing a Custom Field | Hiding/Removing a Custom Field | Disabling the "Users Can Add to List" Functionality

Setting Up Custom Fields

See also:

• About the Contact Overview Form
• About User Roles
• Creating New Queries with the Query Wizard
• Working with Advanced Filters
• Working with Demographics

Note: Only the Metrix Administrator can access the Custom Fields form. Users who need additional custom fields need to speak with the Metrix Administrator.

You may need to capture information about a contact that Metrix does not capture by default. For example, you may need to track a participant's maiden name or the languages spoken by volunteers. The Custom Fields form allows you to edit or add the customized fields that appear on the Contact Overview and Contact Demographics forms.

About Custom Fields

You will be customizing both the labels and the fields themselves. There are two types of fields that can be customized:

• open text fields
• drop-down text fields.

Open text fields allow values to be entered into the field by typing text. The type of text that can be entered in an open text field can be restricted by using an input mask.

An input mask only allows certain values you define. For example, you can enter values for a field to store only a phone number or ZIP code or currency. Anything outside of the specified format can't be entered.

Drop-down text fields restrict the input from a user to a list of values that you specify.

Metrix allows one open text and one drop down field in the Contact Overview form and six open-text and six drop-down fields are available in the Contact Demographics form. The top of the Custom Fields form contains the two custom fields for the Contact Overview form, and the lower portion contains the fields for the Contact Demographics form.

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Customizing the Label

Custom labels are created the same way for the custom fields that appear on the Contact Overview and the Contact Demographics forms.

1. Click Customize in the Navigation Menu .
2. Click Custom Fields.
3. Enter a custom label name for a profile field directly into the label box.

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Adding a Custom Open Text Field

1. Specify the type of input allowed in this field by selecting an input mask.
   If you do not choose an input mask, any type of input is accepted in this field. If you already chose an input mask but would like to remove it, click in the field to select the text of the input mask and delete it.
   
   Figure: Specifying an Input Mask for a Custom Text Field

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Adding a Custom Drop-down Field

1. Check to see that the profile you select has the Edit Values option.
   All drop-down lists have the Edit Values option.
   This distinguishes a drop-down text field from an open text field.
2. Press Edit Values.
3. Enter values in the list and press Close.
   You may also overwrite existing values if necessary.
   
   Figure: Adding Values to a Drop-down Menu List for a Custom Field
4. Make sure the Hide Field check box is not checked, so that the field will be displayed on the Contact Overview or Contact Demographics form.
5. Click Contacts in the Navigation Menu to verify that the edited drop-down text list contains the values.

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Editing a Custom Field

You can edit custom fields by changing values in drop-down list menus or changing input mask options. However, use caution when editing existing custom fields. If there is a contact record that uses your custom field, your data may be lost or may become inconsistent with other data that is entered into the system.

Warning When changing an Input Mask, make sure that no existing contacts require the mask in order to store data correctly. Similarly, when changing a value in a drop-down list, any values in that field for existing contacts will not automatically change.

1. Select the field you would like to edit and determine if it is a drop-down or open text field.
2. If it is a drop down list, press Edit Values in the Custom Overview Fields area.
3. Edit the list to change one value to another to the list.
4. Press Close .

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Hiding/Removing a Custom Field

To hide empty custom fields from being displayed in the Contact Overview or Contact Demographics form, select the checkbox in the Hide Field column for each field you want to hide.

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Disabling the "Users Can Add to List" Functionality

You may wish to prevent users from adding new values to drop-down lists. For example, you have a pre-defined list of languages you want your users to select from. This encourages consistency and reduces data entry errors.

1. Locate the custom field that for which you wish to disable the Users can add to list functionality.
2. Un-check the Users Can Add to List checkbox in the column for that label.
   
   Figure: Disabling the Users Can Add to List Function

   To test this, close the Setup Custom Fields form and go to the form where the field is displayed, and try to enter new value in the custom drop-down list for this field and press Enter .
   This is working correctly if you receive an error message.

3. Press OK to dismiss the error message.

If you wish to resume this functionality, return to this screen and check the Users Can Add to List checkbox.

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