To customize fields, you'll need edit rights to System Setup > Field Management. This affects all of your users, so you must be strategic. We strongly encourage you work with a coach when hiding, requiring, or adding default values to avoid unintended consequences.

Fields

When you add a new field or edit an existing one, here's what you'll see on the Field Management record.

Page

The page associated with the field you'd like to manage.

Note: This applies to an entire page, not specific records.

Field Name

The field you're going to manage.

• Enter the proper field name here. So, if you want to manage the Opportunity Title field, enter "Opportunity_Title." See Table Lookup Convention for additional information.
• If you want to hide a field with a drop-down menu, enter the field name like this:
  • Occupation = Occupation_ID
  • Industry = Industry_ID

Group Name

The container "box" the field should display in (for example, the General box on the Field Management record). If null, the field displays in the General box. Don't see the group you want the field to display in? No problem! The first time you enter a name in the Group Name field, that box is created, and your field is added to it. New groups display in alphabetical order below the General box.

Note: Currently, you can't delete or move a group separator. So even if you remove all of the fields in a group, the separator line and title still display. However, you can hide separators. To do this, add a Field Management record for each separator with Hidden set to Yes.

View Order

The order fields display in within their group. Field positions count across from left to right and then down.

• If you assign an order to some but not all fields in a group, they display in chronological order. Null fields are treated as "0" and display first.
• Fields with the same View Order value list in alphabetical order.
  Note: You can't reorder fields in the General box.

Required

Default is No. Select Yes to make this field required. We strongly suggest using caution when making fields required.

Note: You can make any previously un-required field required. But setting Required to No on a required field does not make it un-required. Basically, you can add to the fields the Platform requires, but you cannot take any away.

Hidden

Select Yes to hide the field. Default is No. Hidden fields are only hidden in an open record. They are available in the Advanced Search tool, and you can still use them to build a view.

Warning: You can't hide a field that is a Record Fact. If you do, you'll get a warning and will either need to remove the field from your Record Fact View or change the Field Management record to set Hidden to No.

Default Value

Enter the default value that works for your church. The default value needs to match the type of field you entered for Field Name:

• A Text field should have a text default value.
• A Bit field should have a "0" or "1" default value.
• A Lookup field should have an ID default value (for example, Congregation_ID number for a default Congregation value).

Note: This only applies to records created at the Platform level. For example, records created using a routine would not adhere to a default value set in a Field Management record.

Filter Clause

Leave blank or add a condition if you filter a drop-down list.

Depends On Field

If you want the value of the record ID field you're managing to clear out when you update another field, you can enter that other field name as the Depends On Field. For example, on the Event Metrics page, the Group_ID field should be cleared if you change the Event_ID field value. So, in the record for Field Name Group_ID, you could enter Event_ID for Depends On Field.

Filter Label

The Name displays for this field in an open record.

Note: Field Management is field-specific. So if you want to change a field label display on more than one page and/or subpage, you must create a new Field Management rule for every time that field displays in the Platform. It might still be something you want to do, but choose wisely.

Writing Assistant Enabled

Determines whether the Writing Assistant displays when you edit this field. We recommend limiting this to larger text fields where you may need additional writing assistance, like description fields.

Required Field Considerations

We've all been there - that missing piece of information would be so great to have. Making that field required seems like the answer. And it might be! But there are some things to consider before setting Required to Yes.

• The Platform comes with required fields and you cannot make those fields un-required. But you can make previously un-required fields required.
• A required field is a required field for all. Make sure your casual users can provide the required information.
• Required fields are only enforced through the Platform. Your integrations may not require the same fields. So, if you make the Middle Name field required and your integration does not require a middle name, your users receive a validation warning every time they edit or copy a record created by that integration.
• Think twice before making a field both required and hidden. It's really hard to fill out a required field you can't see. If you make a required field hidden and it doesn't have a Default Value, it remains visible. Just have to hide that required field? Include a Default Value.