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Editing Fields

This section houses information for SPoCs on editing fields, including the default field list, how to edit and rename fields, and how to edit a record's friendly name.

The following instructions are for SPoCs. If you're not the SPoC but need to perform some of these actions, get in touch with your SPoC and they can assist you.

Default Field List

This is the list of fields that display on a page's data grid when you view the All Records view on a page. The default field list is also used for many other views on a page, so just because you aren't looking at All Records doesn't mean you aren't seeing the default field list.

There are some basic observations you can make. First, the field list can seem complicated because it's not quite plain English but not completely foreign. Don't let it scare you - it's not as complicated as it appears. Regardless, you should be able to look at the end of each line and figure out which line relates to which column on the page view.

Find the Default Field List

  1. Go to System Setup > Pages.
  2. Open the Page record.
  3. Click Edit to see a more readable view of the field list.

Edit Fields

Note: This is NOT how to edit fields in SQL Server. For that, see Custom Fields. You can always add custom fields, but you can't change system field names.
  1. Go to the page you want to adjust and open the Advanced Search Tool.
  2. Find and add the fields that are missing from your default field list.
  3. Click the SQL View tab.
  4. Before you copy the list, add a comma (,) before the very first field listed.
  5. Copy the field list and paste it into a separate text editor.
  6. Go to System Setup > Pages, and open the page.
  7. Paste the field list at the bottom of the existing field list. You may need to hit Enter after the last field of the initial field list to make everything look good.
  8. Click Save.
  9. Go to the page in the normal menu and refresh to make sure everything works correctly.
You should see the new fields added after the old fields. To reorder fieldsm simply cut and paste the list of fields in the setup area.
Note: MinistryPlatform has a safeguard that protects against attempts to circumvent security and other suspicious activity. For example, you may encounter issues if you try to include a subquery in an API request. In these cases, you'll need an error message that provides more information.

Rename Fields (Field Aliases)

Sometimes the name of a field isn't ideal for your specific needs. Perhaps it's too generic, like "Display_Name", or maybe you need to edit a field name to use it with the New Message Tool as a merge field.
  1. Edit the page you're looking for and find the default field list.
  2. Read over the field list and find the specific field you want to rename.
  3. Add AS [new_field_name] after the field's existing syntax. 
    ,Form_Responses.[First_Name]
,Form_Responses.[First_Name] AS [Web_First_Name]
    new_field_name should be your new field name. Underscores become spaces in MinistryPlatform.

Edit Record Friendly Names

Change the friendly name of a record that displays in drop-down menus. For example, if you wanted to edit the Rooms drop-down menu to display both the room name and the room number, rather than just the room name, you can do that!
  1. In the Advanced menu, go to System Setup > Pages.
  2. Open the Page of the record you want to change.
  3. In the General tab, click Edit Record.
  4. Edit the Selected Record Expression field to include your modifications.
    To include the room name and room number, change this field from the default Rooms.Room_Name to the appropriate Rooms.Room_Number + " - " + Rooms.Room_Name.
  5. Click Save.
  6. Click Close.
Now anywhere that displays the record you edited will display your new friendly name for the record's drop-down menu. So for the example we used in this article, anywhere the Rooms drop-down menu displays, now the room name and room number display in the Rooms drop-down menu.
MinistryPlatform

Last updated: September 20, 2024