Custom Fields

Overview

Need to keep track of unique details for your contacts or projects? Custom fields in TIEIT let you capture the exact information your team needs. Easy to set up and versatile, these fields adapt to your data collection requirements, whether you’re noting customer preferences or tracking project-specific information.

Each record in TIEIT can be enriched with custom fields that you define to hold text, numbers, dates, lookup values, or choices from dropdown menus. Let's dive in!

Custom Field Types

Customize your data collection with a variety of field types designed to fit your specific needs:

Text Fields

• Text: Ideal for short responses, with a limit of 255 characters.
• Long Text/Paragraph: Perfect for longer notes, supporting up to 32,000 characters.

Multiple Choice Fields

• Multiple Choice: Select multiple options via checkboxes—great for surveys.
• Multi-select Dropdown: Choose multiple values from a dropdown menu, suitable for extensive option sets.

Other Fields

• Number: Capture numeric values, specifying decimal places and maximum limits.
• Date: Pick a date from a calendar for scheduling and timelines.
• Dropdown: A classic single-option dropdown menu.
• Radio Button: Similar to dropdowns but displays options as buttons for easier selection.
• File Field: Upload and attach files to records.

Lookup Fields

• Lookup Field: Pull data from other datasets like contacts or companies. When adding lookup fields, ensure they're filtered to show only relevant data by categories such as contact groups or company labels.

Creating Custom Fields

Creating custom fields is straightforward. Whether from your settings or directly within forms, here’s how you can add them.

Settings (Preferred)

1. Access Your Settings Page:
   • Click on your user icon located at the top right of the page.
   • Select the Settings button.

2. Open Company Settings:
   • Click on Company Settings in the left sidebar.

3. Select Transaction Settings:
   • Click on Custom Fields under Company Settings.

4. Create Custom Field:

• Use the + Custom Field button to add new fields.

Directly from a Form

If you have the correct permissions, you can add custom fields directly when creating or editing a form:

• Look for the + ADD CUSTOM FIELDS button on the left pane.

Setting Up Your Custom Field

Getting started with custom fields isn't rocket science—it's as easy as pie! Here's a breakdown of how to set up your custom fields within TIEIT:

1. From the Custom Fields page, click on the + Add Custom Field button. This is where the magic begins and with just a few clicks to customize how you gather and view your data!
2. Configure Your Field:
   • Field Type: Whether it’s text, a number, or a date, pick the type that fits the data you need to capture. Each type has its own set of configurations.
   • Field Name: Give your field a clear and concise name. Optionally, add a hint or placeholder to guide users when entering data.
   • Field Behavior: Set attributes like maximum characters allowed or whether the field should mask certain data (like hiding characters in sensitive information).
3. Determine Visibility and Requirements:
   • Where It Shows Up: Decide which parts of TIEIT will display this field. Is it just for forms, or should it appear in contact or deal records too? Toggle the appropriate options to ensure the field appears exactly where you need it.
   • Make it Required?: You can choose to make this field mandatory for all users or just for specific forms. If it's crucial everywhere, tick the box to make it required. For form-specific requirements, leave this unchecked here and specify the requirement directly on the form.

By following these guidelines, you can effectively customize TIEIT to meet your unique business needs, making data management a breeze.

Best Practices for Creating Custom Fields

1. Avoid Duplicate Fields: Check if the field already exists to prevent clutter and ensure easy data retrieval.
   • Example: If you need a “First Name” field, use the standard First Name field and adjust the label at the form level to ask your specific question, e.g. What is your first name?

2. Thoughtful Labeling: Use clear, descriptive labels for your fields, and avoid adding unnecessary symbols or numbers — colons should be avoided. We understand it's required on forms and you can customize the field name when creating a form.
3. Required Fields: Only make a field required across the system if absolutely necessary. If it’s needed only on forms, set it as required at the form level to keep your system flexible. Why? If you make the field required in the settings, it becomes mandatory for logged-in users within the system as well, which may not be what you intend. This can cause issues if it's only meant to be required for contacts in forms. Refer to Tip 5 to see how to make a field required at a form level .
4. When setting up custom fields in TIEIT, you can specify where each field should be visible to streamline data management and avoid clutter. For instance, if you're adding a field that is only relevant to contacts and forms, simply select Contacts and Forms in the "Available Only in" section. This ensures the field appears only where needed, keeping other areas of TIEIT tidy and focused.

5. To make a field required in a form or change the field label name, click Edit while hovering over the field in the form editor.

Limitations