Custom Fields

Custom Fields are useful for collecting the correct information from your members when they create an account or update it and when adding businesses to your directory (see Business Directory). The information you need depends entirely on what type of company, business, or club you are.

Your custom fields will be divided into categories. When creating/editing an Update Profile page, you may select the category(s) you would like to appear on that page. Hence, it is important to group your fields in an orderly manner with these pages in mind. Continue reading to learn how to create a category and custom field.

To create a new custom field, press the "Add Custom Field" button in the toolbar upon entering the Custom Fields section. The different fields and options in the form that appears are described below:

Field Name: Enter the field name here. This will appear beside the field and specify what information the user must enter/select.

Data Column Name: As you will notice you cannot type anything here. WebCommunicator will automatically generate a Data Column Name when you save the field.

Apply To: Choose whether this field will apply to people or organizations (businesses in your directory).

Field Type: Select a field type out of the ones described below:

  • Text Field: A field in which a user may enter text.
  • Select List: Drop-down menu with certain options available. If you choose this one, you must enter the options in the text field each seperated by a comma.
  • Date Field: Allows users to select a date from a pop-up mini-calendar.
  • Number Field: Similiar to a text field, but with numbers as the intended input instead of letters.
  • Yes/No Field: Provides a checkbox simulating a yes (checked) or no (unchecked) answer.

You will find some examples of these in the following fields:

Under Category: Choose the category this field will appear under. Most likely you won't have any categories at this point, so choose Other in the select list and enter a category name in the text field beside it to create a new category. (Examples of a select list and text field)

Field Rank/Order: Use the rank to determine the order of the fields within the chosen category, lowest to highest number. (Example of a number field.)

Show this Field: Select whether or not the field will be visible as soon as it is saved. (Example of a yes/no field.)

When you have filled in all the fields, you may press the "Save" button. Or, if you wish to abort the process, you may click on "Close".

After creating some custom fields and categories, an organized list will begin to build up in the custom fields home page. It should look something like this:

To edit the settings of a category or custom field, simply click on its name. The visibility and rank of each is also displayed on the right side of the list.