How to create custom fields and make them visible for users

You will first need to define the field properties, then map it to one or more classifications. If your field is selectable, you will additionally need to define the options for the field.

Custom fields can be marked as required fields. It is also possible to limit the number of characters that end users can enter in a text type custom field. 

This article discusses:

• How to create a custom field
• How to map a custom field to a classification
• How to define options for selectable custom fields

 

Creating a Custom Field

To create a custom field:

1. From the upper-right corner, click on your user name or avatar and then select Administration from the list of options.
2. Select the Custom Fields tab.
   This will display the list of existing custom fields.
3. Click on the Define a new Custom Field button.
   The New Custom Field form displays.
   
4. Enter a name and label for the custom field.  
5. In the Dataset Identifier field, enter a string that will be used to identify this custom field in datasets. This is required if you want this custom field to appear in reports and API views. The identifier can contain only alphanumeric characters and underscores.
6. In the Help text field, enter a description for the custom field.
7. Select the type of custom field in the Control list. The available custom field types are:
   • Select box 
   • Multi-Select Box
   • Radio group  
   • Free text field  
   • Free text area 
   • Free Number Field
   • URL
   • Date
   • Traffic Light  - Traffic light custom fields can be used to display project status, workflow status, or anything similar, where you would rather use distinct colours as indicators. 
8. If you want to use the custom field as a filter criterion on the dashboards, enable the Reporting Group option.
9. To mark the custom field as a mandatory field, select Mark this custom field required.
   You will be required to specify a default value. 
   
   Please note that the default value will be utilised only when the mapped object is created on interfaces where there is no full form to enter the required value.
   
   For example, if the Map interface is used to create a benefit, the mandatory custom field mapped to the benefit classification will be prefilled with the default value. This will ensure that the required input is not missing in the field. You can access the full form if you want to change the value. On the other hand, if the New Benefit form is used to create a benefit, the custom field will be required but not defaulted to any value. 
   
   Other interface areas where default values are utilised in a similar way include the pathway,  simple measures, business cases, shared teams and the Gantt interface (when used for creating external dependencies).
   • The Max Length field allows you to set the maximum number of characters allowed in a text or text area character field. Enter 0 in this field if you don't want to set any limit.
10. Click on the Create Field button.
    You have now created a custom field. If you created a section field or a radio group, after this step you will need to define the optional values for the field.
    

     

Mapping the Custom Field to a Classification

You must map the custom field to specific classifications in order for it to be visible in those areas of Amplify interface where the mapped classifications are utilised. For example, to add a custom field to the task table in the Schedule sub-menu, you must map your custom field to Schedule Tasks. 

1. To map this field to a classification, select the classification from the drop-down list under the Mappings section.
   
2. Click on the Update Mapping button. 
   The mapping is now saved.

Defining Options for Selectable Custom Fields

If you selected Select box or Radio group from the control list you will require to create options for the user to select.

1. Click on the Create an option button to reveal a set of fields.
   
2. Fill the required details.
3. Select Make this the default selection if you want this option to be the one that is selected by default.
4. Click on the Save button.
5. Repeat the above steps to create all options.

You can modify or remove an option from an existing custom field configuration. An existing option can be removed by using the Delete button next to the option. To edit, click on Edit Option.

Once you have created options for a sect box or radio group custom field, you can validate the fields.

1. Go back to the Custom Fields page. 
2. Click on the select box or radio group that you recently created and view the options.
   All options that you configured should be listed.