Add Custom Fields

Contents

When you add a custom field, you are adding a new field to your Contract Management database. Custom fields are a database level feature, and are available to every project in a database. You can include custom fields in reports. For example, you can create or modify a report so that it shows only the contracts associated with Phase 1 of a project. The custom fields are added to the appropriate table of the module you are using to create/modify the report.

To add a custom field:

1. Verify that no one else is working in Contract Management by right-clicking on the top-level (All Projects) folder and clicking Current Users. You can only add custom fields when all other users are logged out. Close the dialog box.
2. If no one else is working in Contract Management, right-click on the top-level (All Projects) folder and click Custom Fields to open the Custom Fields Dialog Box.
3. Expand the module to which you want to add a custom field, and click Add to open the Custom Field Dialog Box.

   Caution: Do not exit this dialog box by clicking the (X) in the upper right corner of the dialog box. This will prevent anyone from using Contract Management until the service is restarted by an administrator. Click either Save and Close when finished with the rest of this procedure, or Cancel.

4. Enter the Column Name to which you are applying the custom field.
5. Enter a name for the custom field in the Display As field.
6. From the Location field drop-down list, select the module to which the custom field should be applied.
7. From the Type drop-down list, select the type of custom field you are adding to the database. This can be:

   Type:	Used to:
   Character	Define dictionary item
   Currency	Define numeric currency item
   Date	Define date format
   Description	Define a 4000 character box for entering data.
   Quantity	Define numeric item
   Uppercase	Define dictionary item
   True/False	Define an option (for example, for document approval).

8. In the Length field, enter the number of characters that users can enter in the custom field.
9. For custom fields of type Quantity and Currency, in the Decimal field enter the number of decimal places to store.
10. If the entry made in the field must always be unique, select the Unique option. This prevents the user from entering data that has already been entered.
11. If an entry is required in the field before the user can continue, select the Required option.

To create dictionary definitions for the custom field:

1. Set the Type field to Character, and then select the Dictionary option.
2. If appropriate, select the Allow users to enter items not in the list option to enable to enter new items.
3. Click Add to display the Dictionary Item Dialog Box.
4. Enter a Name for the custom field.
5. Enter a Description for the custom field.
6. Click Save and Close if finished, or click Save and Add Another to add another dictionary definition.

To save the custom field:

Click Save and Close to apply the changes. The custom fields appear in log windows in the farthest right columns, and in document windows at the bottom.

You can enter a value for the custom field (depending on its type) by going to the custom field in the document window. The value will also appear in the log window.