The Field Manager in the Object Manager tab allows you to create and fully customise the fields within your Events, Sites and Assets records. You can add and configure specific fields to capture exactly the information you need, using various field types such as drop-down menus, date pickers, free text fields, and more. This flexibility ensures that your Site records are tailored to your unique requirements.
How to create a new field
Important if you are creating fields for your Event records: The fields that you map the questions to must have the same data type.
For example, if you have a multiple-choice dropdown question, you need to map it to a field that is also a multiple-choice dropdown field with the same dropdown options. Otherwise, the field mapping will not work, and the information will not be automatically saved from the form to the fields.
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Click on the 'Object Manager' button in the navigation bar and ensure 'Field Manager' is selected.
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Click on the blue 'New' button. This is located on the top right-hand side of the screen.
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The 'Create Field' window will pop up. Click on the 'Field Type' drop-down, and select the type of field that you want to create. The guide below explains what the different field types are, and what they will look like if you use them.
What are the different field types?
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Short Text: This field will allow the user to free-type. The field will be able to fit 250 characters.
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Long Text: This field will allow the user to free-type. The field will be able to fit 10,000 characters.
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Dropdown: This field type will allow the user to select from a list of options which you can set. If you select this field type, a box will pop up for you to add the drop down options. If you want to allow the user to select more than one option, click on the grey toggle next to 'Allow Multiple Answers'.
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Date: This field will allow a user to pick a date. This is a good one to choose if you want a date, but not a specific time. If you need the time as well, choose 'Date/Time' instead.
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User: This field will allow the user to select from a list of named users that have an account on Vatix Workspace. Please note that if a name needs to be added but the person is not a named user in Vatix Workspace, Short Text would be a more suitable field type to choose.
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Location: This field will allow the user to type in a location, and it will use online Maps to find that place. If the locations are very specific, or you would like the user to select from a determined list of locations, I recommend using Dropdown instead.
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Number: This location will allow the user to type in a number or a full stop for decimals. Please note that this field will not accept letters, so if you need to use a combination of letters and numbers, choose Short Text or Long Text instead.
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Date/Time: This field will allow a user to pick a date and time.
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Time: This field will allow a user to pick a time.
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Lookup: When you add a Lookup field to a record, it enables you to link to other records, such as Asset or Site records. Selecting this field type will prompt a box to appear, allowing you to choose which record you wish to link to.
For example, if you create a Lookup field related to Assets, you can then add this field to a Site record. This functionality allows you to associate Site records with their corresponding Assets (see example below).
4. In 'Field Label' type the name of the field you want, e.g. Date of next inspection.
5. The API Name is generated automatically; there is no need to worry about this. This could be used for future integrations. Please note that the API name cannot contain special characters, such as question marks or commas.
6. You can use 'Description' if you wish to leave an internal note explaining what the field is for. This will not be visible to end users, only admins.
7. Once you have filled in all the fields, click 'Save' and you will see the field you created in the list.
To add this field into a Site record, so it can be filled in, head to the Layout Editor in the tab below.
How to edit a field
In the Field Manager tab, click on three dots next to the field you would like to edit, and click 'Edit'. Here, you can change the field name in 'Field Label'.
Here, you can change the field name in 'Field Label'.
Please note that once a field is created, you can't change its type. You will need to delete it using the instructions below and create a new one.
How to delete a field
Important: If you need to remove a field, you need to remove it from the Layout Editor first.
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Remove the field you wish to delete from the Layout Editor first. The short clip below shows how to do this.
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Once you have removed the field from the Layout Editor, then you can go back to the Field Manager, click on the three dots and select 'Delete'.
