Custom Fields for Contacts
Custom Fields let you add your own fields to the Contacts form, to capture extra information that AdmCloud does not offer natively (for example, an internal reference code, a control date, or a classification of your own).
What are they and what are they for?
A Contacts Custom Field is an extra field that you define, which automatically appears on the Create / Edit Contact form, alongside the standard fields (name, email, phones, etc.). Once you create it, every contact in your catalog can have its own value for that field.
This feature is useful when you need to store data specific to your business about the contact people on your Customers, Prospects and Vendors that is not part of AdmCloud's standard catalog, or when a developer is building a plugin or a custom integration that needs extra information on this catalog.
How to use it
- Open the screen. Go to Contacts Custom Fields from the Customization menu.
- Create the field. Enter the Field Name, the Label users will see, and the Data Type. Save: the system creates the field and it is immediately available on the Contacts catalog.
- Fill in the value on each contact. When creating or editing a Contact, complete the new field along with the person's other data, and save as usual.
- Review or edit the field's definition. From this screen's list you can open any field to review its configuration or edit the data that can still be changed (see "What you can't change" below).
Key fields
| Field | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Field Name | The field's internal identifier (no spaces or special characters). Cannot be changed once created. |
| Label | The text users see next to the field on the contact form. |
| Data Type | Defines what kind of information the field accepts (text, number, date, yes/no, a reference to another entity in the system, a Custom List, a Custom Record, etc.). Cannot be changed once created. |
| Custom List | Only applies when the Data Type is "Custom List": indicates which of your custom lists the options come from. |
| Custom Record | Only applies (and is required) when the Data Type is "Custom Record": indicates which custom record the field points to. |
| Required | When enabled, the field becomes mandatory when saving the contact. |
| Allow changing it in consult mode | When enabled, the field can be changed straight from the record's consult screen, without opening it for editing (see "Changing the field without editing the record" below). It only shows up for the data types that are captured with a list or a selector. |
| Default Value | Optional value automatically proposed on new contacts. It must be valid for the chosen Data Type. |
| Owner | The user responsible for the field's definition (defaults to whoever creates it). Used together with the "Protected" option. |
| Protected | When enabled, only the Owner user can view and edit the field's structure; other users won't see its configuration details (they can still fill in its value on contacts). |
Validations when saving
- Field Name is required, with no spaces and no special characters.
- Field Name must be unique: you cannot reuse the same name on two Contacts custom fields.
- Label is required.
- Owner is required.
- If the field is "Protected", only the Owner can save changes to its structure.
- The Default Value must be valid for the chosen Data Type (for example, you cannot enter text in a numeric field).
- Custom Record is required when the Data Type is "Custom Record", and cannot be set if you chose a different data type.
What you can't change after creating it
To protect the information already captured on your contacts, once you save the field for the first time the form locks editing of these three items:
- The Field Name.
- The Data Type.
- The associated Custom List.
If you need to change any of these, create a new field with the correct configuration instead.
Deleting a custom field
Deleting a custom field also deletes the values captured on every contact that had it filled in; this action cannot be undone. The system also blocks deletion if the field is being used by a plugin, and lists which plugins depend on it so you can review them first.
Transferring the field to another company
If your company is part of a group of companies in AdmCloud, the field's Owner can transfer (copy) its definition — along with its associated Custom List, if any — to another company in the group, without having to recreate it manually. This option only appears on the field's Details screen for the user who created it, and is not available in companies still in their evaluation period.
Availability, plan and permissions
- This feature requires the Enterprise plan. If your plan does not include it, the option won't appear in the menu and the screens will show a "not available in your edition" message.
- Access is controlled by the "Customization" permission on the user group, with separate levels for view, add, edit and delete.
- A field marked as "Protected" can only be viewed and edited by its Owner (ForTech users are not subject to this restriction).
Changing the field without editing the record
Normally, changing the value of a custom field means opening the record for editing, changing the data and saving. The Allow changing it in consult mode checkbox offers a shortcut: the field is also shown enabled on the consult screen, just like Status and Group on Service Requests.
It is useful for follow-up data that changes over time and is not part of the record's main content: the status of a task, who reviewed it, an internal classification, and so on.
What happens when you turn it on
- On the consult screen the field is no longer greyed out and is drawn with its normal control (dropdown, search box, checkbox, text box...), depending on its Data Type.
- When you pick or type the new value and leave the field, the change is saved on its own: there is no Save button and the page is not reloaded. AdmCloud shows a confirmation notice.
- If the save fails, the field goes back to its previous value and the error message is shown.
- The change is recorded in the record's log, like any other modification.
Who can use it
- Only users with edit permission on this screen. Everyone else still sees the field as read-only.
- Only on the data types captured with a list or a selector. It is not available for Rich Text or File, because those fields need their own capture flow; if you pick one of those types, the checkbox disappears from the form.
Tips and common pitfalls
Think through the Data Type before saving. Since you won't be able to change it afterward, take the time to decide what kind of information you need to capture (text, number, date, a custom list, a reference to another entity, etc.) before creating the field.
Deleting a field deletes its data. Before deleting a custom field, make sure you no longer need the information captured on your contacts: deletion removes the entire column and it cannot be recovered.
Don't see the option in the menu? This feature is exclusive to the Enterprise plan. If your company should have it enabled and it's not showing up, contact AdmCloud support.