Fields

> Customize > Fields

Fields are attributes of an Object, and are used to contain many types of data.

About Fields

• Fields are defined by giving them a label and specifying a Field Display Type
• New fields can be added to the Form canvas
• Fields can have Role-Based Visibility, meaning that the field data is visible only to users who have permission for that field
• Fields can have a Default Value defined, which pre-populates the field in the data entry form (Form)
• Default values can be created with Formula Fields
• Fields created by Users are listed as Custom in the Type column

Users that have the Customize Objects permission can edit Fields.

Working with Fields

Add a Field

Fields can be added to an Object from the Fields tab. The definition of a field includes the field type, and the roles in which the field is either visible or editable. The positioning of the fields when displayed is defined in Forms.

To add a field:

1. Go to > Objects > {object} > Fields
2. Click [New Field]
3. Fill in the Field Settings, described below
4. Click [Save]

Delete a Field

To remove a field from a Form:

1. Hover the mouse over the field to remove
2. Click the Remove Field icon in the floating toolbar

   

The field is removed from the layout, but it remains available in the object and is moved to the Pick Existing section of the Elements Sidebar. Fields can be reused in this layout or any new layouts.

To delete a field entirely:

1. Click the field name.
2. Click [Delete].
   A confirmation dialog opens.
3. Click [OK] to delete the field.

This is a permanent deletion, and cannot be restored.

Field Audit Log

When the Field Audit Log option is enabled, you list the fields to be audited. Changes to those fields are then added to each record's Activity History.

Users that have the Customize Objects permission can set the Field Audit Log.

Users that have the Manage Audit Log permission can view the Audit Log

When a field is modified, the following information is added to the activity history:

• Field label
• Original field value
• New field value
• Who changed it
• When it happened

Considerations

• Creation dates are not logged.
• An entry is added to the activity history for each audited field that changes. (If three fields change, three entries are added.)
• For the Cases object and several other System Objects, all fields are audited, by default.
• For Custom Objects, field auditing is turned off, by default.

Enable the Field Audit Log

1. Go to > Objects > {object} > Field Audit Log Settings
2. Click Enable Field Audit Log
   The list of object fields appears.
3. Click Track All Fields, or leave that option unselected and click the checkbox next to each field to be audited.
   (Choose up to 20 fields per object.)
4. Click [Save]

Learn more: Activity History

Guidelines for Add/Update Field Value

The Order of precedence of field properties (#1 takes precedence over #2, etc.):

1. Always Required
2. Field Visibility
3. Display Attribute

Add/Update Field Value

• For the API/UI calls, the Always Required property applies, even if the field is defined as hidden/read only via Form or Field Visibility settings

• Fields defined as Hidden/Read-Only via Field Visibility settings can not be added/updated from the UI, and should not be added/updated from the API

• Fields defined as Hidden/Read-Only via Display Attributes are considered only for UI calls (but not API calls)

• Hidden Fields can be updated through the scripting

• Fields defined as part of Custom Objects can be set to Read-Only or Hidden via Field Visibility settings

Log Access Violation

• When fields defined as Hidden/Read-Only via Field Visibility settings are used in an API/UI request, the entry can be logged in the Audit Log, provided that the Enhanced Security Audit is enabled

Field Settings

Basic Information

Specify the basic characteristics of the field

Label

Enter a field label; This label is displayed on the Form

Display Type

The fields in this page will change, depending on the Field Display Type selected

Always Required

• By default, Always Required check box is not selected.
• If Always Required check box for a field is selected, then the field is required in all the Forms and API calls.

Considerations

• If any object has only one form layout, then the AgileApps Cloud application allows you to save a field with Always Required check box selected.
• If there are more than one form, then do not select the Always required check box as the AgileApps Cloud application displays the error "This field cannot be made as Always Required. Please use the form layout designer and layout rules to make this field required for the specific form layout".

Display Attributes

This section is displayed when adding a new field. It specifies the default attributes for the field, when it appears in a Form.

Section

Select the section in the default form where the field will appear. (The Basic Information section is the default.)

Required

Checkbox

• Default is unchecked
• If checked, this field is required in the current Form

Default Value

Specify the content to be displayed as the Default Value when adding a new record to this object, or use the interactive Formula Builder to define a default-value expression.

Considerations

• For Lookup fields, the value must resolve to a record_id. (A user_id, for Lookups to the User object.)
  For example, this formula can be used to specify a default value for the record Owner, by using an email address to do the Lookup:

LOOKUP('USER','id','email="newOwner@OurCompany.com"')

Field Visibility

Set Field Visibility based on Role. This option defines the Roles that are permitted to view and use the designated Field. Available field settings include:

• Visible
• Read-Only
• Hidden

This control is created when a field is added to an object.

Learn more: Visibility Controls

Considerations

• When a field is added to a Form, the field visibility control is set to Visible by default
• When a new role is added, that role receives Visibility rights to all the fields across all the objects
• When this control is specified for a field, it means that the user's Role determines whether a record is visible in the Audit Log
• You cannot set any default value at field level for any role with read-only permission.

Description Information

Optionally, add a description of the field

Field Hint/Description

Text entered here will be displayed when the user hovers their mouse over the field, when Show Field Hints has been enabled for the form the user is in. (It is enabled by default for forms in new objects, but was disabled by default in forms created prior to the Nov 2014 release.)

For Developers: Displaying Properties for All Fields

When programming data for an object, it's helpful to know which fields are required, and which are standard system fields that can't be modified. The list of Fields shown for an object has an optional Properties column for that purpose.

For each field, that column shows one of:

• Required - the field is required
• Read-Only - the field is a standard system field that cannot be modified either programmatically or by users

Note:

A field could also be Read-Only by virtue of a user's Role. The view does not reflect that condition.
(It would be difficult to display, and does not generally apply to programmed operations.)

To add that column to the view:

1. Click the Wrench Icon () next to the view title (All Fields, by default)
2. Choose New View or Edit this View
3. In the Fields tab, move Property to the list of selected fields
4. In the Order tab, position it where you want it to be displayed
5. In the Filter field, specify criteria to determine which fields are displayed.
   • Specify property equals 1 for required fields, property equals 2 for read-only fields.
6. Click [Save]