Create a custom field

Add your own field to accounts, work orders, tickets or other records, choose its type and default, and decide whether it is required, searchable, exportable or shown in reports.

In the sidebar, open Settings, then choose Custom Fields under Records & Fields. The page address is /settings/org/custom-fields. The page title reads Organization Custom Fields.

A custom field is a field Nova does not have out of the box: a PO number on a work order, a gate code on a location, a "how did you hear about us" on an account. Each field belongs to one record type, called its subject.

Before you start

• Your role needs the custom fields permission to see the list and permission to create custom fields to add one. If New definition is missing, ask your admin.
• The subject, field type and key cannot change after the field is created. Choose them carefully.

Steps

1. Press New definition. The New custom field definition drawer opens.
2. Under Basics, pick a Subject (the record type the field belongs to) and a Field Type: Text, Multi-line, Number, Date, Boolean (yes or no) or Select (a pick list).
3. Type a Display Name. Leave Field Key blank to let Nova build it from the name. Add a Description for your team and, if you want to control position, a Sort Order.
4. If you chose Select, a Select options box appears with one empty option. Type its Label, then press Add option for each further choice.
5. Under Default value, set the value new records start with, or leave it empty.
6. If the subject is a work order, Work-order surface overrides lets you choose, for each work order screen, Use organization default, Always show on this surface or Always hide on this surface.
7. Under Behavior, switch on Required if every record must have a value, then decide Visible, Editable, Applicable, Searchable, Exportable and Reportable.
8. Optionally, under Advanced settings in Visual builder, choose Show in lists and Filterable for list pages, Portal visible to show the field to customers in the portal, and Template merge to use it in documents and messages.
9. Press Create definition. The field appears in the list and the drawer switches to it, ready for more changes.

What you see

• The list shows each field's name, key, sort order and description under Field. Press Manage columns to add Subject, Type, Policy markers (which behaviours are on), Exposure (Portal visible, Template merge or Internal only) and Updated.
• Use the search box or the filters (Subject, Lifecycle, Field type) to find a field. Open reporting opens the custom-field reports page.
• The field now appears on every record of that subject where it is visible and applicable.

If something looks different

• New definition is missing: your role cannot create custom fields.
• The drawer refuses with a message to choose a registered subject: pick a Subject before creating.
• The Subject list is empty and a note says no subjects are writable: your role cannot change any kind of record that takes custom fields. Each subject needs its own permission, such as permission to change accounts.
• A field you created earlier is missing: change the Lifecycle filter from Active only to All definitions; it may be archived. See Edit, archive or restore a custom field.

Open Custom Fields