Administration Guide

Configuring Custom Input Fields

You may want to prompt the user for additional information during the interactive audit. In the Settings app, you can add a number of custom input fields for Computer records. Alloy Discovery will automatically enable displaying custom input fields in all existing audit profiles.

INFO: For details, see Audit Profile Options.

Adding Custom Input Fields

IMPORTANT: When adding custom input fields, you change Alloy Discovery database’s structure. We recommend that no users access the Desktop App at that time.

To add a custom input field (CIF), follow the steps below:

  1. In the Settings app, navigate to General > Fields > Computers.
  2. Click New > Custom Input Field. The Custom Input Field dialog box appears.
  3. Type in a field caption in the Field Caption field.
  4. Optional: Type in the default field value in the Default Value field.
  5. Under Field type, choose one of the following:
    • To let users enter text, click Input. Then proceed to Step 6.
    • To let users select a value from the list, click Select and proceed to the next step.
    • To let users select a value from the list or enter text, click Combo and proceed to the next step.
  6. For a Select/Combo field, specify the list of available values as follows:
    • To add a value, type it in the text field at the bottom and click Add.
    • To edit a value, select it, enter a new value in the text field at the bottom, and click Replace.
    • To remove a value from the list, select it and click Delete.
  7. If you want to prevent users from leaving the field blank, select the Mandatory check box. Mandatory fields will be identified with a red border.
  8. If you want the field to remember its value, select the Remember check box.
  9. In the Field Name / Audit File Key field, enter the name for the variable (key) that will store the entered value of this custom field in the audit snapshot file and will be used as the field name in the Alloy Discovery database.

    NOTE: Alloy Discovery allows you to enter in this field English letters, numbers, and low line characters (_). Additionally, you cannot end the name with the _id sequence.

  10. Click OK.

    IMPORTANT: For your changes to take effect, you and other users must restart the Desktop App.

By default, Alloy Discovery automatically includes a newly added custom input field in all audit profiles. If you do not want to include a custom input field in a particular profile, you must review this profile and disable the field in the profile’s User Display Options section.

INFO: For details, see Modifying Audit Profiles.

Additional information entered by the users will be available in the Alloy Discovery database after the first interactive audit with enabled custom input fields.

NOTE: By default, custom input fields are not included in any grid views for Computers. To show the column in a particular view you should modify the view configuration and add custom input fields as needed.

Organizing the Display of Custom Input Fields

Custom fields will appear on the screen in the order you added them. To change the order in which custom fields appear on the screen, follow these steps:

  1. In the Settings app, navigate to General > Fields > Computers.
  2. Click Layouts > CIF Layout on the Module Menu. The CIF Layout dialog box opens.
  3. Select a field and use the Move Up, or Move Down buttons.

    NOTE: Alternatively, you can drag and drop fields to reorder fields.

  4. Click OK.

Modifying Custom Input Field Definitions

To modify the definition of a custom input field, follow these steps:

  1. In the Settings app, navigate to General > Fields > Computers.
  2. All custom input fields are listed in their own Custom Input Fields section. Click the section name to expand it and double-click the desired field.
  3. Modify the field caption and other available parameters, as needed.
  4. Click OK.

Deleting Custom Input Fields

To delete a custom input field:

  1. In the Settings app, navigate to General > Fields > Computers.
  2. Click the Custom Input Fields section to expand it, select the field to delete, and click Delete.

NOTE: When you delete a custom input field, it will be deleted from all associated audit profiles.

IMPORTANT: For your changes to take effect, you and other users must restart the Desktop App.