Adding user-defined fields

You can add multiple user-defined fields (UDFs) for each object class. It is important to understand that adding a UDF changes the database structure; therefore, we recommend that no users access Alloy Navigator while you're creating the definitions of user-defined fields.

To add a user-defined field:

1. Go to General > Fields > [Object Class]. Alternatively, you can access UDFs for a particular object class under Workflow and Business Logic (Workflow and Workflow and Business Logic > [Module] > [Object Class] > Fields) .

   TIP: To access UDFs for Activity Log records, go to Miscellaneous > Object Activity (General > Fields > Miscellaneous > Object Activity) .

2. Click New on the Module Toolbar. The New User Defined Field window appears.

3. In the Field Name field, enter a physical name of the field, which must be unique within the object. The name of the actual field being added to the database table will be automatically prefixed with UDF_.

   NOTE: The Origin field shows the name of the table in the SQL database the field will be added to.

4. Select the type of the field (for the details about possible UDF types, see Types of user-defined fields).

5. In the Field Label field, type the field label to be displayed in the interface. If you want to make the field either mandatory or read-only, select the corresponding check box(es) under Options.

6. For a Reference or a Lookup field:

   You can specify a filtering condition that drop-down list items must satisfy to be displayed in the field. To do this, click the Filter button . The Build Expression window opens. There, you can choose a filter template and assign values to its parameters. Alternatively, you can enter your custom filtering expression in the form of a SQL “WHERE” clause.

7. If you want to make the field invisible for the users, select the Hidden check box. In this case, only Alloy Navigator administrators can access this field. For details, see Hiding user-defined fields.

8. For a Float field, optional:

   In the Decimal Places field, specify a number of decimal places which will be used as a format for input and display of values. By default, a Float field has 2 decimal places.

9. For a String, Encrypted or Lookup field, optional:

   In the Size field, enter a size of the field in characters.

10. For a Lookup field:

    Under Lookup Values, create a list of items for the drop-down:

    1. Click Add. The Add Value window opens.

    2. Type in a value. You can enter values longer than specified by the field size, but only the specified number of characters will be displayed and stored.

    3. If you want to assign a tag to this drop-down list item, click Manage under Tags to bring up the Edit Tags window, where you can create a list of tags associated with this list item. For details, see Tagging list items.

    TIP: You can use tags when configuring workflow Forms. If a Form includes a drop-down list whose items are tagged, you can use tags in the filter expression that filters out some items. For details, see Configuring Forms.

    4. Click OK.

       Repeat these steps to add as many list items as needed. If you want to rearrange the values on the list, use Move Up and Move Down buttons.

11. For a Reference field:

    Under Reference, select the list of objects that will be available for users to choose a reference object from. If you select Person, the UDF will offer the list of active Persons; if you select Technician, the field will offer the list of active Persons with the Technician field set to Yes.

12. Click OK.

13. Click Save on the Standard toolbar.

    NOTE: For your changes to take effect, you and other users must restart Alloy Navigator's applications.

Related Information:

Types of user-defined fields

Adding Ticket fields

Viewing fields' usage in workflow

Arranging user-defined fields

Hiding user-defined fields