End-user guides:: Creating custom fields

There are around 50 system fields per Emarsys account, with space for an additional 450 custom fields which can be created via the Emarsys user interface. These fields are used in forms and filters, for personalization as well as conditional text, and are used to store the data you import and export.

Contents:

• About custom fields
• Creating custom fields

There are eight different field types, each suited to storing different kinds of data. You should take care to select the most suitable field type, as this influences not only how the data is stored but also which filter conditions are available for segmentation. For example, numbers can be stored in both text fields and alphanumeric fields, but only the latter have the filter conditions ‘greater than‘ and ‘less than’.

Note: The figure of 450 additional custom fields is an estimate, as the total number permitted will depend on the types of fields created. If you require more fields, an additional 500 can be added on request.

On the Field Editor page, all data fields can be edited. The list displays the fields with their Field Name and Field Type. The Created by column displays the name of the administrator who created the field. For information on the different field types, see About Fields.

To create a new field (i.e. a custom field) go to the Admin menu, Field Editor and click New. The Field Generator dialog box opens.

Enter a Name for the field and select a Type to determine the field format; then click Create.

On the next page of the Field Generator, you define your field in more detail:

• Click Edit to change the Name of the field, the Call for action, and the Attributes directly in the Field Generator.
• If you want to provide the field in other languages, select a Language from the drop-down list and enter the translated terms for Name, Call for action and the Attributes directly in the Field Generator, then click Save. By re-selecting languages from the list, you can switch between languages and view or edit the terms you have defined for them.
• You can decide to place the field name in the form either left of choice or above.
• For fields of the type Single choice and Multiple choice you can define attributes. Enter the number of attributes and click Create. Enter the required attributes and click Save. The field attributes are displayed and can be edited. You can also define the order of available values and a call to action.
• Click X to remove an attribute; define the attribute order by using the arrow icons. If you select either a-z (or z-a) and click Apply order, the attributes are displayed in alphabetical order or vice versa.
• You can edit the JavaScript; click Show javascript to display an editable field with the corresponding properties. Clicking Hide javascript will hide the JavaScript entry field.

For date-entry fields and URL fields, there is a pre-set standard code available; this code can be adapted.