Examples of Custom Fields
To add a new Custom Field, first go to Setup > Configure > Custom Fields and then click on the green Add A New Custom Field button towards the right.
A new menu will appear in the middle of the screen asking you for all the field details.
In this next example, we are going to add a Selection Field Type which will show your Users a multiple selection drop down list from which they can choose one option.
Read on for a description of what each field means:
Field Name
This is the internal system name for the field, that only the underlying database will understand. It MUST be all lowercase, and not contain any spaces. You can use dashes or underscores to make it easier to read, e.g.
Valid Field Names
completed_induction, next-health-check, starsign, days-late_this_month are all valid field names.
Field names also cannot be repeated - they must be unique within your company. Try to keep the field names to less than 30 or so characters too, for ease of maintenance.
In our case, we want to enter the name 'citizenship' as the field name.
Field Label/Heading
This is the human readable heading that shows up on the Employee view and edit screens. This one CAN contain special characters and spaces, so try and make it user friendly and ensure that it described the field accurately.
We can enter the text 'Employee Citizenship' in this field.
Field Type
This is the *type* of information that the field will contain. A full list of field types is listed on the page titles Extending HR Partner.
We want a 'Selection' type as we will be giving our users a specific group of citizenship names to choose from.
Field Length
This field is not used for Selection type fields, so it will be grayed out, but normally you can specify the maximum field length that the user can enter.
Decimal Places
Once again, this is irrelevant for Selection fields, and we can ignore it as it is grayed out.
Entry Sequence
This is the sequence on the edit and view screens that the field will appear in. By default this is '0'. If you leave it at '0', the system will automatically make it the next field in sequence. You only need to edit this field if you want to rearrange the default sequence of fields on the screen.
We will go ahead and leave this at '0' for now. Because this is the first custom field, it will appear at the top of the list anyway, no matter what number we put in here.
Selection Items
Ok, this is where we type in the different citizenship types. What we need to do is to enter in each citizenship option, and press [Enter] at the end of each option. Basically, we need to put each option on it's own line.
Tip
Make sure you order the items as you want the user to see them - they will be shown the list in the order that you type the items in.
Tip
The very first item on the list will become the default item chosen, so bear that in mind. If you want to allow for a blank option, enter an empty line at the top of the list, or else enter in an line with '(none)' or 'N/A' to indicate it is not a regular option.
Once you have filled in the details, press the [Save] button to save this custom field.
Adding a Checkbox Field
Next we will enter a checkbox field.
Similar to above, but this time we are going to have a slightly longer field name which will have underscores to make it easier to read.
Enter in 'has_drivers_licence' as the field name, and 'Has A Driver's Licence' as the heading. Choose 'Checkbox' for the field type.
Leave the sequence as '0' to let HR Partner slot it as the next sequential field and then press [Save] to save your addition.
Adding a Mandatory Field
Lastly we will add a plain text field to our list of custom fields.
Fill in the information as per the screen shot above, but this time make sure you tick the 'Make this field mandatory' at the bottom. This will make HR Partner force your users to enter something into this field before they can save the record.
View Custom Fields in an Employee's Profile
Go back to your list of employees now, and pick any employee you like, and then click on their name to go to the 'View Employee' screen. Take a look in the middle of the screen, and you should see the custom fields we just defined.
Edit Custom Fields for an Employee
Once a Custom Field has been created, your Users will want to edit that Custom Field and complete the field with any relevant information. To do this, go to the Employee's Profile and click on the green Edit Employee Details button. Then click on the Custom Fields tab at the top.
Don't forget to click Save at the bottom of the menu!
Now go back to the Employee's Profile, and you should see the custom data there!
Reminder
Technically, it is possible to add an unlimited number of custom fields, but we suggest you don't add more than about 20 fields, otherwise it will impact the speed of your reports and navigating through the system.
Did You Know?
Custom Fields will appear in the Reports section so that you can filter your employees based on their contents.