How to Create and Manage Custom Fields?

In this article:

1. What Is a Custom Field?
2. Who Can Manage Custom Fields in the Account?
3. How to Create Custom Fields?
    3.1. How to create a new custom field?
    3.2. How to clone an existing custom field?
4. How to Manage Custom Fields at the Board Level?
    4.1. Enabling and Disabling Values for Custom Fields of Type Dropdown
5. Overview of the Default/Standard Custom Fields
6. Where Do Custom Fields Appear on the Card?
    6.1. Calculated Custom Fields
7. FAQ

 

1. What Is a Custom Field?

In many cases, the fixed card fields available in Businessmap are not sufficient to capture important information that is relevant to your project requirements and specifics. This is where custom fields come into place. With custom fields, you can collect and track information that is unique to your projects.

The custom field is added in addition to the standard fields to customize Businessmap for your organization's needs. The system allows you to create as many custom fields as you need.

 

2. Who Can Manage Custom Fields in the Account?

There are three levels of permissions that define whether a user can manage custom fields:

• The top (global) level is Account Owners and users with the “Manage Card Elements” admin privilege. These users can always manage custom fields, regardless of the other permission levels.
• The second level of permissions is the Card Controls (available in the Security & Audit panel in Administration). The “users who can manage custom fields” setting can be set to:
  • Account Owners/Admins
  • Account Owners/Admins and Workspace Managers
  • Everyone in the account
    These card control settings cannot override the global level permissions.
• The last permission level is the Custom Field Categories. They override the Card Controls permissions, but not the global ones. For example, if a custom field category grants permission to Account Owners/Admins and users with role X to manage custom fields, but the Card Control is set to “Everyone” — only the account owners/admins and users with role X will have access to edit/delete the custom fields within that category.

 

3. How to Create Custom Fields?

Custom fields are created and managed at a global account level*. To create custom fields, go to the Administration menu and click on "Custom fields" under Card Management. This will open the Custom Fields panel where users with the necessary permissions can create, modify, disable, and delete custom fields.

* - users with the necessary permissions can also create custom fields directly from a board (check pt. 4. How to Manage Custom Fields at the Board Level to learn more).

The "Custom Fields" panel stores all existing custom fields in the system. Only users with the necessary permissions can manage custom fields in the account. Check the FAQ section below for details on how permissions work.

All existing custom fields are stored in a table format that provides the following information for each custom field:

• Name — this is the custom field name and the color selected for the field. 
• Type — the respective custom field type: text, number, dropdown, date, contributor, etc. You can learn more in our guide on types of custom fields.
• Availability level — controls the custom fields' availability on the boards.  
• Boards — names of boards where the custom field has been applied.
  Tip: you can filter for a board's name to find all custom fields enabled for it.
• Settings — use the three dots icon to edit, clone, disable, or delete the selected custom field. 

3.1. How to create a new custom field?

Click the "New Custom Field" link on the top right side of the panel.

In the "New Custom Field" panel: 

Enter the name (2) and select a dedicated color (1) that will distinguish the new custom field. Select the type (3) of your custom field. It can be any of the following options:

• Single line text
• Multi-line text
• Number
• Date
• Link
• Dropdown
• Contributor
• File
• Vote
• Card Picker
• Calculated number*
• Calculated date*

* - You can learn more about calculated custom fields in our dedicated guide.

Next, you need to select if you want to add the new custom field to a custom field category (4). Optionally, you can set a default value (5) for the field.

To be able to add this custom field to your cards, you need to assign it to a board (6) first. Use the "+" sign to add the custom field to the boards you want. Click the corresponding “x” button to remove a board where the field should not be present.

Advanced Settings:

Define the custom field's Availability Level (7) in your account. Note that only Account Owners can control that setting. They can select any of the following options: 

• Оn-demand - When the custom field gets created, every Workspace Manager could choose to add it to the boards they manage. 
• Auto - When the Custom Field is created, it will be automatically added to all new boards. It can be managed afterward, depending on user permissions in the Card Controls settings. 
• Global - When a Custom Field is created, it will be automatically added to all boards and cannot be removed.

You can apply any of the following custom field controls (8):

• Always present - controls whether this custom field must always be present on all newly created cards. The existing cards in the system will not be affected.
• Enforce Value - controls whether this custom field must always have a value for the cards it is applied to.
• Allow other value (for 'dropdown' type fields only) - It allows users to input a different value in a separate field.
• Lock allowed values (for 'dropdown' type fields only) - Controls whether the custom field allowed values are locked and cannot be changed per board.
• Lock properties - Controls whether the custom field properties are locked and cannot be changed per board. For 'dropdown' type custom fields only, this option would be enabled by default on all newly created fields.
• Immutable - controls whether the value of the custom field can be changed after it has first been set. This property could be switched on/off only on the Global level (Cards management in the Administration panel). 

Uniqueness of values (9):

• Any Value - Users can use the same value repetitively.  
• Unique Value per Board - The value of the custom field must be unique within the board. 
• Unique Value Across all Boards - The value of the custom field must be unique across all boards.

Prefix and Suffix (10):

• Prefix: this is a prefix to display before the custom field value. For example, if the custom field’s type is a number, then the prefix could be “$.”
• Suffix: this is a suffix to display after the custom field value. For example, if the custom field’s type is number, then the suffix could be “m2.”

3.2. How to clone an existing custom field?

When you open the custom fields section from the Card Management tab, you will find a menu that opens up from the three-dot icon, where you can choose to clone an already existing custom field.

Upon selecting this option, a creation window will appear where the custom field’s information is already populated from the cloned custom field. You can make any necessary changes and save the cloned version as a new custom field.

Note: If you do not change the name of the new custom field, it will be saved with the original name + copy at the end to distinguish between the original and the clone.

 

4. How to Manage Custom Fields at the Board Level?

All custom fields created in the Administration become available in the dedicated "Custom Fields" panel of the Board Sidebar.

From here, users with the respective privileges can quickly check which custom fields are enabled for the board.
If the toggle is on, it means that the custom field is enabled. To enable and disable custom fields, just switch the toggle on or off. 

If you have too many custom fields, you need to scroll up and down to see which custom fields are enabled for the current board. Use the Filter to quickly find the custom field you are looking for.

• Use the Filter (1) to get a shorter list of the custom fields that are used in the respective board. If you select “All,” the panel will display all custom fields created in the account, including the standard/default ones.
• Use the Reorder Custom Fields button (2) to change the order of the custom fields in the way you want them visible on the card.
  Note: the arrangement of custom fields is now managed on a board level and applies across all cards.
• You can create a new custom field directly from the New Custom Field button (3).
• Use the "pencil" icon (4) if you want to modify a custom field. Note that you can change only the color, the advanced settings, and the default values from here.

4.1. Enabling and Disabling Values for Custom Fields of Type Dropdown

Account Owners and users with the necessary privileges can enable or disable values for custom fields of type dropdown both on a global and board level.

When a value is disabled, it will continue to be displayed on cards where it was previously added, but it will no longer be possible to add it to new cards. Any disabled values will still be visible in the Search, Business rules, and Board filter, so they can be used to filter data, create and manage rules, and generate reports.

Important:

• If a value is disabled on a global level, it will also be disabled on a board level. 
• If there is a custom field with a disabled value and the “Locked allowed values” option is enabled on a global level, that value will also be disabled on a board level (and users will not be permitted to enable it from the board).
• If there is a custom field with a disabled value and the “Lock properties” option is enabled on a global level, that value will also be disabled on a board level.

5. Overview of the Default/Standard Custom Fields

There are four standard custom fields, which are commonly used in project and process management. They are default system fields, and users who design and maintain the team's workflow make the decision to enable them or not.

• Reporter - if you add this custom field to the board, whenever you create a card on that board, the system will automatically display the user who created the card (card creator).
• Created at - if you add this custom field to the board, whenever you create a new card, the system will automatically display the time (date/hour) when it was created.
• Last modified - if you add this custom field to the board, whenever you create a new card, the system will automatically display the last time the card was modified (date/hour).
• Last moved - if you add this custom field to the board, the system will automatically display the time (date/hour) when it was last moved to the current column.

Those custom fields are always present in the "Board Custom field Management" panel that you access from the Board Sidebar. You would not have to create them in order to use them.
Select "All" to display all custom fields in your account, and the three fields appear at the top of the list. Slide the toggles on to enable them for the respective board.

 

Notes: 

• The fields “Created at,” “Last modified,” “Reporter,” and "Last moved" are considered system fields and can be made available either on all cards on the board or be hidden at all.
• To make the standard fields visible at the closed card preview, you need to configure the Card settings accordingly. Please, check the dedicated article to manage that setting. 

6. Where Do Custom Fields Appear on the Card?

There are several options that give you flexibility with how custom fields are visualized on your cards.

Option 1: Custom fields become available as a selection in your cards. Open a card, go to the Card Fields, and select the custom fields you want to add to the card. You can choose any or all of the custom fields. The fields will become available inside the card, and you can insert values to complete the fields.

Let's see it in action:

For cards with multiple custom fields and for ease of use, you can utilize the custom fields' Spacious view panel. This will open a separate window with all custom fields that have been added to the card where you can add, remove, and update them. You can access it by clicking the expand icon next to the Custom fields section inside the card (see video above).

Note: You can also add custom fields to your cards using the Card Context menu.

Option 2: If you select the "Always present" option during the custom field creation process, the respective custom fields will always be present inside the cards, and you will not need to add them manually.

Option 3: You can make some or all of the custom fields visible in the card preview. This facilitates your everyday work with the fields as you can complete and monitor them without opening the card.

For that purpose, you need to configure your card/initiative view settings to display custom fields in the closed view. You can do that from the Configure views menu available in the Board Sidebar.

6.1. Calculated Custom Fields

When you add a calculated custom field to a card, the system will automatically add any custom fields that are part of its formula to the card. If a custom field is not added to the board or has been deleted, there will be a notification sign next to it.

Upon clicking on the missing custom field, and if you have the necessary permissions, you will see a notification message to add the field to the board. Once all custom fields that are part of the formula are added to the board, you will have the option to hide/show the calculated custom field formula (the function icon).

If a calculated custom field uses the standard Size or Deadline fields, you will not be able to edit them if they are configured using a formula (Sidebar → Board policies → Field formulas).

 

7. FAQ

Q: I have created a new allowed value for my dropdown custom field, but it is not available for cards on my board.

A: Custom fields are created on the account level (via Account Administration-> Card Management-> Custom Fields), but they can be separately managed for each individual board (where the field is added).

If you have added the new value on the account level and the field's properties/values are not locked (the 'lock properties/allowed values' option is not enabled), it is expected for the change (adding the new value) to not propagate to all boards where the field is added.

If a particular field's values need to be different across all boards, you would need to manually add the value on the desired board via the board's sidebar menu-> 3 dots-> Custom Fields.

If the field's values should be identical on all boards across the whole account, you can lock the allowed values or the properties of the field on the account level.

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Q: I have the Workspace Manager role and I have the ability to create and manage custom fields. However, I am receiving the following error message when attempting to modify a particular custom field via the Account Administration menu:

"You cannot edit this custom field because it is added on board(s) where you don't have permissions."

A: The custom field in question is most likely added to another board, for which you do not have the Workspace Manager role, therefore, you cannot manage custom fields on it.

The error/warning message is presented as modifying the custom field (on the account level) will impact both of the boards on which the field is added, and this might not be desired by all involved parties and therefore has to be coordinated between them.

If the field itself is not locked on the account level (the 'lock properties' option is disabled), the field can have different settings on each separate board, so you should still be able to modify the custom field's settings by opening it from the board (via the sidebar menu) to which you have access.

If the field is locked on the account level (the 'lock properties' option is enabled), it will not be possible to have different settings per board, so the changes to the field need to happen centrally - from the Account Administration menu.

Due to the mentioned error message, those changes would have to be performed either by one of the Account Owners, or a user that is a Workspace Manager on all of the boards where this particular custom field is added.

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Q: I have a custom field that is set as 'always present,' but I am not able to see it on cards while on the board view (closed card view).

A: The visibility of custom fields (and/or other card elements and properties) can be individually customized by each individual user for each individual board.

Navigate to the 'Configure Card View' menu that can be found in each board's sidebar menu on the right.

From there, you can choose to display all custom fields or only a few of them.

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Q: Can I change a custom field's type after it has been created?

A: No. Custom fields' types cannot be changed. You would need to create a new custom field instead.

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Q: I have a custom field that automatically appears on every new card I create, and I do not have the option to remove it.

A: The custom field is most likely configured as 'always present' for the board in question. Please get in touch with one of the Account Owners or Workspace Managers so they can adjust the custom field's settings.