--- title: "Create New Field" canonical: "https://support.soutron.net/space/HG/3279927/Create%20New%20Field" format: markdown --- This function presents a form which when completed and saved, inserts a new Field into the database structure. The field created can then be used in any of the Record Type templates. Upon selecting Create New Field , the system displays a red box around the Display Text input, prompting for entry of the name of the field to be created. It can contain a single word or multiple words with spaces between words but must be unique within the database. Select the appropriate field type for your new field using the drop down list. The Language, application Standard and Portal selections allow the new field to be labelled differently depending on the display combination is it being viewed in. A tool tip can be added for the field to provide additional guidance on how to enter content or the rules to be applied when entering content into the field. Note that this can be formatted so that it appears as required. For example, some text might be in red to alert the user to a particular requirement when entering data, or an example of the format in which data can be entered.  ONLY click on Save to create the field in the database, when you are satisfied that the FIELD TYPE is correctly identified in the General Settings. The Type of Field cannot be changed once SAVE has been applied. In saving the form, default field attributes will be applied that are presented in General Settings and Field Specific Settings (see below).  Field Types Available for Selection This has an impact on the way data is entered and how it is then indexed and made searchable. It is an important part of field creation and care should be taken in deciding what Type of Field is to be created. Note Once the field is created the Field Type cannot be changed. Only one Field Type can be selected for each field to be created. When a Field Type has been selected, also look carefully at the Field Specific Settings and ensure that these are correctly applied for the type of field and data being created. Field Type Operation Comments Complex Date Offers multiple choices at the time of entering a date to include a Single Date or a Date Range as well as Circa, No Date, or simply Year. A calendar control can be selected showing calendars for any selected year. Date Prompts for a single date to be entered, Year, Optional Month, Optional Day The system is designed to ensure a date is correctly formatted to aid search accuracy Decimal Where a numeric value is to be entered with a defined number of decimal places File Offers a control for the user to browse to a file system (on local PC or Network or Cloud) to identify a file and select to load into the database in this field. Once a file has been uploaded, security settings can be applied to each individual file. Multiple files can be selected to be loaded (one at a time) into the database using this field type. The content of the file once uploaded is indexed and can be searched. Image Offers a control for the user to browse to a file system (on local PC or Network or Cloud) to identify an Image File and select to load into the database in this field. Incremental Automatically generates a unique incremental number. An Alpha-numeric prefix can be included. See Incremental Templates . Integer Allows numbers to be recorded in this field. For example, 1, 2, 156, etc ISBN This field only allows a valid ISBN number of 8 digits to be added to the database ISSN This field only allows a valid ISSN number in 10 or 13 digits to be added to the database Rating This field is used to store a numerical value 0-5 when a Rating is required. It is only used in connection with Reviews and Ratings Rich Text Provides scope to record large amounts of text including graphics, tables and HTML code and reproduce this in displays. Invokes a text editor with controls to manipulate text and images much like using a word processor. Content can be pasted into this field and faithfully reproduced in the record. Section Where a field is to be used to denote a section in a complex form, use this Field Type Only to be used with Skills Register Text Used to allow free text to be entered of any length Thesaurus When selected, for the field to be completed, the form also requires the name of the Thesaurus to be applied to this field. This is selected from a drop-down list presented below in Field Specific Settings. All thesauri must be pre-defined using Thesaurus Maintenance before being able to be selected in this form URL Correctly formed URLs (web sites) can be entered together with a description to display in the record instead of the URL User Offers a look up and search of the User file from which to select a named user. Validation List Pre-defined list of terms offered for selection. Necessary for the Validation List to be used to be entered using the Field Specific Settings. Either a single term is to be selected or multiple terms can be selected using this control. All validation lists must be predefined before selection is made. Single entry lists are presented as a drop down. Multi-entry lists are presented as checkboxes. Virtual Thesaurus Additional Values Used only for Marc Record Export Virtual Thesaurus Main Value Used only for Marc Record Export General Settings Settings can be applied when creating a field. They can be changed for each individual field as needed as well as being changed in a specific Record Type template.  Not all options are available for every field type. Setting Description Default Value Globalization Select this option only where multiple offices/library locations are configured in the database and different values need to be recorded in the field being created, a different value for each location. The selection can be at Country, Office or Office Group level NONE Single Entry Select ON if there is to be only one entry into the field i.e. no repeating entries into the field. This is set by default to be Single Entry. ON Mandatory If ON is selected, the field is defined to be a mandatory field, i.e. it must be completed in order for the record to be saved. If the field does not have any value entered the system will generate an error message, requesting that all Mandatory Fields are completed. OFF Unique Requires any data entered in the field to be unique across the entire database. OFF Use Suggestion When searching or entering data into this field it will auto-suggest values from a drop down list based on existing data already in that field. ON Public ON is selected by default to indicate the field is to be presented in the Search Portal as part of the record display. Select OFF if the field is not to be made publicly available to all users. ON Record Preview  If the field is to be included in the Record Preview display this setting should be applied as ON. Record Preview allows a Summary display to be presented without the user having to select Full Record Display and prevents the need to switch between Record Results brief display and the Full record display. ON Quick Add This setting should be ON to allow the field to be included in a "shortened" data entry". If a Record Type template is normally made up of say 12 fields, and for faster data entry fewer fields are offered, using the in-form "Quick Add" facility. This is only available for users subscribed to the optional software "Document Review" where version 4.1.5 is in use. This feature will be offered as a standard function in a later release. OFF All Fields Search Indicates that the field will be automatically indexed and included in the search that is described as All Fields (a Google-like search across all fields in the catalogue and copies part of the system). ON Additional Search Turn the setting to ON to include the field in the list of available fields to select and include in the Advanced Search function. ON Allow Duplicate Data in Field Turn ON to allow the same data to be entered into the field in multiple records OFF Allow Empty /Contains Data Search It is useful when cleaning data or trying to ensure all fields are complete across all records. Turn to ON and the system will offer the option to search the field to show all records where the field is empty or where the field contains data. This then allows the user to correctly complete a data entry task and improves accurate recording of data. OFF Skip when Duplicating Record This option controls if a field should be included when duplicating a catalogue record. OFF Duplication Detection Weight This requires a numeric value to be applied to a field so that when identifying Duplicate Records appropriate emphasis is placed on the field in relation to other fields. 0 (OFF) Section Field Select from a list of predefined Section Fields when creating a Skills record. This is only applicable to Skills Register applications at this time. NONE Multi Value Mode for Sections Select from a list of predefined Values when creating a Skills record. This is only applicable to Skills Register applications at this time. SINGLE ENTRY Field Specific Settings Field Specific Settings are related to the Field Type and provide the administrator with additional control over how a field should be presented or used. Dates Setting Description Default Value Default Date Mode This attribute allows you to specify the default method of searching date fields, although all options remain available when searching. They are: Exact date Period Start and/or end dates Select the required option from the drop-down list. Dates Range Search Date Components Allows the portal search to display date input controls based on the selected option. Full Date (dd/mm/yyyy) Year (yyyy) Year and month (mm/yyyy) Full date Show Date Description Allows a description to be entered and displayed along side a date field. OFF Show Time Allows a time (hh:mm) to be set against a date field. OFF Decimal Setting Description Default Value Decimal Places Number of points to show after the decimal  0 Incremental Setting Description Default Value Template Used to connect an incremental template to the field. NONE Integer Setting Description Default Value Capacity Sets the maximum value allowed. 0 Section Setting Description Default Value Section Field Defines the section this field will display in (used for Skills register only) NONE Text Setting Description Default Value Use Exact Search When enabled all searches for this field will be performed as exact, this means any value entered into the search will be surrounded in double quotes and preceded with an equals symbol. ="My search phrase" OFF Enable Non-sorting Words If enabled Sorting words will be used when returning records on the search results page. OFF Enable Sorting Correction This enables a database level function which ensures that data is correctly sorted, this is particularly useful for things like reference numbers containing alpha-numeric text. OFF Multiline Forces the input for the field to display multiple lines rather than the standard one line. NONE Character Limit  If set the field will be restricted to the defined number of characters. 0 (unlimited) Default Value If set the default value will be automatically added to the field during record creation. The default value can be added to, removed or overridden during data entry. NONE Classification Field If using Classification Lookup this setting determines the related thesaurus field to use. NONE Thesaurus Setting Description Default Value Thesaurus Defines the thesaurus to use for the new field. NONE Show Hierarchy Displays a hover icon against thesaurus terms in the user profile page; hovering the cursor over the icon will display the hierarchy of thesaurus terms. OFF Enable See Also If enabled terms will be shown as hyperlinks, when clicked a new search is ran returning all records tagged with the same term. OFF Include Narrower This allows records tagged with a narrower term of the one you are searching to also be returned by a search. OFF Default Matching Condition Defines the default search option. Options include; All of these words Exact wording or phrase Starts with NONE URL Setting Description Default Value Link Type Defines what type of online content will be stored in the field. Available options include: URL YouTube (used t embed youtube videos into records) URL Validation List Setting Description Default Value Validation List Defines which validation list will be used to generate the available data values. NONE Enable See Also If enabled values will be shown as hyperlinks, when clicked a new search is ran returning all records tagged with the same value. OFF Pencil icon When clicked the selected validation list will open in a new page allowing entries and settings to be changed. N/A Virtual Thesaurus Setting Description Default Value Source Field Defines which Thesaurus field will be used to generate the Marc Export. NONE Templates To see where a field is used select one of the options in the Templates section. Click on one of the following to view. Save and Close Whenever a change is made in the settings or Field definition, click on SAVE to commit the changes to the database and save the settings. Having made changes and they are to be abandoned and not saved, click CLOSE to return to the Fields tab. This function presents a form which when completed and saved, inserts a new Field into the database structure. The field created can then be used in any of the Record Type templates. Upon selecting Create New Field , the system displays a red box around the Display Text input, prompting for entry of the name of the field to be created. It can contain a single word or multiple words with spaces between words but must be unique within the database. Select the appropriate field type for your new field using the drop down list. The Language, application Standard and Portal selections allow the new field to be labelled differently depending on the display combination is it being viewed in. A tool tip can be added for the field to provide additional guidance on how to enter content or the rules to be applied when entering content into the field. Note that this can be formatted so that it appears as required. For example, some text might be in red to alert the user to a particular requirement when entering data, or an example of the format in which data can be entered. Please Note: This feature is only available for use with EUS/document Review forms that are available with release v4.1.5 as a special enhancement. Tool Tips will be made available for all fields in data entry forms in a future release. ONLY click on Save to create the field in the database, when you are satisfied that the FIELD TYPE is correctly identified in the General Settings. The Type of Field cannot be changed once SAVE has been applied. In saving the form, default field attributes will be applied that are presented in General Settings and Field Specific Settings (see below).