The Order Manager allows you to create up to 20 custom fields for orders, order details, customers, products, and suppliers. The fields will be stored in the table of the same name, except for the latter two which are found in the Inventory and Supplier Info tables. In each record, you can create up to five fields of each type: text, integer numeric, date and currency. The Custom Field Setup dialog box provides you with the ability to configure the appearance and functionality of these custom fields. For example, you can choose to display text and numeric fields either as text boxes or drop-down lists (i.e. combo boxes). Numeric fields can be displayed as check boxes, text boxes, or drop-down lists. Each drop-down list can have its own list or the same list can be used for multiple fields. You can also select the display format for date fields. The custom fields configured on this screen are available to you in the same places that they are normally available throughout the Order Manager.
This article contains the sections listed below. Click on the link to jump to that section of the article.
Custom Field Setup Screen V4.4 or greater
Custom Field Setup for V4.3 or below
Identifying Custom Fields Used by the Shopping Cart
The Custom Field Setup screen is available in the Order Manager versions 4.4 and above. To configure Custom Fields in versions 4.3 and lower, see the section below, Configuring Custom Fields with the Parameter Method.
Go to the Main Menu> Maintenance Menu> Setup Functions tab> Setup Custom Fields button. The Custom Field Setup dialog box opens:
Click on the Work on custom fields for: drop-down list at the top of the screen.
Select a table that can have custom fields: Orders, Order Details, Suppliers, Customers or Products.
On the Custom Text & Numeric Fields tab, type a name for each custom field you want to add in the Display as box. Click Tab or Enter.
Under Display Type, select from the drop-down list.
For Text Fields, choose either text box or combo box (drop-down list).
For Numeric Fields choose text box, combo box, or check box.
For a Combo Box (drop-down list), select the list source to be used: Unique list, Shared list, SQL Statement.
Unique List - A View/Edit List button appears. Click the button to create the list for that field. See the section Creating a Unique List, below.
Shared List - A combo box appears where you can select a shared list that has already been set up. To create a new shared list or edit an existing shared list, see the section Create or Edit a Shared List, below.
SQL Statement - A space appears where you can enter a SQL select statement that will be used to populate the list. The SQL statement should be in the form "SELECT FieldName FROM TableName" or "SELECT FirstFieldName, SecondFieldName FROM TableName". It can also include a WHERE clause and an ORDER BY clause, such as "SELECT CustomerID, FullName FROM Customers WHERE state='pa' ORDER BY FullName". If there are two fields in the SQL statement, the first field will be stored, and the second field will be displayed, as in the last example. Once you have entered a SQL statement, you can click the Test SQL Statement button at the top of the screen to validate the statement.
Click the Custom Date & Currency Fields tab to add those types of custom fields.
Date fields: Select a display format.
Currency fields: Enter the display name; there are no additional options for currency fields.
This method must be used in versions 4.3 and below.
Go to the Main Menu> Maintenance Menu> Maintenance tab> Set System Parameters.
Click on the appropriate custom fields parameter group, depending on where you wish to use the custom fields. Your choices are Custom Customer Fields, Custom Inventory Fields, Custom Order Detail Fields, Custom Order Fields, or Custom Supplier Fields.
Click on a field in the Parameters in Selected Group list box.
Enter the label exactly the way you wish it to appear in the Parameter Text text box and click Save.
Click Close.
Open the appropriate dialog box to view your new custom field.
Click the View/Edit List button for the field. You see the following screen:
Choose one of the # of fields in this list radio buttons: 1 field or 2 fields.
Click the Save button.
To create the first item in the list, enter a value in the Text to Store text box. If you are creating a 2-field list, also enter the Text to Display. (In the case of a 2-field list, the Text to Store values do not display, but are used in the background.)
Click the Save Entry button. The list entry appears in the window to the right.
Repeat steps five and six for each additional list item.
To delete a list item, select it in the window to the right and click the Delete Entry button.
Use the up and down arrow buttons to the right of the window to change the order in which the list entries are displayed.
Click the Done button to return to the Custom Field Setup screen. The Custom Field with the unique list will now appear on the Custom Fields tab where you set it up.
Go to the Shared Lists tab:
Select a list to edit or enter a name for a new list from the Shared List drop-down list.
If you are creating a new list:
Click in the # of fields in this list radio buttons: 1 field or 2 fields. Click the Save button.
To create the first item in the list, enter a value in the Text to Store text box. If you are creating a two-field list, enter the Text to Display.
Click the Save Entry button. The list entry appears in the window to the right.
Repeat steps b. and c. for each additional list item.
If you are editing a list, you can add or delete an item, but you can't edit a list name. You must delete the list and create a new list.
To delete a list item, select it in the window to the right and click the Delete Entry button.
Use the up and down arrow buttons to the right of the window to change the order in which the list entries are displayed.
Click the Save Changes button at the top, and then click OK.
If your shopping cart exports data stored in custom order fields when you import orders but they are not showing up on the View Orders screen, you can add a custom order field that is the same name as the field name in the order import file so that you can view the data.
Note: This process is for shopping carts that use XML import. If your shopping cart does not use XML, check your web site to see what the field name is. This methodology also applies to product and customer imports.
Determine the field names being sent to the Order Manager from your shopping cart.
Open the Order Manager on the computer that you use to import orders.
At the Main Menu, press Ctrl^Shift^ C to display the Connection Information screen.
Note the location of the Data Archives folder. The default path is c:\ stoneedge\data archives.
This folder contains XML order file documents. Right-click on the most recent order file for the appropriate shopping cart and select Open with...WordPad.
Examine a web order to determine whether it includes any fields that are not currently visible on the View Orders screen. Note the field's XML tag, e.g. <Custom Question>. This is the field name.
Enter the field name in the appropriate system parameter in the Order Manager.
Updated 4/19/10