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Configuring Custom Fields

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Overview

All editions of the Order Manager (Standard, Plus and Enterprise) allow the user to create basic custom fields in which to store additional data for the following record types: orders, order details, customer, product, and supplier. These custom fields will be added to the tables of the same name, except for the latter two, which will be found in the Inventory and Supplier Info tables.

In addition to the basic custom fields, the Enterprise edition of the Order Manager offers an Advanced Custom Fields feature for customer and inventory records, which is outside the scope of this article. Refer to the Knowledge Base article in the previous hyper-link for more information on that topic. 

In the basic custom fields feature, each of the five record types can have up to five custom fields of each of the four possible data types: text, integer numeric, date and currency, for a maximum of 100 basic custom fields.

The Custom Field Setup screen is used to configure the appearance and functionality of the basic 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 can have its own unique list or the same list can be used for multiple fields. The user may select the display format for date fields, as well.

Once configured, the custom fields will be visible on the Custom Fields tab of the main screen of the appropriate record type. For example, if custom fields are configured for order and customer information, the Custom Fields tab of both the Orders screen and the View Customers screens will display those custom fields, respectively.  

The Custom Field Setup screen is accessible from the Main Menu > [Maintenance Menu] button > [Setup Functions] tab > [Setup Custom Fields].

Description of the Custom Field Setup Screen

Figure 1: Custom Fields Setup Screen - Custom Text & Numeric Fields tab; Orders field type

Tabs on the Custom Field Setup Screen

The fields on the tabs, that are described below, are the same regardless of which category of custom field (Orders, Order Details, Customers, Products, and Suppliers) is being defined.

Custom Text & Numeric Fields Tab

Figure 2: Custom field Setup - Custom Text & Numeric Fields tab

      1. Unique list for this field - if this selection is made, a button labeled View/Edit List appears. Click on that button to view or enter appropriate values in the list to be used for this custom field. Refer to the section,  Creating a Unique List, for more information.

      2. Shared List - if this option is selected, the user will be presented with group of previously created "shared" lists from which to choose, in order to populate this custom field. Refer to the section, Shared Lists Tab, for more information.

      3. SQL Statement - when selected from the List Source drop-down, a text field will become visible in the Edit Button, Name of Shared List or SQL Statement column; enter an SQL statement that will be used to populate the list of values for this custom field

Custom Date & Currency Fields Tab

Figure 3: Custom Field Setup Screen - Custom Date & Currency Fields tab

Shared Lists Tab

Figure 4: Custom Field Setup screen - Shared Lists tab

  1. Select the list to edit from the Shared List drop-down box in the upper left-hand side of the screen, or type in a name to create a new list.

Figure 5: Custom field Setup screen - Shared Lists tab with two-field list

  1. When finished making changes, click the [Save Changes] button located at the top of the screen, and then click [OK].

Creating a Unique List

  1. Click the [View/Edit List] button that corresponds to the appropriate custom field. The Custom Field Setup screen changes as shown, below:

 

Figure 4: Custom Field Setup screen when creating a unique list of values for the custom field

  1. Choose one of the # of fields in this list radio buttons: [1 field] or [2 fields].

  2. Click the [Save] button.

  3. To add an 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 text box which is grayed out in the image above. In the case of a 2-field list, the Text to Store values are not displayed on the Custom Fields tabs, but they are used internally by the program.

  4. Click the [Save Entry] button, which is directly below the Text to Store and Text to Display fields. The new entry appears in the list box on the right.

  5. Repeat steps five and six for each additional value to be added to the unique list.

  6. To delete a list item, select it in the window to the right and click the [Delete Entry] button.

  7. Use the up and down arrow buttons to the right of the window to change the order in which the list entries are displayed.

  8. Click the [Done] button to return to the Custom Text & Numeric Fields tab view of the Custom Field Setup screen. The custom field that was created with a unique list will now appear on the Custom Fields tab of the appropriate record type (Order, Customer, Inventory or Supplier).

Identifying Custom Fields Used by a Shopping Cart

Determine the names of custom fields that are exported by the shopping cart
  1. Open the Order Manager on the computer that you use to import orders.

  2. At the Main Menu, press Ctrl+Shift+ C simultaneously to display the Connection Information screen.

  3. Note the location of the Data Archives folder. The default path is c:\ stoneedge\data archives, but that can be altered by the user.

  4. This folder contains XML files that contain the details of the order information coming from shopping carts. Right-click on the most recent order file for the appropriate shopping cart system and select Open with...Word Pad.

  5. 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.

  6. Enter the field name in the appropriate custom field type text box on the Custom Field Setup screen, as described in the beginning of this article.

 

Created: 12/6/10

Modified: 2/28/11

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