Field Editor

The Field Editor is one of the most powerful features of the program. It provides extensive control over each field while keeping an intuitive interface with sensible default settings, so most fields can be configured quickly.

Field label

The text displayed as the field’s label when viewing or editing a record.

Database Field

The name the database and program use to refer to the field. In viewers you reference it as:

<?php echo $record['fieldname'] ?>

If you rename an existing field, update any references to it in your viewers and Database Editor settings.

Field names can contain letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores (a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -, _), can’t consist of numbers only, and new field names can’t start with an underscore. Reserved words (MySQL keywords and a few program-reserved names) and names already in use are rejected.

Entering a special field name such as createdDate or hidden shows an inline note describing its built-in behavior. See Special Fieldnames.

Field type

The type of input the field accepts. The field type you choose determines what other options are available. See the reference pages for each type: Text Field, Text Box, WYSIWYG, Date/Time, List, Checkbox, Upload, and Separator.

My Account

Fields in the Accounts section have an extra My Account checkbox that shows the field in each user’s My Account page.

Visibility

Show for limits who can see and edit the field: Everyone, Editors and admins, Admins only, or Nobody. Users without access don’t see the field when creating, modifying, or viewing records (new records save the default value), and the field isn’t shown as a list column.

Show if shows or hides the field based on another field’s value, with a choice of operators (equals, contains, starts with, and so on) and a Custom expression mode for AND/OR conditions and multi-field rules. See the per-type pages for details.

Field options

Options specific to the field type appear in this section. For most fields the defaults will be sufficient, but for list fields you will need to set the values for your list options.

Note

One common option is to set a default value for the field. A new or modified default only applies to new entries. Existing records won’t use your new default. The exception: when first adding a field, an Existing Records checkbox lets you apply the default value to all existing records.

Validation

Sets requirements for the data entered in the field. Basic options include marking a field as required or unique. Text fields also support lists of allowed and disallowed characters. The available rules vary by field type.

Uploads

WYSIWYG and upload fields have an Uploads section with upload-related options, such as upload fields for storing extra text with each file, accessible in viewers as:

<?php echo $upload['info1'] ?>

It also lets you configure a custom upload directory instead of the default location.

Advanced options

Standard options include marking a field as a system field to prevent accidental modification. Most data-storing field types also let you set the MySQL column type (auto, a preset, or a custom type), add a MySQL column index to speed up sorting and searching, and enable data encryption for the column (requires a database encryption key). See the per-type pages for details.

Save & Copy

The Save & Copy button saves the field, then keeps the editor open with the field name changed to copy_of_fieldname and the label to “Copy of …”. Saving again creates a duplicate field.