Fields are created, edited, and deleted in Field Editor. As noted in Introduction to Fields and Field Editor, configurations made to a field in Field Editor impact its appearance and functionality in any screen it's added to. For more information about configuring fields at the screen level, see Creating and Editing Screens and Screen Data Fields.
Only fields with a Table Type of "Custom" can be created and edited by system administrators (for more information on field table types, see Introduction to Fields and Field Editor).
To create a new field, click Add Field within Field Editor.
Define the field's Display Name, Data Name, and Type, and add any comments or tooltip text. By default, the Table Type for the field will be "Custom".
Field Display Name: how the field will display in screens. The name cannot be more than 255 characters in length (pasted text that is beyond the character limit will be cut off).
Field Data Name: a unique identifier for the field. Once a field is saved, the Field Data Name cannot be changed. No two data fields can have the same Field Data Name. If you attempt to save a field with a Field Data Name already in use, you'll receive an error message. The name cannot be more than 98 characters in length.
Field Type: what type of data the field will collect. The nine different types of fields are outlined in Introduction to Fields. Once a field is saved, the Field Type cannot be changed.
Comments: additional information about the field. Core Fields associated with the HMIS Data Standards, for example, include the Data Element number and name in the comments.
Tooltip Text: text entered here will display in screens when a user hovers over the field.
After completing the initial field configuration, click Save Changes. You will now have the option to make the field reportable in Data Analysis.
| Note: Please be aware that once a field is published to Data Analysis, it cannot be removed. |
Creating Picklist Selection Options
If the Field Type "Picklist" is selected, an additional Selection Options section will display, allowing you to create the drop-down menu options that will be available for the field.
Four options will automatically be included: "Select," "Client doesn't know," "Client refused," and "Data not collected." If not applicable, these selections can be edited or removed by hovering over the selection and clicking the delete or edit icon.
To add new selections, click Add Selection.
In the Edit Picklist Item popup, enter a Value and Description.
After you have finished adding selections to the field, click Save Changes.
System administrators can change the order of picklist Selection Options by clicking the option and dragging and dropping it to the desired location.
Editing and Deleting Existing Custom Fields
To edit or delete a field, hover over the field in the Field Editor search results and click either the edit or delete icon. If a field is currently included in a screen, you will not be able to delete that field until first removing it from any screens it's been added to. For more information on editing fields within screens, see Creating and Editing Screens.
