Configuring Category-Based Custom Fields

Row

Enter the row number for the position of the field. Row one will be the first field on the tab, row two will be located under the first field, and so on.

Label

Enter the label for the field.

Tooltip

Enter the text to display when a user hovers over the field with a cursor.

Required on Save

Select Yes to require the support representative to complete the field before the record (incident, problem, or change) to which the custom field is applied can be saved.

Required on Close

Select Yes to require the support representative to complete the field before the record (incident, problem, or change) to h the custom field is applied can be closed.

Available to Reps

Select Off to prevent support representatives from editing the field. Note that the field will still appear in a work item screen if custom fields are included in a layout, and rules can change field values.

Encrypt

If your business has a specific mandate regarding column level encryption and you are already using 'database at rest' encryption, send a request to iSupport’s Technical Support department for a feature unlock code.

Type

Select the format of the field. Click here to see an example of each type.

• Check box (allows multiple selections); use the Max Columns field to enter the number of check boxes to appear before a scroll bar is used.

• Currency (dollar sign displayed next to field and allows the numbers 0 through 9, a decimal point, and two values after the decimal point). Note that a dollar sign ($) will precede this field. See Changing the Currency Custom Field Symbol  for information on changing the dollar sign symbol.

• A Date field enables entry or selection of a date in MM/DD/YY format; a Date Time field enables entry or selection of a date (MM/DD/YY) and time. To disable manual entry in Date and Date Time fields and require the user to select from the calendar popup, select Yes in the Disable Manual Entry of Date Time Custom Fields field on the Advanced tab in the Custom Fields screen.

• A Hyperlink field enables you to specify default text and a URL to appear in the field; the user can change those entries. You can also leave the field blank and allow the user to enter the default text and URL.

• A Multiple Selection List Box field enables the user to select multiple entries in a list. Use the Max Rows field to enter the number of selections to appear before a scroll bar is used.

• A Label Only field does not display a value option; you can use it as a section header to group custom fields.

• A Number Only field enables entry of the numbers 0 through 9 and a decimal point.

• A Radio Button field enables only one selection; use the Max Columns field to enter the number of radio buttons to appear before a scroll bar is used.

• A Single Selection Drop-Down field enables selection of one item in a list.

• A Text Area field enables text characters to be entered in a resizable field.

• A Text field enables text to be entered in a one-line field.

• A Type Ahead field initiates a search of matching options after a few characters are typed. This custom field type is only used for fields that are linked with a data source.

Options

This field displays when creating a radio button, checkbox, multiple selection list box, or single selection drop-down. Enter or paste items into this field; separate each value with a comma or a return and click the Commit Items icon when finished. Select items to specify defaults and drag items to change the order. Options can be populated by and synchronized with a SQL data source via the Data Sources tab; this field will not be editable after synchronization.

Default Value

This field appears for Currency, Date, Date/Time, Hyperlink, Number Only, Text Area, and Text Field types; enter a value to appear as an option in the custom field by default.

• To display the current date, enter @today
• To display the date a specified number of days after the current date, enter @today+n (where n is the number of days to add after today’s date)
• To display the date a specified number of days before the current date, enter @today-n (where n is the number of days to subtract from today’s date)

Max Columns/Max Rows

For Check Box and Radio Button type fields, enter the maximum number of columns to display (the fields will wrap to multiple rows); for a Multiple Selection List Box type field, enter the maximum number of rows to display (causing a scroll bar to appear).

Validation

Select On to enable date, date/time, currency, text area, and text custom fields to be validated upon entry (for example, the calendar picker will only make available valid dates for selection). Enter the parameters that the field will be validated against; the parameters will vary depending on the type of field.

Currency: Enter a minimum amount, maximum amount, or both to specify a range.

Date: Specify the basis for validation and then enter the number of days before or after the current date on which to make available dates. Use zero as the current date, positive values for future dates, and negative values for past dates.

• Select Start in the Date Validation Type field to ensure that the available dates for selection will be on or after the specified number of days from the current date. Examples

  Examples:

  If you enter -2 in the Valid Start field, the dates available for selection will start two days before the current date.

  If you enter 0 in the Valid Start field, the dates available for selection will start on the current date.

  If you enter 1 in the Valid Start field, the dates available for selection will start one day after the current date. 

• Select End in the Date Validation Type field to ensure that the available dates for selection will be on or before the specified number of days from the current date. Examples

  Examples:

  If you enter -2 in the Valid End field, the dates available for selection will end two days before the current date.

  If you enter 0 in the Valid End field, the dates available for selection will end on the current date.

  If you enter 1 in the Valid End field, the dates available for selection will end one day after the current date. 

• Select Between (Inclusive of Valid Start and Valid End) to ensure that the available dates for selection will be a range: starting on or after a specified number of days from the current date, and ending on or before a specified number of days from the current date. (Your entry in the Valid Start field must be less than or equal to the number of days in the Valid End field.) Examples

  Examples:

  If you enter -2 in the Valid Start field and 2 in the Valid End field, the dates available for selection will start two days before the current date and end two days after the current date.

  If you enter 1 in the Valid Start field and 3 in the Valid End field, the dates available for selection will start one day after the current date and end three days after the current date.

Date Time: The information for the Date field above applies to this field, but Validation Start Time and Validation End Time fields are included for selecting available times on the available days for selection.

Number Only: Enter a minimum amount and maximum amount; the number the user enters must be between the two numbers.

Text Area/Text: Enter a minimum number of characters or a maximum number of characters; enter numbers in both fields to specify a range.

Available to mySupport

Select On to enable the field to appear on a mySupport portal.

Editable on Existing Incidents

Select On to enable the field to be edited by customers with the mySupport Custom Fields Editor permission in their Profile record. Note: For hyperlink-type fields, On is the default value; when off, the default text and URL are validated and the Edit link is hidden in mySupport.

Editing on Existing Changes

Select On to enable the field to be edited by customers with the mySupport Custom Fields Editor permission in their Profile record. 

Select mySupport Portals with Access

If the Available to mySupport field is enabled,  select the mySupport portal interfaces on which the field can appear. Note: If custom fields are associated with more than one level of a selected category set, the fields for all levels will display.

Name

Enter a name for the SQL Server source definition. This name will appear in the list that can be selected in the Data Source field in the Custom Field Definition dialog (if a list-type format is selected in the Type field).

Connection String

Enter the connection string for accessing the source database.

SQL Query

Enter the SQL query string for accessing the field options in the SQL database. Click the Retrieve Items button to populate the Items field using this string.

Active

 Select Yes to enable synchronization and update the Options list for a custom field with the information in the SQL source database.

Synchronization Interval

Select the number of minutes in the interval for the synchronization to be performed.