How do I create new custom fields?

Account admins and program admins

Programs tab

Click Manage Fields and select the program that you would like to add a field to (at the left). At the top right, click Add Custom Field. 

Start by naming the field. Fields cannot start with a number, must contain underscores rather than spaces, and should contain only lowercase letters. They also cannot be duplicated within the same program. Then, choose a field type. For more information on field types, click here. 

If you'd like, you can create a display name and/or a default value. Display names control how a field appears in the profile. The first_name field could display as First Name, for example. Default values will automatically populate the data field for new contacts. A boolean field can default to true or false, for example. To leave a field blank by default, simply leave the Default Value blank. Like field names, display names cannot be duplicated within a program.

Click Add Field to create the new field. It will appear (alphabetically) along with the other data fields on the Manage Fields page, and can immediately be used in file uploads, messages, and searches.

On the Manage Fields page, we'll click on the Add Custom Field button.

We've named the new field brand_new_field, and made it a boolean type. We've added an optional display name of Brand New Field, and we've set the default value to be true. We'll click Add Field to create the new custom field.

When you run an advanced search for the first time after creating a new field, be sure to start by clicking clear all filters. Clearing the filters will refresh the field list!