Fields

Designer > Data > Objects > {object} > Fields

Fields are attributes of a Custom Object, and are used to contain many types of data:

• Fields are defined by giving them a label and specifying a Field Display Type
• New fields can be added to the Form Layout canvas
• Fields can have Role-Based Visibility, meaning that the field data is visible only to users who have permission rights for that field
• Fields can have a Default Value defined, which pre-populates the field in the data entry form (Form Layout)

• Default values can be created with Formula Fields

• Fields created by Users are listed as Custom in the Type column

Users that have the Customize Objects permission can edit Fields

Add Fields

Fields can be added to an Object from the Fields tab. Forms can be designed via Form Layouts.

Add a Field from the Fields Tab

Designer > Objects > {object} > Fields

Fields can be added to an object, customized, and displayed in a variety of ways.

Basic Information

Specify the basic characteristics of the field

Label

Enter a field label; This label is displayed on the Form

Display Type

The fields in this page will change, depending on the Field Display Type selected

Always Required

Checkbox

• Default is unchecked
• If checked, this field is required in All Forms and all API calls

(Optional) Include in Quick Edit

This choice will appear for fields in these objects only: Prospects, Accounts or Contacts; See Quick Edit for more information

Field Name

The name that will be used to reference this object. Must conform to the Field Naming Rules

(Optional) Mapped to Account Column

This choice will appear for fields in Prospects only; Select a field in the Accounts object that will be mapped to this new field (When a Prospect is converted to an Account, this field value is copied to the specified Account field; The Account field is overwritten with the value in this field)

Display Attributes

This section is displayed when adding a new field. It specifies the default attributes for the field, when it appears in a Form.

Section

Select the section in the default form where the field will appear. (The Basic Information section is the default.)

Required

Checkbox

• Default is unchecked
• If checked, this field is required in the current Form

Default Value

Specify the content to be displayed as the Default Value when adding a new record to this object, or use the interactive Formula Builder to define a default-value expression.

Considerations

• For Lookup fields, the value must resolve to a record_id. (A user_id, for Lookups to the USER object.)
  For example, this formula can be used to specify a default value for the record Owner, by using an email address to do the Lookup:

LOOKUP('USER','id','email="newOwner@OurCompany.com"')

Role-Based Field Visibility

When a new field is created, it's visibility can be determined by the user's Role.

Learn more: Role-Based Field Visibility

Description Information

Optionally, add a description of the field

Description

Text entered here will be displayed when the user hovers their mouse over the field--but only if Show_Field_Hints has been enabled for the form the user is in.

To Remove a Field from a Layout:

1. Click Designer > Data & Presentation > Object > {object}
2. In the Form Layouts tab, hover the mouse over the field to remove, and click the Remove Field button in the floating toolbar

   

The field is removed from the layout, but it remains available in the object and is moved to the Pick Existing section of the Elements Sidebar. Fields can be reused in this layout or any new layouts.

Delete a Field

1. Visit Designer > Objects > {object} > Fields
2. Click the field name.
3. Click [Delete].
   A confirmation dialog opens.
4. Click [OK] to delete the field.

This is a permanent deletion, and cannot be restored.

Field Display Types

When a field is added to an object, the Field Display Type must be defined, as well as parameters specific to the field.

Examples

A Picklist might have these options:

• Yes | No | Maybe
• Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Not Sure | Agree | Strongly Agree
• OK | Good | Better | Best

See Picklist for more information

A Date field might include:

• Date only: 10/27/2008
• Date and Time: 10/27/2008 11:30pm

See Date Format for more information

A Checkbox field is used for a Yes / No or True / False choice.

Supported Field Display Types

Note: The field types listed below are types you can choose when creating a field. In addition, there is a Multi Value Lookup type, which automatically appears in the Form field-list whenever two objects are joined by a many-to-many relationship.

Field Display Types	Description
Auto Number	Generates a unique number based on simple format rules and provided with a starting value Auto Number fields default to YYYY-MM-DD-{0000}, where the number between the curly braces {0000} increments automatically. Curly braces {} are required to generate an auto number The YYYY-MM-DD- prefix is optional. It generates values for year, month, and day. Any prefix can be used.
Checkbox	A single check box, where the checked value is "Yes/True" and unchecked value is "No/False" To apply a filter to a checkbox, or import a checkbox field, use: Yes/True = 1 or No/False = 0 When specifying a formula for a default value, the formula must resolve to 1, 0, true, or false. (When typing it in directly, enter one of those values with no quotes around it.)
Currency	Displays currency in the format determined by the user's locale.
Custom Control	Custom Controls can be either: Components or Pages Components are created using HTML and JavaScript to extend the functionality of web pages, objects, and their operations Pages are built using HTML and JSP to display custom web pages
Date	A date.
Date time	A date and time. As Entered - The date/time is stored and displayed exactly as entered. Convert to Local Date/Time - (Default) Value is presumed to be entered in user's local time zone. The value is converted to the System Time Zone for storage in the database. When displayed, it is converted the user's time zone. Note: These options are available for new fields in Custom Objects and CRM Objects. They are not available for standard Date/Time fields (for example: modified_time) or for Date/Time fields in the Built-in Objects. Those fields are always converted.
Dependent Picklist	A picklist that is dynamic based on values provided in another field. For example, a Picklist for T-Shirt Sizes might include entries for Adult, Teen and Child. The Adult list might include entries for S, M, L, XL, and XXL sizes. A Teens list might include similar entries, while the Child list might include entries for 0 - 6 mos., 6 - 12 mos., 1T, 2T, and 3T. The resulting hierarchy would be: Size Adult Adult Small Adult Medium etc. Child Child 0 - 6 mos. Child 6 - 12 mos. etc. Teen Teen Small etc. (Best practice is to include the entire hierarchy "path" in the entry, so that Adult Small is distinguished from Teen Small. If the entries said simply, "Small", a shipping clerk might not be able to tell which size was intended.)
Email Address	A text string of the form {name}@{domain}.{type}. Example: friend@somewhere.com
File Field	Allows a file to be uploaded as part of the record
Formula	Provides the ability to calculate dynamic values using Expressions and standard Functions If the formula return type is a DateTime or Time, then the time zone conversion options are available: As Entered - The date/time is stored and displayed exactly as entered. Convert to Local Date/Time - (Default) Value is presumed to be entered in user's local time zone. The value is converted to the System Time Zone for storage in the database. When displayed, it is converted the user's time zone. Note: These options are available for new fields in Custom Objects and CRM Objects. They are not available for standard Date/Time fields (for example: modified_time) or for Date/Time fields in the Built-in Objects. Those fields are always converted.
Global Picklist	A Global Picklist is a type of field that contains a list of values, and performs much the same as a Picklist field Global Picklists contain the kind of default values commonly used in all applications Example: US states, status level, priority, hat size, apparel size, component part numbers, etc. These predefined fields save time and can be used in any object. When adding a Global Picklist field to an object, you select from the set of Global Picklists that has been defined for this application.
Image Field	Allows an image file to be uploaded as part of the record. Allows a thumbnail width to be specified Default is 100 pixels The image is scaled proportionally to fit into that width The thumbnail is then displayed in image records, instead of the full image.
Lookup	A field used to link an object to another object. Learn more: Relating Objects Using Lookups Optionally, Customize Lookup Field Option or create Self Reference Lookup This field type has additional display options that can be set when you use it in a Form. For example, you can choose to display it as Popup or Drop Down, and specify the sort order for the records that are shown to the user. Learn more: Lookup attributes in a Form
Multiple Checkboxes	Multiple checkboxes are displayed and are associated with a single field. For example, choose your favorite movie genres: Action / Adventure / Animation / Comedy / Drama / Romance / Documentary / Children's / Fantasy / Sport / Thriller / Western Multiple checkboxes can be selected, for example: Comedy, Romance, Western When you select this type for an object field, a text area lets you enter values. Enter the names of the values, one per line, in the order they will be displayed. When the user makes a selection, the value that is stored is the text entered on that line. So: If you change the order later, existing values are not affected. If you remove an entry at a later date, or change the spelling of a value, existing records that have that value are not affected. Either clean up the object data, or take that possible value into account in your design for backward compatibility. If the user makes multiple selections, the value is stored as a comma-separated list. So: If you change the order of the values, new values may be stored differently than old ones.
Multi Object Lookup	A two stage-lookup where the user first selects the object to use, and then looks up a record in that object.
Multi Select Picklist (Multi Select Global Pick List)	A picklist containing multiple values from a Global Picklist Multiple values can be selected from the list and associated with a single field
Number	A numeric (integer) field, for which you specify minimum and maximum values. The default minimum is 0. To go lower, specify a negative number, like -20. The maximum value is 999999999 (999,999,999). That number can be varied as well, up to the maximum integer size 2,147,483,647. (The smallest possible negative value is -2,147,483,646.)
Number with decimals	A numeric field, for which you specify the number of decimal digits.
Percentage	A decimal field in the range 0 to 1, for which you specify the number of decimal digits.
Phone/Fax	A string of digits. If digits are entered with spaces and punctuation marks, they are displayed and edited in exactly that form. (For example, "123.456.7890".) If a string of digits is entered without formatting, that is the way it appears when editing, but it is automatically formatted when the field is displayed: 7 digits ("1234567") displays as "123-4567". 10 digits "1234567890" displays as "(123) 456-7890". 11 digits ("12345678901") displays 1-234-567-8901 Note: If the field has more than 11 digits, they are displayed as entered. In that case, it's helpful to provide the desired formatting.
Picklist	A picklist is a type of field that contains a list of values, usually presented in a drop-down list; Examples: Types of things: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral T-Shirt Size: Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large A single value can be selected from the list When you select this type for an object field, a text area lets you enter values. Enter the names of the values, one per line, in the order they will be displayed. When the user makes a selection, the value that is stored is the text entered on that line. So: If you change the order later, existing values are not affected. If you remove an entry at a later date, or change the spelling of a value, existing records that have that value are not affected. Either clean up the object data, or take that possible value into account in your design for backward compatibility.
Radio Buttons	A list used to limit user selection to a single, specific value from a supplied list of values. When you select this type for an object field, a text area lets you enter values. Enter the names of the values, one per line, in the order they will be displayed. When the user makes a selection, the value that is stored is the text entered on that line. So: If you change the order later, existing values are not affected. If you remove an entry at a later date, or change the spelling of a value, existing records that have that value are not affected. Either clean up the object data, or take that possible value into account in your design for backward compatibility.
Rich Text Area	An HTML-formatted text area HTML formatting can include font styles, such as Bold, Italics, numbered lists and bullets or images (logos or art) Formatting tools are provided Considerations: <wbr> and </wbr> tags are not supported, as they are problematic when switching between edit and display modes. (To prevent issues, those tags are therefore removed before the content is displayed.)
Text Area	A multi-line Text area that can contain alphanumerics (A-Z, a-z, 0-9) and special characters: / @ . - $ % Height and width are defined when the field is created
Text Field	A single-line Text that can contain alphanumerics (A-Z, a-z, 0-9) and special characters: / @ . - $ %
Time	A time. For example, "6:50 PM". As Entered - The date/time is stored and displayed exactly as entered. Convert to Local Date/Time - (Default) Value is presumed to be entered in user's local time zone. The value is converted to the System Time Zone for storage in the database. When displayed, it is converted the user's time zone. Note: These options are available for new fields in Custom Objects and CRM Objects. They are not available for standard Date/Time fields (for example: modified_time) or for Date/Time fields in the Built-in Objects. Those fields are always converted.
URL	A web address. For example: http://yourCompany.com

Field Audit Log

Designer > Objects > {object} > [Field Audit Log Settings]

When the Field Audit Log option is enabled, any changes to the selected fields are logged in the Related Information section of the object.

When a field is modified, a new row containing the following information is added to the log:

• Original field value
• New field value
• User name
• Date and Time Modified

Note: Date Created is not logged

Users that have the Customize Objects permission can set the Field Audit Log

Users that have the Manage Audit Log permission can view the Audit Log

Enable the Field Audit Log

1. Click Designer > Objects > {object}
2. Click the [Field Audit Log Settings] button
3. Click Enable Field Audit Log
   The list of object fields appears.

   

4. Click the checkbox next to the field(s) that should be audited; Choose up to 20 fields per object

   

5. Click [Save]

Set Field Audit Log to be Visible in Related Information

By default, the Field Audit Log is Hidden in the Form. To make it appear:

1. Navigate to the object of interest in Forms
2. Click the Display Settings link

   

3. Move the Field Audit Log object to the Visible column and Save your changes

   

• To select multiple elements from a list that are not adjacent, press and hold the CTRL key and click each element individually (CTRL-click)
• To select a series of adjacent elements, click an element at the beginning of a series, press and hold the SHIFT key, then click the last element in the series (SHIFT-click)

Role-Based Field-Level Permission Control

Role Based Permission Control

For Developers

Visit these pages for a list predefined fields in

• CRM Objects
• Built-in Objects

Guidelines for Add/Update Field Value

The Order of precedence of field properties (#1 takes precedence over #2, etc.):

1. Always Required
2. Field Visibility
3. Display Attribute

Add/Update Field Value

• For the API/UI calls, the Always Required property applies, even if the field is defined as hidden/read only via Form Layout or Field Visibility settings

• Fields defined as Hidden/Read-Only via Field Visibility settings can not be added/updated from the UI, and should not be added/updated from the API

• Fields defined as Hidden/Read-Only via Display Attributes are considered only for UI calls (but not API calls)

• Hidden Fields can be updated through the scripting

• Fields defined as part of Custom Objects can be set to Read-Only or Hidden via Field Visibility settings

Log Access Violation

• When fields defined as Hidden/Read-Only via Field Visibility settings are used in an API/UI request, the entry can be logged in the Audit Log, provided that the Enhanced Security Audit is enabled