Creating Custom Fields To Collect Data From Guests, Buyers, Or Donors
You may need to collect additional information from guests, buyers or donors that is not found in the standard data fields. You can create your own fields or add the preprogrammed fields for two commonly used custom fields: meal choice and seating preferences.
To create custom data fields:
Go to Admin > Site Settings > Customize Your Site > Custom Fields > Add a New Field Group
First, create a Field Group for the data:
A field "group" can collect a data from a single or multiple fields/selections.
1. Choose a name for the data you are collecting. Note: the field group name does NOT display on the forms the guest will see (but does appear for Buyers and Donors).
2. Choose from whom to collect the data:
- Guests: fields will appear on guest info form during ticket sales and on check-in screen and can be viewed from the Ticket page.
- Buyers: fields will appear on payment screen during ticket sales and other online transactions and can be viewed from the Orders page.
- Donors: fields will appear on Donor info forms and can be viewed from the Donors page.
3. Save.
4. Once saved, click on Add Field to create a field to collect specific data.
Add field(s) to the group to collect the desired data:
Our example illustrates 4 fields being added to the group - one of each type of field - to display the various menus and final appearance of each type.
1. Create label for field.
2. Specify type of field from the dropdown menu (examples of each follow). Type = Text displays a field for entering alphanumeric text.
3. If field is required, all users will be blocked from continuing until field is completed. Note: if you select a dropdown menu field type, the default value will satisfy the Required? flag, so users will never be blocked from continuing, even if they ignored the field.
4. Since only buyers will receive receipts, only the buyer's data will display and marking Donor or Guest fields to display on receipts is of marginal value.
5. Save each field created.
6. Type = List generates a field to specify the list for the dropdown menu that users will make their selection from. Note that the first entry will display as the default choice so:
- adding a default value - such as Choose One or Unknown will allow you to distinguish between non-selections and users who intentionally choose the initial entry.
- the default value will satisfy the Required? flag, so users will never be blocked from continuing, even if they ignored the field.
7. Type = Checkbox provides a box to check if statement (field name) is true.
8. Plain text displays the text entered, it does not collect any data from the user.
Once field(s) are created, you can preview how they will appear:
Custom fields as displayed on Ticket Sales > Guest info page
Data collected as displays on Guest's user record:
Custom data can also be viewed on your data pages:
Use the Customize button on the relevant data page to select the custom data fields to display on your screen. New: click on the custom field column headers to sort the data by that column.