Add a custom field to a custom form

When you are working on a custom form, you can create a new custom field and add it to a custom form.

You can also add a custom field that was already added to another custom form. For instructions, see Reuse a custom field or widget in a custom form.

For information about adding an asset widget to a custom form, which is a process similar to adding a custom field, see Add or edit an asset widget in a custom form.

Access requirements

You must have the following to perform the steps in this article:

*To find out what plan, license type, or access level configurations you have, contact your Workfront administrator.

Add a custom field to a custom form

1. Begin creating or editing a custom form, as described in Create or edit a custom form.

2. Open the Add a field tab.

   

3. With New Field selected, select one of the field types listed below:

   Single Line Text Field	Allows users to type a single line of text in the field.
   Paragraph Text Field	Allows users to type multiple lines of text in the field.
   Text Field with Formatting	Allows users to type multiple lines of text in the field and format the text with bold, italics, underline, bullets, numbering, hyperlinks, and block quotes. This is available in Home, the Updates area, lists, and the Details area for Workfront objects. A character limit of 15,000 allows for plenty of text and formatting. For information about accessing this field through the API, see Rich text field storage in the API. NOTE: Text fields with formatting are not available for Workfront mobile apps (available in coming releases).
   Dropdown	Provides a list of drop-down choices.
   Typeahead	Allows users to type the name of an object that exists in Workfront. A list of suggestions appears when the user starts typing. This field type supports the following objects: User Group Job Role Portfolio Program Project Team Template Company
   Calculated	Allows you to define an expression and display the result on the custom form. For more information, see Add calculated data to a custom form.
   Date	Displays a calendar where users can select a date and time.
   Checkboxes	Allows users to select multiple choices.
   Radio Buttons	Requires users to select only one choice.
   Descriptive Text	Allows you to include instructions and link to pages outside Workfront.
   Section Break	A section break is actually not a field. You can use a section break to organize your custom fields and widgets into sections and, if necessary, configure different viewing and editing permissions for each section. For information about adding and configuring section breaks, see Add a section break to a custom form.

4. On the Field Settings tab, configure the options that are available for the type of custom field you are adding:

   Label	(Required) Type a descriptive label to display above the custom field. You can change the label at any time. IMPORTANT: Avoid using special characters in this label. They don't display correctly in reports.
   Name	(Required) This name is how the system identifies the custom field when you add it to various areas throughout Workfront, such as reports, Home, and API interactions. When you are configuring the custom field for the first time and you type the label, the Name field populates automatically to match it. But the Label and Name fields are not synchronized—this gives you the freedom to change the label that your users see without having to change the name that the system sees. IMPORTANT: Though it's possible to do so, we recommend that you do not change this name after you or other users start using the custom form in Workfront. If you do, the system will no longer recognize the custom field where it might now be referenced in other areas of Workfront. For example, if you add the custom field to a report and later change its name, Workfront doesn't recognize it in the report and it will stop functioning correctly there unless you re-add it to the report using the new name. We recommend that you do not type a name that is already used for built-in Workfront fields. We recommend that you do not use the period/dot character in the custom field name, to prevent errors when using the field in different areas of Workfront. Each custom field name must be unique in your organization's Workfront instance. This way, you can reuse one that was already created for another custom form. For more information, see Add a custom field to a custom form in this article.
   Instructions	Type any additional information about the custom field. When users fill out the custom form, they can hover over the question mark icon to view a tool tip containing the information you type here.
   Format	Select the type of data that will be captured in the custom field. NOTE: This field cannot be edited after the form is saved. If you intend to use your field in mathematical calculations, ensure that you select a Number or Currency format. When you select Number or Currency, the system automatically truncates numbers that start with 0.
   Display Type	(Dropdown, checkboxes, and radio buttons only) Switch the type of option selection you want for the field.
   Size	(Text fields only) Select a width for the field.
   Display Time of Day	(Date fields only) Select this option if you want to show the time of day along with the date in the field.
   Referenced Object Type	(Typeahead fields only) Select the object type that you want to associate with the field. Once you have clicked Apply or Save+Close, you cannot change the object type for the field. NOTE: If your Workfront administrator customized the name for Portfolios, Programs, or Projects in the Workfront user interface, the default Workfront name for the object appears in this drop-down list, not the customized name. See your Workfront administrator if you need help with this. The following object types are supported in the iOS and Android Workfront Mobile Apps: User, Company, Group, Job Role, Portfolio, Program, Project, and Template.
   Add Filter	(Typeahead fields only) Add a filter for an object type to limit the objects users can choose when they are using the field. For example, you could limit a field so that user names can be selected only if they meet the following criteria: They belong to a group or groups that you specify They are associated with a role or job title you specify They belong to the same group as the person using the field You must define the filter for the object type you selected using Text Mode syntax. For information about creating a filter using Text Mode, see the section Edit text mode in a filter in the article Text Mode overview. NOTE: If you are editing an existing custom form, adding a filter to a Typeahead field does not remove any objects (outside the scope of the filter) that users have already added using the field. This filter is not available on mobile devices. If you use the filter for a Typeahead field, the field will appear on users' mobile devices unaffected by the filter.
   Descriptive Text	(Descriptive Text fields only) Type the text that you want to display to provide instructions or a link on the custom form.
   Hyperlink	(Descriptive Text fields only) If you want to apply a hyperlink to the Descriptive Text you have typed, add it here.
   Make a required field	Select this option if you want the field to be required in order for the user to complete the custom form.
   Track field changes in update feeds	Click the drop-down list, then select the object types where you want to automatically track the field's value changes. NOTE: This option is not available for the following: Custom forms associated with the following object types: Expense, Company, Iteration, Billing Record, and Group. The following field types: Calculated , Descriptive Text , and Section Break IMPORTANT: Selecting or deselecting an object type here affects all custom forms that are associated with the selected object type and that contain this field. For example, if you deselect an object type here and save the custom form, the field's value changes are no longer tracked for that object type in any custom form that contains the field. After you select an object type here for a field and save the custom form, the field displays on the Custom Fields tab in the Update Feeds area in Setup. Conversely, if this field is deleted in the Update Feeds area in Setup, the object type for this setting is deselected on all custom forms that are associated with the object type and that contain this field. For more information, see the section Add fields you want Workfront to track in the article Configure system updates.
   Add Logic	Specify which fields should appear on the form, based on selections users make in existing fields. For more information, see Add display logic and skip logic to a custom form.
   Choices	(Dropdown, Checkboxes, or Radio Buttons only; optional) Click Options, then enable any of the following: Show Values: Shows the values of each choice in the field. The label of each choice shows by default. Sort Choices A-Z: Sorts the choices you add alphabetically in the field. For each choice you add for the user, click the gear icon , then select one of the following options: Select by Default: Select the choice by default in the field. Hide Choice: Hide the choice in the field. Hidden choices remain accessible in reports. Remove Choice: Remove the choice from the field. WARNING: If you have current objects using this choice, do not remove it from the field. Removing it will cause historic data to be lost. Instead, select the option to hide it, which prevents users from selecting it in the future.

5. (Conditional) To change the display type of a field on the custom form, click the Display Type drop-down menu, then click the type you want.

   You can switch between the following field display types:

   • Selection-type fields: Checkboxes, Dropdown, Radio Buttons.
   • Text-type fields: Single Line Text Field, Paragraph Text Field. (You can’t switch a Text Field with Formatting to a different display type. However, you can remove it and add another type of field.)

   For example, if you have created a Checkboxes field, you can change it to a Dropdown field or a Radio Buttons field. Or, if you have created a Single Line Text Field, you can change it to a Paragraph Text field.

   NOTE

   Consider the following when you want to change a field’s display type from a checkbox field or a multi-select dropdown field (a dropdown allowing more than one option to be selected) to a single-select field type:

   • If you change to Radio Buttons, Workfront retains any multi-select values that a user may have entered in the field until the user changes and saves data in any part of the form. At this point, any values that were selected using the multi-select-type field are replaced by the selected Radio Button value.
   • If you change to a single-select Dropdown, Workfront retains any multi-select values that a user may have entered in the field until the user changes and saves the values in the field. At this point, any values that were selected using the multi-select-type field are replaced by the selected Dropdown value.

6. (Optional) Repeat steps 2-6 to add other custom fields.

   Or

   Add fields that have already been created for your organization, as explained in Reuse a custom field or widget in a custom form.

   NOTE

   You can add up to 500 fields and widgets on a single custom form. However, performance degradation can occur when more than 100 exist on a form, depending on its complexity. Examples of complex forms include forms with cascading parameters, calculated custom data fields, and multiple value options in a single field.

7. Click Apply.

8. If you want to continue building your custom form in other ways, continue on to one of the following articles:

   • Position custom fields and widgets in a custom form
   • Add or edit an asset widget in a custom form
   • Add calculated data to a custom form
   • Add a section break to a custom form
   • Reuse an existing calculated custom field in a custom form
   • Add display logic and skip logic to a custom form
   • Preview and complete a custom form

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