Add calculated data to a custom form with the legacy form builder

In a custom form, you can add a calculated custom field that uses existing data to generate new data when the custom form is attached to an object.

A calculated custom field can contain:

• A simple reference to a single built-in field.

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  Example: To calculate the revenue generated by projects and tasks, you could create a calculated custom field that contains the built-in field Actual Revenue. When someone attaches the custom form to a project or task, the revenue for the project or task displays in the field.

• An expression that references one or more fields. These can be custom fields, other calculated custom fields, and built-in fields.

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  Example: To calculate the profit generated by projects and tasks, you could create a calculated custom field called Profit containing a mathematical expression that subtracts cost from revenue.

  To do this, you could use the mathematical expression SUB (subtract) with the built-in Workfront fields Actual Cost and Actual Revenue.

  In the steps below, you can see how this example can be carried out.

For information about creating custom forms for your organization and understanding the type of fields you can associate with them, see Create or edit 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 calculated field to a custom form

You can use both built-in Workfront fields and custom fields that you already created.

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

2. On the Add a Field tab, click Calculated.

   In the display area on the right, the field displays 12345. This is merely an indicator to remind you that the field is a calculated custom field while you are creating or editing the custom form. When the form is attached to an object and users are filling it out, they see the result of the calculation in the field, never the 12345 indicator.

3. Specify the following information for the calculated field:

   Label	Type a label for the field. This is what users will see when they use the custom form. The field Name, which fills in automatically, is referenced by Workfront in reports.
   Instructions	By default, the formula you create for the field is stored here. You can add text to provide additional information about the field and the formula in it. This can be useful in two ways: As a reminder of what the formula is and how it works. This is especially helpful if you plan to use this calculated custom field on multiple forms. As a tooltip users can see when they hover over the field. You add any text here that you want them to see in the tooltip. If you don't want them to see the formula in the tooltip, which might be confusing for them, you can hide it. For instructions, see the table row "Display formula in instructions" in the section Build the calculation for your calculated custom field in this article. For information about using the same calculated custom field on a new form, see Reuse an existing calculated custom field in a custom form.
   Format	The format in which you want the results of the field are stored and displayed. If the field will be used in mathematical calculations, always use a Number or a Currency format. When you select Number or Currency, the system automatically truncates numbers that start with 0. IMPORTANT: Before you choose a format, consider the correct format for the new field. The format field cannot be edited after the custom form is saved. And selecting the wrong format could impact future calculations and aggregate values in report and list groupings.

4. Continue on to Build the calculation for your calculated custom field in this article.

Build the calculation for your calculated custom field

1. Start creating the calculated custom field, as explained in the section Add a calculated field to a custom form in this article.

2. Click Maximize to open the Calculation Editor and build your calculation.

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   Example: Using the example in the introduction to this article, you could create a calculated custom field called Profit in a custom form for projects and tasks. This field could contain a calculation that displays the difference between Actual Revenue and Actual Cost:

   SUB({actualRevenue},{actualCost})

   In this example, SUB is the expression, and the referenced fields are actualRevenue and actualCost.

   A calculation usually starts with an expression, followed by parentheses containing the fields you want to reference when the custom form is attached to an object. For information about the expressions that are available, see Calculated data expressions.

   Each field must be surrounded with curly brackets, as explained in the section Syntax required in calculated custom fields in this article. When you start typing the name of a field, the system makes suggestions and you can select one to insert it into your calculation.

   You can reference any type of custom field in a calculation except for two: Text Field with Formatting type and Descriptive Text. For information about the custom field types, see Add a custom field to a custom form

3. Click in the large text box, then click Expressions and Fields that are available to add them to your calculation.

   You can also start typing an expression or field in the large text box, then select it when it displays. Each item displays with an “F” for field or an “E” for expression.

   If you type an opening parenthesis, the closing parenthesis is added automatically.

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   You can do any of the following to get help with your calculation:

   • Hover over an expression in your calculation to see a description, an example showing how it can be used, and a “Learn More” link to more information in the article Calculated data expressions.
     
   • Use the color coding to identify the components you have added. Expressions display in blue and fields display in green.
     
   • Find calculation errors, highlighted in pink, as you go. You can hover over a highlighted error to display a brief description of its cause.
     
   • In the area below your calculation, preview the results on an existing Workfront object.

   

   • Reference expressions in a long calculation using the line numbers that display on the left.

4. Click Minimize when you are finished creating the calculation for the calculated custom field.

   NOTE

   In the display area on the right, the field displays 12345. This is merely an indicator to remind you that the field is a calculated custom field while you are creating or editing the custom form. When the form is attached to an object and users are filling it out, they see the result of the calculation in the field, never the 12345 indicator.

5. (Optional) Use any of the following options to further configure your calculated custom field:

   Add Logic	You can add Display Logic to determine whether the calculated field displays, based on at least one choice that a user makes in a preceding multiple choice field (Dropdown, Checkboxes, or Radio Buttons) when filling out the form. For more information, see Add display logic and skip logic to a custom form. This is available only when at least one checkbox, radio button, or a drop-down field precedes the calculated custom field on the form. Skip Logic is unavailable for calculated custom fields.
   Update previous calculations	When you are editing an existing calculated custom field, you can select this option to trigger an update in the calculation when you save the custom form. This happens only once when you save the custom form. The option returns to its disabled state after you do so.
   Display formula in instructions	Leave this option enabled if you want the users who fill out the custom form to see the field's formula when they hover over the field. For more information, see the information about Instructions earlier in this table.

6. Click Done when all changes are complete on the calculated custom field.

   Or, click Apply to apply your changes to the form so far if you want to continue adding custom fields to the form.

   Or, click Save + Close when all changes are complete on the custom form.

7. To verify that your calculated custom field works correctly, attach the custom form to an object, then review the result in the calculated custom field.

   For instructions on attaching a custom form, see Add a custom form to an object.

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

   • Add a custom field to a custom form
   • Position custom fields and widgets in a custom form
   • Add or edit an asset widget in 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

Syntax required in calculated custom fields

Each field must use the syntax explained below, with curly brackets around each field name. When you start typing the name of a field, the system makes suggestions and you can select one to insert it into your calculation. If you enter data in a calculation incorrectly, a warning messages alerts you. You cannot save the form unless you edit your calculation to contain valid fields and a valid calculated expression.

Surround field names with curly brackets

• If you want the calculation to reference a built-in field, the name of the field must be surrounded by curly brackets.

For example: {actualRevenue}

Field names are case-sensitive and must appear in the calculation exactly how they appear in the Workfront system.

• If you want the calculation to reference a custom field, the name of the field must be surrounded by curly brackets, and preceded by DE: within the brackets.

For example: {DE:Profit}

The system lists all of the custom fields you can choose from when you type DE:.

• If you want the calculation to reference a field that will pull data from the parent object when the custom form is attached to an object, you must precede the field name with the object type of the parent object, also in curly brackets.

  For example, if the custom form is configured to work with tasks, and you want the field to calculate the actual revenue of the parent object when the form is attached to a task, you need to indicate Project as the object type of the field:

  {project}.{actualRevenue}

  Or, if it’s a custom field:

  {project}.{DE:profit}

  If you’re not sure what the object type of the parent object will be because the custom for is configured for multiple object types, you can use the wildcard filter variable $$OBJCODE to allow the calculation to work for each of the possible types. For more information, see Calculated custom fields in multi-object custom forms in this article.

Separate items with periods

When you reference a related object in a calculated custom field, you must separate object names and attributes with periods.

For example, in a task-type custom form, to display the name of the Portfolio Owner in a calculated custom field, you would type the following:

{project}.{porfolio}.{owner}

This would determine the following: From the object of the custom form (a task), you can access the next object related to the task (a project). From there, you can access the next related object to the project (a portfolio), then the next related object to the portfolio (the owner).

Name syntax for referencing a custom field

When you reference another custom field in a calculated custom field, you need to enter the name of the field appears as it displays in the Workfront user interface.

For example, to reference the selected option in a custom field labeled Executive sponsor, you would type the following:

{DE:Executive sponsor}

Calculated custom fields in multi-object custom forms

In a multi-object custom form, the selected object types must be compatible with all fields referenced in the form’s calculated custom fields. If there is an incompatibility, a message alerts you to make adjustments.

When this occurs, you can do one of the following:

• Remove one of the two incompatible items from the custom form—either the object type or the referenced calculated custom field.
• Keep both items and use the wildcard filter variable $$OBJCODE as a condition in an IF expression to create two different versions of the In Charge field. This allows the field to function successfully, no matter which type of object the form is attached to.

For more information about variables like $$OBJCODE, see Wildcard filter variables.

Automatic updates of calculated custom fields

Calculated custom fields on an object recalculate automatically when the following things happen:

• Something on the object changes, such as a daily timeline calculation.

• Someone edits another field that is referenced by a calculated custom field on the object.

• The calculated expression is empty and the field contains a value—this sets the value to null.

  NOTE

  In a custom form attached to an object, date and time statements in calculated custom fields are calculated and saved by Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), not by the time zone configurations set for your organization's instance and your user profile. Calculations in a custom form generate based on each users' individual time zones.