Add new or existing fields to your custom form

You can use new or existing fields when designing your custom form.

Custom forms are limited to 500 fields. A counter on the bottom left displays how many fields are used on the form, and it’s always visible as you scroll within the form designer.

Reuse an existing field or widget already used in another custom form

  1. In the upper-left side of the screen, click Field library.

  2. Drag and drop the desired field or widget onto the canvas. Repeat this step to add any other fields or widgets.

    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.
  3. To save your changes, click Apply and move on to another section to continue building your form.

    Or

    Click Save and Close.

Notes on field names and labels

The label is available for most fields. It’s a descriptive label that appears above the field or widget on the custom form. You can change the label at any time.

NOTE
Avoid using special characters in this label as they don’t display correctly in reports.

A name is required for every field. 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 field or widget for the first time and you type the label, the Name field populates automatically to match it. The Label and Name fields are not synchronized. This gives you the option to change the label that your users see without having to change the name that the system sees.

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.

NOTE
Though it’s possible to do so, we recommend that you don’t 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 don’t type a name that is already used for built-in Workfront fields.
We recommend that you don’t use the period/dot character in the custom field name to prevent errors when using the field in different areas of Workfront.

The following special characters are not supported in custom field labels and names.

  • \t
  • \n
  • \r
  • \f
  • [
  • ]
  • (
  • )
  • :
  • {
  • }

Add text fields

You can add several different text fields to a custom form.

Expand to see descriptions of available text fields.
  • Single line text field: Allows users to type a single line of text in the field.

  • Paragraph 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. A character limit of 15,000 allows for plenty of text and formatting.

    This custom field type is not supported in filters on lists and reports.

    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).
  • Descriptive text: Allows you to include instructions and link to pages outside Workfront.

To add a text field:

  1. In the New field tab on the left side of the screen, find one of the following text fields and drag it to a section on the canvas:

    • Single line text
    • Paragraph
    • Text with formatting
    • Descriptive text

    Drag field to section

  2. On the right side of the screen, configure the options that are available for the type of custom field you are adding:

    Input intoDescriptionAvailable for
    Size(Optional) Change the size of the text fields on the form.
    • Single line text
    • Paragraph
    • Text with formatting
    • Descriptive text
    Label

    (Required) Type a descriptive label to display above the field. You can change the label at any time.

    Important: Avoid using special characters in this label as they don't display correctly in reports. For more information, see Notes on field names and labels.

    • Single line text
    • Paragraph
    • Text with formatting
    Name

    (Required) This name is how the system identifies the field. When you are configuring the widget for the first time and you type the label, the Name field populates automatically to match it. The Label and Name fields are not synchronized. This gives you the option to change the label that your users see without having to change the name that the system sees.

    For more information, see Notes on field names and labels.

    • Single line text
    • Paragraph
    • Text with formatting
    • Descriptive text
    InstructionsType any additional information about the field. When users fill out the custom form, they can hover over the question mark icon to view a tooltip containing the information you type here.
    • Single line text
    • Paragraph
    • Text with formatting
    Format

    Select the type of data that will be captured in the custom field.

    Note:

    • This field can't 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.
    • The character limit for Number fields is 16. You can also use a Text field to enter numbers and avoid the limit.
    • Single line text
    • Paragraph
    Display TypeSwitch between single line and paragraph text fields.
    • Single line text
    • Paragraph
    HyperlinkIf you want to apply a hyperlink to the Descriptive Text you have typed, add it here. The Descriptive text displays as a link on objects where the form is attached.
    • Descriptive text
    Make a required fieldSelect this option if you want the field to be required in order for the user to complete the custom form.
    • Single line text
    • Paragraph
    • Text with formatting
  3. (Optional) Repeat the previous step to add any other fields or widgets.

    Or

    To copy a field, hover over a field, and click the copy icon.

    copy icon

  4. To save your changes, click Apply and move on to another section to continue building your form.

    Or

    Click Save and Close.