Add a field

Before you start

• Create a module

Add a field when a module needs to keep one more piece of information, like the date an equipment request is needed by. A field takes about a minute. Putting it in front of people takes two more steps, shown at the end.

Add the field

1. Open Modules and choose the module, for example Equipment Requests. The Fields page opens.
2. Click Add field. The editor opens on the right.
3. Type the Label, for example Needed by.
4. Under Type, choose the type, for example Date. Use Search types to find one quickly.
5. Fill in the settings the type asks for, if any. A Lookup asks where its Values come from.
6. Click Save field.

The editor closes, Field added. appears, and the field shows in the table.

What can I call a field?

The label you type becomes the field’s name. Beezr accepts:

• English letters, numbers, spaces and underscores
• a first character that is a letter
• a name no other field in the module already uses

Beezr turns the label into a lowercase system name with underscores, so Needed by is stored as needed_by. If a name needs fixing, the editor shows what to change at the top.

Watch out

Choose the label and system name before saving. Check their spelling. To show different words to people later, edit the text in Labels. Names that match a database word, such as Date or Decimal, are stored with _f added, for example date_f.

Which type should I choose?

Choose the type by what people will enter:

People enter	Choose
A short phrase, such as an item name	Text
A longer explanation	Text area
A day on the calendar	Date
An amount of money	Currency
One value from a fixed list	Lookup

When in doubt, read Which field type should I use?. Each type has its own page, such as Lookup.

A Lookup needs a list to draw from. Click New next to Values come from to create one, or create it first under Lookups.

Put the field on the form and the table

Saving a field adds it to the module. Then put it in front of people:

1. Open Forms, then click Add all above the field list, or drag the field into a block. Click Save.
2. Open Dataviews, choose Add columns on the Table tab, and pick the field. Click Save.

What did I get?

The module has a new field. It shows in the Fields table with its label, system name and type. People can see it once it is on the form and in a view. Records that already exist have an empty value in it.