Learn more about different custom field types to determine which option is best for your needs.
Not sure how to add a custom field? Learn how to add a custom contact field here or a custom pipeline field here.
Text Box (single-line)
- Text boxes accept any entry, including letters and numbers, and is best if there's a wide variation in the values of the field.
- A single-line text box field is a good option if you need some flexibility, but won't have much text to enter.
- Examples: "Partner name," "Children's names," or "Hobby" fields.
Text Area (multi-line)
- Text areas accept any text, including letters and numbers. Line breaks can be added to break up larger entries.
- A multi-line text area field is a good option if you need some flexibility, and will have a large amount of text to enter.
- Examples: "Special considerations," "Additional requests," or other specialized note area fields.
Number Field
- Number fields only accept numerical entries, and allow you to sort and filter by amount.
- Number fields will automatically be formatted using American or European number formatting.
- A number field is a good option if the only entries will be numbers (no letters or special characters).
- Examples: "Account ID" or "Client ID" fields.
Currency Field
- Currency fields allow you to track a specific currency amount. Currency fields only accept numerical entries, and will automatically add the selected currency symbol to the field.
- A currency field is a good option to track monetary values or amounts.
- Examples: “Total cost,” “Amount spent,” or “Value” fields.
Date Field
- Date fields only accept dates with both a month and day, or with a month, day, and year. Date fields can appear on the calendar, which can be helpful to keep an eye on upcoming dates.
- A date field is a good option for tracking important dates.
- Examples: "Spouse's birthday," "Client anniversary," or "Contract expiration date" fields.
Dropdown List
- Dropdown lists have a pre-entered list of options to choose from, and help avoid typos when dealing with a small number of options. You can choose one entry from the options for this field.
- A dropdown list is a good option if the field values are limited and only one value will be selected.
- Dropdown lists can also be color-coded so that each option has a selected color.
- Examples: "Lead source," "Priority" or "Type of plan" fields.
Checkbox List
- Checkbox lists have a pre-entered list of options to choose from, and help avoid typos. Tick off multiple options to select more than one entry in this field.
- A checkbox list is a good option if the field values are limited, and you'll often need to select more than one value.
- Checkbox lists can also be color-coded so that each option has a selected color.
- Examples: "Product" or "Service" fields.
Contact Link
- Contact link fields allow you to search existing records for a name, and once selected the name will appear as a link. Click on that link to go straight to the other record.
- A contact link field is a good option if you need to create a link with another contact or company.
- Examples: "Referred by," "Family members," or "Vendors" fields.
File Field
- File fields allow you to upload one or more files from your computer to a file field. Files will appear by name, and you can select the file to access it again.
- A file field is a good option if you need to track specific files or documents.
- Examples: "Quote," "Contract," or "Job pics" fields.
Additional details to keep in mind:
- There are some situations where tracking the exact same info might use different field types, depending on the end goal.
- If you want to track the product of a sale, you could use either a dropdown list or a checkbox list. Both of those options allow you to pre-enter options that you'll select later, the difference is whether your customers buy one product at a time, or if they buy more than one product at a time.
- If you want to track the value of a sale, you could use a currency field or a dropdown list. If you want to have a specific amount, you can use a currency field. If you want more of an estimate, you can instead use a dropdown list with a range of values for each option (like, 1-500, 501-1,000, etc).
- If you want to track client ID numbers, you could use a number field or a single-line text box. If your ID numbers include only numbers, and you'd like number formatting, you can use a number field. If your ID numbers include numbers and letters, or if you don't want to have number formatting, you can use a single-line text box instead.
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