Contents - Index

Entering Information about Data Fields

The Field Manager form allows you to customize both existing and new fields used by Docs2Manage (D2M).  Please read the Adding and Using Additional User Fields section for information on how to add new fields.

From the File menu, select Field Manager.
  

Update Information about a Data Field
Fields are named by what their current field caption value is and the field's underlying table and field name in the database in parenthesis (e.g., Document Folder (DOCMAIN.DOCFOLDER)).

1. Select a field from the Column Search drop-down list.  If you do not find the field you want to modify, the field may be unmapped and needs to be mapped before you can update the field information (steps 1a - 1c).
1a. To map an unmapped field, click the Map New button on the Field Manager Toolbar.  
1b. Select the unmapped field from the Mapped to drop-down edit field and populate the remaining fields.
1c. Click the Update button.
2. Add or update the appropriate values for the fields listed below:

Mapped to
For a mapped field, this will display the name of the column you selected above.  Otherwise, select from the available list of unmapped fields.

Type of Field
  • Select Drop-down Edit if you would like the referenced column to have a drop-down list of values.
  • Select Field Edit if you desire a plain edit field or calendar picker if the field is a date field.  
  • Select Hide Field if you want to hide any of the main fields.  If you hide a field, the field must not be required in the database table or you will receive an error message from the database.
  • Select Hide Field in Grid if you want to hide any required fields in the grid.  These fields will still be available in the Document Information Form.
     
    Field Caption
    Edit this field to change the field caption or grid label.  The "~" character makes the grid label appear on two lines in the grid column header.  Place the character where you want the label's new line to begin.  The character can be used only once, since the column header only has room for two lines.  The character does not appear in the caption on the form view or search dialog.

    Default Value (only displayed for Field Edit type fields)
    This value will be the default value for a new record.

    Edit Mask
    This value controls or guides how a user can input data.  This is good if you want keep the data in a format that can consistently be searched in consistent manner.  Edit Mask can be very simple or very complex depending on yours needs.  Please read the Edit Mask section of this help file to understand how to construct an Edit Mask.

    Entry is Required
    This field when checked requires the user to at least enter one number or character in the entry field.  If they do not, they will not be allowed to post the changes to the database.

    Drop-down Edit Value (only displayed in the grid for Drop-down Edit type fields)
    Field values become one of the values in the drop-down edit.

    Drop-down Order (only displayed in the grid for Drop-down Edit type fields)
    Drop-down edit values will be listed in alphabetical order by default.  If you would like to customize the order of the values, enter numbers indicating the your numbering preference.  

    TIP:  You may want to use numbers like 10, 20, 30... rather than 1, 2, 3...  This will make it easier to fit a new value between existing values in the future.

    Default Choice on New Record (only displayed in the grid for Drop-down Edit type fields)
    Check this field if you would like the corresponding value to be the default in the Drop-down Edit list when a new record is inserted. ..