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Custom user data: set up custom fields

Jim O'Connor
  • Updated

Summary

Custom user data fields let you record additional user information in users' profiles. 

This feature is available to all customers.

Data fields can support your reporting, or help you add users to groups through dynamic rules.

By default each portal has 10 custom user data fields available. Contact your customer success manager if you need more fields to manage your data.

Users can complete these fields themselves when they log in for the first time. They can also access the fields from their user profile. See Users: the basic profile.

An admin can fill in the fields, either one by one, or using a batch user upload. See Upload users by batch CSV file.

You can make the fields optional, or mandatory. 

Field types improve the quality of your data: they limit what kind of characters the field accepts. Field types keep you and your users from entering the wrong type of data: for example, you can't enter decimal numbers in a field with Integer type.

The following screenshot shows a user's profile viewed by an admin. The profile shows a mix of sample custom user data fields. Non-editable fields, in gray, require an admin to complete. A red asterisk indicates a mandatory field.

Sample_profile_showing_custom_user_data_fields.png

Field types, in detail

When Field type is enabled, you set a field to accept:

  • String: text and/or numbers
  • Decimal: numbers only, with decimals allowed
  • Integer: numbers only, no decimals allowed
  • Date: YYYY-MM-DD required for batch upload, or upload through the API 
  • String Choice: words or numbers, from a list you provide - no free text
  • Decimal Choice: numbers with decimals allowed, from a list you provide - no free text
  • Integer Choice: whole numbers, from a list you provide - no free text

After you select a field type and save it, you can't change its type completely - in particular, from String type to Date, or one of the numeric types and vice versa. For example:

  • you can change a String field to String Choice, but not to Decimal
  • you can change a field type within the numeric formats - so change Decimal to Integer or Integer Choice - but you can't change Decimal to String

The following screenshot shows the choices available for a numeric field type. This example is editable by users, but not mandatory.

custom_user_data_field_numeric_type_editable_not_mandatory.png

Note about custom user data date fields: the batch user upload feature, both in the application or though the API, your CSV file requires dates in YYYY-MM-DD format. If you use a different date format for the portal, make sure you set dates to the YYYY-MM-DD format in the CSV before uploading.

See Portal setup: title, language, timezone and access settings for an overview of portal-level settings. 

See Upload users by batch CSV file for the how-to instructions.

Create a text user data field

  1. Navigate to Settings > Users > Custom User Data and select Create New Field.
  2. Enter a name for the field in Name. 
  3. Optionally:
    • select Editable to let users fill in their own data
    • select Mandatory to require a text entry, before the user can continue to their dashboard. This option is available only if you also select Editable
  4. Select Save to finish. 

The following screenshot shows a new field with Editable and Mandatory selected.

custom_user_data_field_string_type_editable_mandatory.png

Create a drop-down user data field for a choice type field

  1. Navigate to Settings > Users > Custom User Data and select Create New Field.
  2. Enter a name for the field in Name. 
  3. In Comma separated values enter a list of options separated by a comma. 
  4. Optionally:
    • select Editable to let users fill in their own data
    • select Mandatory to require a text entry, before the user can continue to their dashboard. This option is available only if you also select Editable
  5. Select Save to finish.  

The following screenshot shows the entries which will appear as options in a String Choice field. The field is not editable by users.

custom_user_data_field_drop_down_with_choices.png

Additional options with field types

Field types control what you data can enter in a field, to improve the quality of the data recorded. 

  1. Select a Field type, one of:
    • String: text and/or numbers
    • Decimal: numbers only, with decimals allowed
    • Integer: numbers only, no decimals allowed
    • Date: YYYY-MM-DD required for batch upload, or upload through the API 
    • String Choice: words or numbers, from a list you provide - no free text
    • Decimal Choice: numbers with decimals allowed, from a list you provide - no free text
    • Integer Choice: whole numbers, from a list you provide - no free text
  2. For a Choice type, the interface prompts an additional Selection type option:
    • Single Select allows users to make a single choice only
    • Multi Select lets users choose one or more options
  3. For a Choice type: enter the choices the learner sees, in the Comma separated values field.
  4. Save to finish.

See: 

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