Custom Data Fields

What are Custom Data Fields and when should I use them?: Custom Data Fields are fields that cover any type of data needing to be collected where no Preset Field exists and there are no fees needing to be collected. As such what they’re used for will depend highly on the type of registration you are making. Most of these will be easy to configure and use, especially once you have developed a good understanding of how to use Fee Fields. Following is a summary of each different type and some of their possible uses.

Text Field

These can be useful for data that you need to collect from a registrant that involves a short answer. These can include; emergency contact, parents name, food allergies/ dietary restrictions etc.  An example of this on the admin side is pictured below.

Checkbox

The simple checkbox option is much the same as a “Fee Option” field. It can be useful for, among other things, registrants confirming that they have read and understood waivers, or signing up for volunteer activities. The checkbox field can also be useful if you want a list of many options for registrants to choose from where they can select more then one option. In this case you would simply add many checkbox fields. An example of many checkbox fields being used for volunteer sign up is pictured below. 

A checkbox is also useful for creating a waiver.  You can put your waiver text in a “Text Block” element, and then include a checkbox field labelled “I agree to the above waiver”.

Number Field

This is a custom field option where the answer can only be a number. This option is useful for entering racing licences. If however your racing licences include letters you would have to use a Text Box field. Pictured below is an example of this field being used on the Admin side.

Option Field

This type of field is for when administrators want to give users a list of options to choose from, but only want users to be able to choose one option from that list. In other words it’s when registrants need to “choose one of the following options”. In this way it is the same as a “Single Choice Fee Group” field and can be covered with the same documentation. This type of field can be useful for volunteer signups where registrants can only select one option as is pictured below.  For more about option fields, see the help page here.

Date Field

This field can be useful for, among other things, asking registrants what date they would like to volunteer for, or entering (as some registrations require) their health card expiry date. An example of the latter use is pictured below.

Yes/No Option

Usually used as a mandatory field. This can be used for consenting to photos of you from the event being posted on the event website and/or social media feeds.

The label on a yes/no option has limited space.  If you would like to included detailed information about what the registrant is saying yes or no to, it is best to include it in a Text Block above the yes/no option.

Large Text Field

This field can be useful if you want to collect a more substantial amount of information from registrants. One example of this being used is for registrants adding details about themselves for the race announcer to use. This use is pictured below.

For more information about using these fields in your registration form, please see the Edit Form documentation here.