Simon Help Portal

Custom Field Settings

Custom Fields are used to capture additional user information which is important for your organisation. For example, division/department, address, and manager information.

Custom Fields can be referenced throughout the platform to customise the experience for the user, including email notifications, home page & main menu messages, General Content Screens, Forms and Export Reports. For more information about populating Custom Fields, please refer to the Create A New Employee and Manage Employees guides. For more information about utilising Custom Field Parameters throughout the system, please refer to the How to use parameters to customise your message guide.

To access this module, log in to the Control Panel from the Simon home page located at https://<yoursubdomain>.exphub.com.au/manager. Navigate to the Global Site Configuration menu and click to expand. Click Custom settings, and finally Custom Field Settings.

Custom Field Categories

Custom Field Categories allow you to categorise Custom Fields into categories (e.g. Onboarding, Crossboarding, Offboarding etc). Custom Fields will display on the user profile grouped with other Custom Fields that are in the same category.

Adding a new Custom Field Category

1. Navigate to Global Site Configuration > Custom Field Settings > Custom Field Categories.
 2. Click the blue “+ ADD CUSTOM FIELD CATEGORY” button in the top right-hand corner of the screen. 
 3. Name the category in the “Custom Field Category Name” field (e.g. “Onboarding”). This is the title the Custom Fields within this category will be grouped under on the user profile.
4. Select an alias for the Custom Field Category. Important note: The alias must be unique and must not include spaces.
5. Click Submit – the Category will now be available for selection. If you’d like to allocate existing Custom Fields to the new category, you will need to edit the field and allocate the category. For more information about editing Custom Fields, please continue reading below. 

Editing an existing Custom Field Category

To edit a Custom Field Category, navigate to Global Site Configuration > Custom Field Settings > Custom Field Categories. You will then be presented with a list of all Custom Field Categories that have been configured.

All Custom Field Categories field definitions

Field Name	Description	Tips and information
ID	The system generated identification number given to the Custom Field Category.	This ID number is a system generated field only.
Category Name	The name that has been configured for the Custom Field Category.	This is the heading that all Custom Fields that have been allocated to this category will show under in the user profile. For more information about the user profile, please refer to the Create an Employee guide and the Manage Employees guide.
Alias	The alias selected for the Custom Field Category.	For more information about the alias, please refer to the “Adding a new Custom Field Category” section above.
Status	Shows whether the Custom Field Category is Active (visible to administrators in the user profile) or Inactive (not visible to administrators in the user profile).	To change a Custom Field to Active or Inactive, click the Status button.
Last Updated/Last Updated By	The Last Updated and Last Updated By columns show the date and time the Custom Field Category was last edited and which administrator made the edit.	The time will display in your organisation's configured timezone.
Actions	Options to Edit or Delete.	For more information about the Edit option, please continue reading below.

To edit the Custom Field Category, select Edit from the Actions menu next to the relevant category. You will then be presented with a screen identical to the Create New Custom Field Category screen. For more information about these fields, please refer to the Creating a New Custom Field Category section above.
 
Important Note: Any changes you make to a Custom Field Category will be instant after submitting. 

Adding a new Custom Field

To add a new Custom Field, navigate to Global Site Configuration > Custom Settings > Custom Field Settings > Add New Custom Field and follow the below steps:

1. Type the name of the custom field in the Label Name field. This is the label that you will see in the “Record Custom Information” section of the Create An Employee and Manage Employees screens, for example “Address” or “Manager’s Name”. For more information about these screens, please refer to the Create An Employee and Manage Employees guides.

2. Type the parameter (or shortcut) in the Notification Parameter field. When a Custom Field is referenced throughout the system, the parameter is referenced inside { } brackets. The information that has been entered is then displayed to the user. This field is referring to the text that should be inside the brackets (e.g. address or mgr).

Important Note 1 - The parameter you assign to the Custom Field must be unique and cannot already be assigned to any other parameter. For example - if you have two "Address" fields, they cannot both have the parameter of "address" - instead, consider using "address1" and "address2".

Important Note 2 - Modules where Custom Fields can be referenced will include a "?" icon on the right-hand side of the screen. Clicking this menu will display all available parameters that have been configured in a popup box.

For more information about utilising Custom Field parameters, please refer to the How to use Parameters to customise your message guide.

3. Select the Custom Field Category that the Custom Field should be a member of. If your organisation doesn’t have any Custom Field Categories configured, this field can be skipped. For more information about Custom Field Categories, please refer to the relevant sections above. Note - If the Custom Field is a Boolean (Y/N) field that is associated with a Document Clause, it will automatically be categorised in a Custom Field Category named “Document Clauses” unless a different category is selected.

4. Select the Label Type. The Label Type is the format you stipulate the answer must be given in. Available Label Types are explained underneath these instructions.

5. If the selected Custom Field Label Type is “Boolean Y/N” and the field should be associated with a Document Clause, tick the “Associate with Document Clause” box. For more information about Document Clauses, please refer to the Document Templates guide. Note - this option will only be available if a Boolean Y/N field type has been selected.

6. If you would like to make the Custom Field mandatory to populate, tick the “Is Required” box. Making a Custom Field required means that a user profile can’t be saved if the field hasn’t been completed. Required Custom Fields are flagged with a red asterisk on the user profile. If you don’t require the Custom Field to be mandatory, you can leave the box un-ticked.

7. Click the Submit button to save. The Custom Field will now be available to populate on the user’s profile.

Custom Field Label Types

Label Type	Description	Tips and information
Free Text	The response is typed in free text.	The exact response typed is what will be displayed when the parameter is used throughout the platform.
Date Picker	The response is selected as a date from a calendar.	The selected date is what will be displayed when the parameter is used throughout the platform.
List	The response is selected from a defined list of answers. If you want to allow multiple answers to be selected, consider using a Multi-Select Label Type instead.	When this Label Type is selected, an additional field called “Add List Items” will appear. Please continue reading below for instructions on how to configure this.
Boolean Y/N	Options of a Yes or No response in the form of radio buttons.	Yes and No are the only available responses for this Label Type. If you require additional or different responses, consider using a List Label Type instead. Boolean Y/N label types are also used to control Document Clauses. For more information about Document Clauses, please refer to the Document Templates guide.
Locked Label	A fixed response that will be the same for all users. This field cannot be edited when creating a user.	This type of field should only be used if there is information that will be identical for all users, for example a Company ABN.   If you require several standard responses, consider using a List Label Type instead.
Currency	This field only accepts numeric characters and will automatically add a dollar sign and two decimal points.	The dollar sign will automatically be shown when this field type is referenced (for example – in a Document Template).
Multi-Select	The responses are selected from a defined list of answers. Multiple answers can be selected. If you only want to allow one answer to be selected, consider using a List Label Type instead.	When this Label Type is selected, an additional field called “Add List Items” will appear. Please continue reading below for instructions on how to configure this.
Email Address	Requires the input to be in the format of an email address.	Email Address Label Types can be used as dynamic recipients on an email notification. For more information about notifications, please refer to the Notification Centre guide.
Assignment Rule	Automatically populates the Custom Field based on the user’s response to Form Fields per defined rules.	For more information about configuring Assignment Rule Label Types, please continue reading below.

Configuring the List and Multi-Select Label Types

When the List or Multi-Select Label Types are selected, you are required to enter the responses the administrator can choose from in the “Add List Items” section.

The below format must be used (including commas and spacing shown below) where “Required Value” is the value that would be populated in an Export Report (normally required by third party systems) and “Response shown to user” is the response the user would see when the parameter is referenced throughout the platform:

=Please select,RequiredValue1=Response shown to user 1,RequiredValue2=Response shown to user 2

Example:

=Please select,QLD=Queensland,NSW=New South Wales,VIC=Victoria,SA=South Australia,NT=Northern Territory,TAS=Tasmania,ACT=Australian Capital Territory,WA=Western Australia

In this example, the responses that the administrator would see to select from are Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia.

If the administrator selected Queensland, an export report would populate this as QLD and the parameter would display as Queensland when utilised throughout the platform.

Important note – The formatting of spaces, commas and = signs are very important for these configurations. The Required Value input cannot include spaces.

Configuring the Assignment Rule Label Types

When the Assignment Rule Label Type is selected, you’re required to enter the rules that the system needs to consider when determining what to display in the field on the user’s profile.
 
 Assignment Rule Label Types are based on a user’s responses to questions within the Forms element. Before you can configure Assignment Rule Label Type custom fields, you’ll need to ensure you have at least one List Label Type Form Field configured. For more information about configuring form fields, please refer to the Forms guide.
 
 Multiple rules can be configured, and Simon will consider the rules in a linear fashion (i.e. if rule 1 isn’t passed, it’ll move on to rule 2, then rule 3 if rule 2 isn’t passed, and so on). Multiple conditions can be configured that must be satisfied for each rule.
 
 To configure the Assignment Rule Label Type:
 
1. Select the first condition that must be satisfied for Rule 1 to pass from the list. You’ll first need to select the question that the condition relates to, and then the relevant answer.
2. If relevant, select the second and third conditions that must be satisfied for Rule 1 to pass from the lists to the right.
3. Enter the value that should be populated in the Custom Field on the user’s profile if Rule 1 is passed in the “THEN ASSIGN VALUE” box.
4. If you’d like to add multiple rules, click the “Add Rule” button and configure.
5. If you’d like a default value assigned if the user’s responses don’t meet any of the combined rules, tick the “Define Default Value” box and enter the value in the field to the right. If you don’t require a default value, you can leave the box un-ticked.

6. If the field should be converted to a date, tick the "Is Date" field. Converting the field to a date means it can be used for functionality such as delayed notifications and Document Upload Expiry notifications. For more information about these, please refer to the Notification Centre guide and the Document Upload Centre guide. If the field doesn't need to be converted to a date, you can leave this field un-ticked. 
 
Example:
An Assignment Rule Custom Field has been configured as below: 

Field	Condition A	Condition B	Then assign value
Rule 1	"What is your residency status?" = Permanent Resident	"What is your state?" = Queensland	RED
Rule 2	"What is your residency status?" = Permanent Resident	"What is your state?" = New South Wales	BLUE
Rule 3	"What is your residency status?" = Working Holiday		PINK
Define Default Value			YELLOW

• Alf Stewart is a Permanent Resident and lives in Queensland – he will therefore be assigned the value RED on his profile.
• Irene Roberts is a Permanent Resident and lives in New South Wales - she will therefore be assigned the value BLUE on her profile.
• Noah Lawson is a Working Holiday Maker and lives in Queensland - he will therefore be assigned the value PINK on his profile.
• Leah Poulos is a Temporary Resident - she will therefore be assigned the value YELLOW on her profile.

Note 1 - Assignment Rule custom fields can’t be configured retrospectively (i.e. they’ll only take effect for users who complete their forms after the field has been created.
 
Note 2 - Assignment Rule custom fields are read only and can’t be overwritten on the user’s profile.
 
Note 3 - Consideration of each possible combination of answers will be required when configuring an Assignment Rule custom field. If you need help deciding if this field is best for your requirements, please contact our Help team at help@thinksimon.com.au. 

Required for Export option (When Exports Plus is enabled only)

If your organisation has Exports Plus switched on, an additional field called “Required For Export” will be visible.

When a Custom Field is created, it is not a mandatory field by default. This means that the field could be left blank on the user’s profile. If the Required for Export box is ticked in a custom field’s configuration, the field will become mandatory. This will mean that the field will not be able to be left blank on the user’s profile. We recommend utilising this feature if there are any fields included in the report that has been configured that are mandatory.

For more information about Exports Plus, please refer to the FTP Upload Feature (Exports Plus) guide.

Editing a Custom Field

To edit a custom field, navigate to Global Site Configuration > Custom Settings > Custom Field Settings > All Custom Fields. You will then be presented with a list of all custom fields that have been configured.

All Custom Fields field definitions

Field Name	Description	Tips and information
ID	The system generated identification number given to the Custom Field.	This ID number is a system generated field only.
Label Name	The name that has been configured for the Custom Field.	This is the label the administrator will see in the Record Custom Information section of the user’s profile.   For more information about these fields, please refer to the Create An Employee and Manage Employees guides.
Category	The Custom Field Category the field has been allocated to (if applicable)	For more information about Custom Field Categories, please refer to the relevant sections above.
Status	Shows whether the Custom Field is Active (visible to administrators and will pull through when a parameter is referenced) or Inactive (not visible to administrators and will not pull through when a parameter is referenced).	To change a Custom Field to Active or Inactive, click the Status button.   Important – As soon as a Custom Field is made inactive, it will no longer appear on the user’s profile in Create An Employee or Manage Employees. If the Custom Field parameter has been referenced throughout the platform, the input will no longer be populated, and the user will only be shown the parameter. For example, if the Address custom field has the {address1} parameter assigned to it, and the field is made inactive, the user will see “{address1}” where the parameter is referenced.   It is important to check to ensure that the field is not referenced anywhere in the platform, including in Notifications, before making it inactive.   For more information about referencing Custom Field parameters, please refer to the How to use parameters to customise your message guide.
Last Updated/Last Updated By	The Last Updated and Last Updated By columns show the date and time the Custom Field was last edited and which administrator made the edit.	The time will be displayed in your organisation's configured timezone.
Actions	Options to Edit or Delete.	For information about the Edit option, please continue reading below.   We recommend making a Custom Field inactive rather than deleting. If a Custom Field is deleted, it cannot be retrieved.   Deleted custom fields will no longer appear on the user’s profile in Create An Employee and Manage Employees. If the Custom Field parameter has been referenced throughout the platform, the input will no longer be populated, and the user will only be shown the parameter. For example, if the Address custom field has the {address1} parameter assigned to it, and the field is made inactive, the user will see “{address1}” where the parameter is referenced.   It is important to check to ensure that the field is not referenced anywhere in the platform, including in Notifications, before deleting it.   For more information about referencing Custom Field parameters, please refer to the How to use parameters to customise your message guide.

To edit the custom field, select Edit from the Actions menu next to the relevant field. You will then be presented with a screen identical to the Create New Custom Field screen. For more information about these fields, please refer to the Adding a New Custom Field section above.

Important Note 1 – If you are editing a custom field that is a List or Multi-Select Label Type, take care not to edit the “Required Value” (i.e. the value that is immediately after the commas in the configuration) unless absolutely necessary. If a Required Value is edited, and that list item is allocated to users, the list will be reset, and you will lose the original input. For more information about configuring List and Multi-Select Label Types, please refer to the Configuring the List and Multi-Select Label Types section above.

Important Note 2 – Any changes you make to a custom field will be instant after Submitting.

Important Note 3 – If you edit a Read Only Label Type field, the new input will not be automatically updated on existing user profiles. If you’d like to update the input on any existing user profiles, you’ll need to refresh the field on the user profile. For more information about this, please refer to the Manage Employees guide.

Re-Ordering Custom Fields

Custom Fields will appear on the user’s profile in the order they appear in the All Custom Fields table. To re-order, navigate to Global Site Configuration > Custom Settings > All Custom Fields. You will then be able to drag and drop the custom fields into the desired order. The custom field at the top will be displayed first, then the second field, and so on.