Custom Fields

Custom Fields allow you to extend student profiles with additional information specific to your school’s needs. If the standard student fields do not capture everything your school tracks, custom fields fill the gap.

What Are Custom Fields

Custom fields are additional data fields that you define. They appear on:

• The Add Student form
• The Edit Student form
• The Student Profile page
• CSV exports (as additional columns)

Each school can create up to 10 custom fields.

Types of Custom Fields

Creating a Custom Field

1. Navigate to Settings > Custom Fields from the sidebar.
2. Click Add Custom Field.
3. Fill in the details:

4. Click Save Field.

Example: Creating a “House” Field

1. Field Name: House
2. Field Type: Dropdown
3. Required: Yes
4. Dropdown Options:
   • Ganga
   • Yamuna
   • Narmada
   • Kaveri
5. Help Text: “Select the student’s house for sports and inter-house competitions”
6. Display Order: 1
7. Click Save Field.

Example: Creating a “Medical Condition” Field

1. Field Name: Medical Condition
2. Field Type: Text
3. Required: No
4. Help Text: “Any known allergies, chronic conditions, or medical requirements”
5. Display Order: 2
6. Click Save Field.

Example: Creating a “Requires Special Attention” Field

1. Field Name: Requires Special Attention
2. Field Type: Yes/No
3. Required: No
4. Help Text: “Enable if the student has any learning disabilities or special requirements”
5. Display Order: 3
6. Click Save Field.

Where Custom Fields Appear

Add Student Form

Custom fields appear in a “Additional Information” section at the bottom of the Add Student form, in the order you specified.

Edit Student Form

The same fields appear in the same section, pre-filled with existing values.

Student Profile Page

Custom field values are shown in an “Additional Information” section on the student’s overview tab.

CSV Export

When exporting the student list to CSV, custom fields are included as additional columns after the standard fields.

CSV Import

Custom fields are also available in the CSV import template. The column names match the field names you created.

Editing a Custom Field

1. Navigate to Settings > Custom Fields.
2. Click the edit icon next to the field.
3. You can change:
   • Field Name
   • Help Text
   • Required setting
   • Dropdown Options (for dropdown fields)
   • Display Order
4. You cannot change the Field Type after creation (e.g., you cannot change a Text field to a Dropdown).
5. Click Save.

Tip: If you need to change a field’s type, create a new field with the correct type and migrate the data manually (export, modify, re-import).

Reordering Custom Fields

1. Navigate to Settings > Custom Fields.
2. Drag and drop fields to change their order.
3. Click Save Order.
4. The order is reflected on all forms where custom fields appear.

Deleting a Custom Field

1. Navigate to Settings > Custom Fields.
2. Click the delete icon next to the field.
3. A warning appears: “Deleting this field will remove all data stored in it for all students.”
4. Confirm the deletion.
5. The field and all its values are permanently removed.

Tip: Before deleting a custom field, export the student list to CSV. This preserves the custom field data in the export file, even after the field is deleted from the system.

Use Cases

Best Practices

1. Only create fields you will actually use. Unused fields add clutter to forms and confuse data entry operators.
2. Use dropdowns instead of text where possible. Dropdown options ensure consistent data (e.g., “Ganga” vs. “ganga” vs. “GANGA”).
3. Keep names short and clear. “House” is better than “Inter-House Competition Group Assignment”.
4. Mark truly essential fields as required. But use this sparingly — too many required fields slow down the admission process.
5. Plan custom fields before admission season. Adding fields after students are already entered means you need to update existing records manually.
6. Use the 10-field limit wisely. If you need more than 10 custom fields, reconsider whether all of them are necessary for the student profile.