Custom Fields
Custom fields let you track information specific to your school -- t-shirt size, locker number, emergency contact, medical notes, or anything else Conductly doesn't already have a place for -- on Student, Guardian, and Instructor records.
To manage them, go to Settings > Custom Fields.
Fields you add appear on every record of that type, for everyone at your school. There's no per-user or per-record customization of the schema itself -- that's what makes it possible to filter, export, and report on the data later.
Adding a Field
- Go to Settings > Custom Fields.
- Choose the record type you're adding a field to: Students, Guardians, or Instructors.
- Click Add field.
- Fill in:
- Field name -- what the field is called (e.g., "T-shirt size")
- Type -- see Field Types below. This can't be changed once the field has saved answers.
- Options -- for Dropdown or Multiple Choice fields, the list of choices
- Help text (optional) -- a short note shown under the field
- Required -- whether a value must be filled in
- Instructors can see it -- whether instructors can view this field on a record
- Families can see it -- whether the field (and its value) shows on the family portal
- Families can edit it -- whether a guardian or self-enrolled student can change the value themselves in the portal (only available when "Families can see it" is on)
- Show in Details -- pins the field as a pill at the top of the record, next to properties like Age and Status (up to 3 fields per record type; see Showing a Field in Details)
- Click Add for everyone.
Admins can always see every custom field, regardless of the visibility toggles above.
Each record type (Students, Guardians, Instructors) can have up to 50 active custom fields. Archive one you no longer use to make room for another.
Field Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Short answer | A single line of text (up to 255 characters) |
| Paragraph | A multi-line block of text (up to 5,000 characters) -- can't be shown in Details |
| Number | A numeric value |
| Date | A date picker |
| Dropdown | One choice from a list of options you define |
| Multiple choice | The same idea as Dropdown, shown as radio buttons instead |
| Checkbox (yes/no) | A single yes/no toggle |
Where Fields Appear
Once added, a custom field shows up in every place that record is used:
- Record detail pages -- Student, Guardian, and Instructor detail pages show an Additional Information card listing the record's custom fields. Values are edited inline, the same way built-in fields are.
- Family portal -- Fields marked "Families can see it" appear on a Your details card in the family portal. If a field is also marked "Families can edit it," the family can update the value themselves; otherwise it's shown read-only.
- CSV export -- Custom field columns are included when you export students or guardians from the list's bulk menu.
- Forms -- A form question's CRM mapping can target a custom field, not just a built-in one. See CRM Field Mapping.
Custom fields aren't yet available as filter or sort options on the Students, Guardians, or Instructors lists, and they aren't included in global search. Values you add are stored and exportable today -- filtering and search support may come later.
Showing a Field in Details
To pin a custom field as a pill at the top of a record (alongside built-ins like Age or Status), open Customize page on a Student, Guardian, or Instructor detail page and click + Add details. This opens a list of custom fields not yet shown there -- pick one to promote it. Each record type can show up to 3 custom fields this way; Paragraph fields can't be promoted, since a long answer doesn't fit a pill.
Promoting a field is a school-wide change, just like adding one -- it doesn't just affect your own view.
Editing a Field
- Go to Settings > Custom Fields (or open Customize fields from the Additional Information card on a record's detail page, in Customize Page mode).
- Click the pencil icon next to the field.
- Update the label, help text, required flag, visibility, or options, and save.
The field's type can't be changed after creation. If it has a fixed option list (Dropdown or Multiple Choice), you can't remove an option that's still in use on a record -- update those records first, or leave the option in the list.
Reordering Fields
On the Settings > Custom Fields list, drag a field by its handle to change the order it appears in on record detail pages. This saves automatically.
Archiving, Restoring, and Deleting a Field
- Archive -- hides the field everywhere but keeps every record's saved answer. This is the default way to retire a field you don't use anymore. Click the archive icon next to the field to archive it.
- Restore -- brings an archived field (and its saved answers) back. Find it under Archived at the bottom of the Custom Fields list and click Restore.
- Delete permanently -- removes the field and every saved answer for good. Click the trash icon next to an archived field, then type the field's exact name to confirm. This can't be undone.
Permanent deletion removes every record's saved value for that field, with no way to recover it. Archive a field instead unless you're sure you'll never need the data again.
Two Ways to Manage Fields From a Record
Besides Settings, you can reach the same registry from a Student, Guardian, or Instructor detail page:
- Customize fields -- in Customize page mode, the Additional Information card shows a Customize fields link that opens the same edit/archive/reorder list in a modal.
- + Add details -- also in Customize Page mode, promotes an existing field into the Details pill row (see Showing a Field in Details).
Both are shortcuts into the same data Settings manages -- creating a brand-new field is only available from Settings > Custom Fields.
Only Admins and Owners can add, edit, archive, or reorder custom fields (the edit_setting permission). Instructors and families never see these management controls, even if they can view or edit individual field values.