Overview
The User Defined Field (UDF) module allows you to add and use fields that are not included by default in the Spire program. There are several types of data fields that can be added, with optional formatting parameters if desired, if you have security rights to do so. UDF data can also be added to stock or custom reports.
One use-case example is if a food product in inventory needed the ability to be identified as ‘Gluten Free’. This value could then be printed on packing slips and invoices.
The UDF tab appears in all modules, therefore extra data fields can be added wherever they are required. UDF data can also be organized into multiple tabs so that information can be grouped.
Available field data types are:
- Text
- Multiline Text
- Integer
- Numeric
- Currency
- Percent
- Date
- Boolean
Any UDF field can be set as Required, so that a record cannot be added or saved with a blank value in that field. An example would be when creating a new customer, the UDF field “Wants Emailed Newsletter” and the options are a drop down of ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ the person adding that new customer would be forced to select one of the choices before saving.
Most of these data types support field value validation. For instance, you can specify if a date field is allowed to be a blank, and if it defaults to blank or to today’s date. An entered date can be forced to be within the current month or current fiscal year.
Please note that UDF required and validation settings are supported when manually entering records and transactions, but not when importing them.
Video Instruction: