Every custom field uses one of twenty-two types. The type controls what the field stores, how people enter a value, how Rhythm shows it, and which extra options you can set. When you create or edit a field, choose the type in the first setting on the form described in Custom Fields.
How to Read the Table
- Type is the name you choose in the type selector when you create or edit a field.
- In the list shows how the Type column displays the same type in the Custom Fields list. Some names appear differently there, such as Yes/No, which appears as "Yes No".
- Stores describes the value Rhythm keeps on each record.
- Shown on a record page describes how the value appears on a record's Custom Fields tab. If the field has no value, Rhythm does not show it.
- Extra options are the option cards the form shows for that type, in addition to the settings every type has.
Field Types
| Type | In the list | Stores | Shown on a record page | Extra options | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Text (Single Line) | Text | Text | As entered | None | Use it for a short answer, such as a licence number or code. It also works well for codes that look like numbers but need leading zeros |
| Text (Multiple Lines) | Large Text | Text | As entered | Maximum Number of Words | Use it for a longer plain-text answer, such as a biography or notes. This is the only type with a word limit. It does not include formatting controls, so Rhythm may not keep the line breaks and spacing exactly as typed when it shows the value |
| Text (HTML) | Html | Text with formatting | With its formatting | None | Use it when people need bold text, lists, or links. Choose Text (Multiple Lines) when you want plain text instead of HTML formatting. The editor's font choices come from its underlying third-party component, so they may not match your portal's or brand's fonts; adding fonts platform-wide takes engineering work |
| Email Address | Text | A link that opens the email program | None | Use it for an email address other than the record's main email address | |
| Phone Number | Phone | Text | As entered | None | Use it for an extra phone number. The form tries to format the number, including an extension, but it does not require phone-style validation. People can enter and save letters or other non-numeric characters |
| Url | Url | Text | A link that opens in a new tab | None | Use it for a web address, such as a company website or profile link |
| Yes/No | Yes No | Yes or no | Yes or No | None | Use it when the answer is a simple yes or no, such as "First-time attendee?" |
| Picklist | Picklist | One choice | The choice's label | List options; parent/child relationship | Use it when people choose exactly one value from a dropdown. The choices can depend on another picklist or radio-button field on the same record type |
| Picklist (Multi-Select) | Multiselect Picklist | A list of choices | The labels, separated by commas | List options; parent/child relationship | Use it when people choose one or more values from a dropdown. The choices can depend on another picklist or radio-button field on the same record type |
| Checkboxes | Checkboxes | A list of choices | The labels, separated by commas | List options | Use it when people select one or more values from a short list that should stay visible together. Selected values display in the order people selected them, not the order you configured the choices in, so avoid this type when selection order matters |
| Radiobuttons | Radiobuttons | One choice | The choice's label | List options | Use it when people choose exactly one value from a short list that should stay visible together. A radio-button field can be the parent of a picklist, but it cannot be a child |
| Number | Number | A number | The saved number | Number of Decimal Places | Use it for a quantity you may calculate with, such as years of experience |
| Percent | Percent | A number | The number followed by % | Number of Decimal Places | Use it for a percentage |
| Currency | Currency | A number | The amount | Number of Decimal Places | Use it for a money amount, such as a budget. Query output can show thousands separators that console page layouts and portal pages, such as judging experiences, do not show |
| Date | Date | A date | The full date, for example Wednesday, September 2, 1992 | None | Use it for a date without a time, such as an expiration date |
| Date/Time | Date Time | A date and time | Month/day/year and time, for example 9/2/1992 3:32 PM | None | Use it for a date with a time, such as an appointment |
| Image | Image | An uploaded file | The image itself | None | Use it when you want the upload to appear on the page, such as a profile photo or logo. Image and File/Document fields accept the same file types. If someone uploads a non-image file here, Rhythm shows it as a file link instead of an image |
| File/Document | File | An uploaded file | A Download link | None | Use it when you want people to upload a document, such as a transcript or certificate |
| Reference | Reference | A link to one contact or organization | The record's name; in the Console, a link to that record | Reference Type: (Contacts or Organizations), required | Use it when the field points to another person or organization, such as a mentor or employer |
| Electronic Signature | Electronic Signature | A drawn signature | The signature image | None | Use it when people sign an online form by drawing their signature |
| Rating | Rating | A number | The number | Number of Decimal Places; Maximum Rating: (required), Theme:, Meaning of Minimum:, Meaning of Maximum: | Use it when people choose a score on a visual scale from 1 to a maximum, such as a session evaluation |
| Table/List | Table | Rows, each shaped by a custom object | Its rows, shown separately from the other fields | Custom Object: (required) | Use it when a record needs several repeating entries with their own fields, such as licences or employment history. You see this type only when custom objects are turned on for your organization |
In observed cases, changing an existing field from Date/Time to Date removed the time from values already displayed, without a data reimport or separate cleanup. Treat this as an outcome you may see, not a guaranteed result.
Settings Every Type Has
Every type includes Field Name, Field ID, This is a required field, Form Prompt, Help Text, and the Default Value card. When you mark a field as required, Rhythm also shows Make this field optional in the console. Each field also has a portal access setting. See Custom Fields for what each setting does.
Changing only the Field Name does not change the field's Field ID or any values already saved on records. You can rename a field back later without losing data. Changing a field's type is different, and you cannot make every type change yourself in the console. Some type changes need help from Rhythm engineering.
List Options
Picklist, Picklist (Multi-Select), Checkboxes, and Radiobuttons use the List-Related Options card:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Acceptable Values: | Lists the choices, one per line. A line written Label|value shows the label and stores the value. If you do not use a pipe, the same text is shown to people and stored |
| Use data from a curated dataset? | Uses choices from a list Rhythm maintains |
| Sort this list alphabetically? | Sorts the choices by label |
| Use the first value as the default? | Preselects the first choice on forms |
| Allow user to enter in custom values? | Lets people type a value that is not in the list |
Only the two picklist types show the Parent/Child Picklist Relationships card. Use that card when this field's choices should depend on another picklist or radio-button field on the same record type.
The record stores the underlying value, and Rhythm's frontend matches that stored value back to its display label wherever the choice appears. Because of that, a filter, query, or directory search should match the stored value instead of the label you see on the page when the two differ.
When a list includes an option that asks for more detail, such as "Other", selecting it can show a separate text field for that detail. Choosing a different option hides and clears that companion field again. Treat this as observed behavior in the console, not as a setting you configure.
Tips for Choosing
- Dates belong in Date fields. A date in a text field appears exactly as typed because Rhythm does not check it. Rhythm blocks the save when a Date or Date/Time field contains something that is not a date.
- Store numbers as numbers only when they are quantities. Use Text (Single Line) for codes, member numbers, and postal codes because a number field stores a numeric value and does not keep a leading zero. Once you store a value as text to keep a leading zero, other displays, imports, and calculations must keep treating it as text. If something later reads it as a number or a date, the leading zero and other formatting can be lost.
- For yes-or-no answers you need to report on, use a required Picklist with explicit choices such as "Yes, opt in" and "No, opt out". That makes it clear someone actually answered, while a Yes/No field stores only yes or no.
- Single choice or several? Picklist and Radiobuttons store one value. Picklist (Multi-Select) and Checkboxes store a list.
- Plan the type before records use it. You can change a field's type later, but Rhythm does not convert values that are already stored. See Custom Fields.
- Avoid the HTML type for content that must stay exactly as typed. The rich-text editor behind Text (HTML) can rewrite pasted markup when you save, which can break loop or templating syntax. When a value is code rather than formatted content, use Text (Multiple Lines) or another plain-text type so the editor does not change it.
For Table/List, create the custom object first; see Custom Objects Explained: Record Types of Your Own. To learn what a custom field is and which record types it can belong to, see Custom Fields Explained.