Modifying fields

Changing fields and their properties can seriously affect system performance and potentially damage your database, so don't make changes unless you have had suitable training.

Before you make any changes to fields, refer to Planning screen and field changes

When you access a screen in Configuration Mode, you can make the following changes to its fields and their properties:

  • Change the names of fields

  • Select fields to appear in the ‘list view’ for a screen

  • Make fields read only

  • Make fields mandatory

  • Associate fields with system lists (i.e. create drop-down menus)

Field properties

When selecting a field in Configuration Mode, its properties show in the left-hand pane, and you can select a property to change it.

Use this table as a guide to the field properties and how to edit them, together with information about their use and the implications of changing the settings.

Property

Description

Show Label?

Default is usually Yes (i.e. the field label is shown).

If you do not want to show a label for the field (for example, fields for second and third address lines), select No

Control Type

Use to specify the type of field/how text boxes work:

  • Edit: standard text field (default)
  • Select: use when you need to create a system list (see Valid List below)
  • Date
  • Currency
  • Document
  • Check
  • Textarea
  • Employeepicker
  • Hierarchypicker
  • Postpicker (created by IRIS Cascade – contact the service desk. On the Job & Salary screen, you can only have one Postpicker control)

Valid List

Use in conjunction with the Select control type to add system lists to a screen: choose Select as the control type for the field, and then use the Valid List drop-down menu to select the system list to attach to the field.

Do not change any Valid List field that begins with ‘usp’ (for example, usp_GetValidEntitlementProfiles), as this will stop the field from working

Value

Use to set default values for tick boxes on a list screen only.

For example, if you type Checked as a Value property for a tick box of the Yes/No type, the box will tick by default for all new records

This property will not work for any other field type.

Hidden (QB Field)

Use to hide the field on the screen, but allow Query Builder to query on it

If you select Yes, the field becomes a calculated (fx) field, which means that:

  • The field itself is hidden from view on the screen (but visible in Query Builder)

  • Any field below this field is also hidden from view on the screen

Extra

Use to add extra properties for the field, for example:

  • To increase the field size: size=60, size=1, size=10

  • To increase the viewable area for narrative fields (text more than 50): cols=20 rows=2

Query Field

Shows the database name for the field:

  • Text before the full stop is the database table name

  • Text after the full stop is the field name

This may be different from the field name (label) that is visible on the screen, which you can change by double-selecting the field name.

This field is always read only

R/O

Read Only, Default is usually No (i.e. the field is editable)

If you want the field to be read only (i.e. users cannot edit the field), select Yes.

An example of a read-only field is the EmployeeID field on the Main screen

This property overrides any profile setting.

Show in List?

Use to add the field to the list view for the screen (for example, the Works For field in the list view of the Job & Salary screen)

This only works for list screens.

List Order

This works in conjunction with the Show in List property above. Use to set the display order (from left to right) of fields/columns in list view

If two fields have the same list order number, the system sorts them alphabetically.

To make sure that the View option is displayed at the right-hand side of a list screen, the screen must have at least one field set as List Order 1

TD Extra

To set a field background colour enter: bgcolor={color name}

This must be in lowercase.

The below colour names are supported:

  • red

  • blue

  • grey

  • orange

  • teal

  • purple

  • green

  • yellow

Max Length

Maximum number of characters that users can add in this field

For example, if you create a text box (Text up to 50 chars), the default number of characters is 50, but you can use this property to reduce this number.

If you try to increase the number to more than 50, you will see a warning message

Mandatory?

Default is usually No (i.e. users do not have to complete the field).

If you want the field to be mandatory (marked with a red asterisk * in Update mode), select Yes

Uniqueness

Use to specify whether values added in the field must be unique:

  • If the value must be unique across all employees, including leavers, select DB_UNIQUE. The only exception is for National Insurance numbers, which are not checked for leavers

  • If the value must be unique for all records of that type for that employee, in list screens, select EMP_UNIQUE. For example, if applied to the Code field on the Benefits screen, employees could never have two benefit records with the same code

Default Sort

Use to specify the sort order of records on list screens.

Do not use this property for fields on the Job & Salary screen, because the system applies an important ‘sort’ to this screen, to make sure the most recent record sits at the top. If you select the Default Sort property for fields on this screen, the sort order will be lost, and can only be restored by the IRIS Cascade service desk

Section ID

Use in conjunction with Section at Once and a Form Separator to specify where a screen can be split to produce a wizard-type screen

Section at Once

Use in conjunction with Section ID to produce wizard-type screens – select Yes (any field) for the wizard format to work

Auto-Capitalise

Default is usually No (i.e. only the first word in the field has an initial capital letter).

If you want to capitalise the first letter of every word in the field automatically, select Yes

 

Change the name (label) of a field

  1. Double-select the name of the field you want to change.

  2. Type the new name for the field.

  3. Select OK.

The field name changes throughout the system.

Unhide a hidden field

We continue to enhance an improve our framework screens by adding new fields in various releases. These fields appear as hidden by default. To unhide these fields:

  1. Open the screen in Screen Designer.

  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page.

  3. Select fields you want to add.

  4. Update the Hidden (QB) field to No in Field Properties on the left hand menu.

  5. Move field to where you want it on the screen.

  6. Select Save & Exit.

Select fields to appear in the list view for a screen

List view is the summary screen you see before ‘opening’ individual records. For example, if you are working with the All Employees I Can Access group and select a screen, you see a summary of details for all these employees.

To select the fields you want to include in this view, and their order, use the following field properties:

  • Show in List: select Yes to include

  • List Order: select the number

If two fields have the same list order number, the system sorts them alphabetically.

To make sure that the View option is displayed at the right-hand side of a list screen, the screen must have at least one field with its list order set to 1.

Make a field read only

You may want to make fields read-only if they are included on a screen for just information purposes. For example, you may want the NI number to be editable on the Main screen only but include it on other screens for reference.

Making a field read-only takes precedence over any profile settings for access to the field.

To make a field read-only, highlight the field, and then select Yes for the R/O property.

Make a field mandatory

You can make fields mandatory, so that users must complete them whenever they update the screen or request an update to a screen.

Mandatory fields are marked with a red asterisk * in Update mode.

To make a field mandatory, highlight the field, and then select Yes for the Mandatory property.

Associate a field with a system list (dropdown menu)

Use the following field properties to associate fields of the type Text (<50 character) to system lists, to add a drop-down menu to the field:

  • Control Type: select Select

  • Valid List: select the system list