This article shows you how to add, edit and delete a custom field (selection list or text field) in Catalyst. 

Because agencies have their own unique data requirements, Catalyst was designed with the option to create custom fields within most modules.  You can create up to 15 custom fields per screen.  Custom fields will appear in a section called ''Custom Fields'' at the bottom of the screen for which they were created (as shown in the example below).  


Types of Custom Fields

There are two types of fields that can be created: 
  • A selection list will allow you to select the items that a user may choose from. An example of a selection list is the Gender field on the Client Information screen.  


  • A text field will allow the user to enter whatever text they wish.  An example of a text field is the Notes field on the Client Information screen. There are four types of text fields in Catalyst: Any text, Numeric, Text Area, and Date.

Navigating to the Custom Field Module in Catalyst

  1. Log on to Catalyst > click on ''Admin'' on the top toolbar > click on Administration.
  2. Once you are on the Administration screen click on 'Customization' > Click on 'Custom Fields' . This will take you to the ''Custom Field Screen List'' screen. 
  3. Select the screen/module to which you want to add custom fields.  This will take you to the Custom Field List screen. Any custom fields that already exist will be listed here.

Creating a Custom Selection List

  1. Sign in to Catalyst > Click on 'Admin' > Click on 'Administration' > Click on 'Customization' > Click on 'Custom Fields'
  2. This will take you to the 'Custom Field Screen List' screen shown below: 

  3. Select the screen/module to which you want to add custom fields.  This will take you to the Custom Field List screen. For this example, Client Information has been selected. Any custom fields that already exist will be listed here. You can view existing custom fields by clicking on the dropdown arrows. 


  4. On the Custom Field List screen, click the 'New Selection List' button located at the bottom of the screen. This will take you to the Add Custom Selection List screen.
  5. In the Label section, type a name for the field you wish to create.  If your agency has users set up to use Catalyst in French, type the translation in the French field, otherwise you may leave it blank and the English version will be used.



  6. In the New Item section, type the first item you wish to appear in your selection list. If your agency has users set up to use Catalyst in French, type the translation here, otherwise you may leave it blank and the English version will be used. Click the  Add button.  Your item will appear in the Current Item(s) section near the bottom of the screen.



  7. Continue adding selection list items, clicking the Add button for each item until the list is complete. 
  8. Click Save to exit this screen. You will be returned to the Custom Field List screen for your selected module.


Note: you can only add a maximum of 15 custom fields per module so if you do not see the "New Selection List" button you may have reached your limit.

Creating a Custom Text field

  1. Sign in to Catalyst > Click on 'Admin' > Click on 'Administration' > Click on 'Customization' > Click on 'Custom Fields'. 
  2. Choose from the Screens listing, whichever screen/module you wish to add a custom text field for.
  3. On the Custom Field List screen click on the 'New Text field'  button located at the bottom of the screen.



    This will take you to the Add Custom Text field screen. 



  4. In the Text field Info section, type a name for the field you wish to create.  If your agency has users set up to use Catalyst in French, type the translation here, otherwise you may leave it blank and the English version will be used.
  5. You may choose to type an English Default Value and/or a French Default Value.  This is the value that will automatically appear for new records.  A user can edit this value as they would any other fields to which they have access.
  6. In the Field Type section select the type of field you wish to create.  Your options are as follows:
    1. Any Text: field will allow any type of text to be entered up to a max of 30 characters.
    2. Numeric: field will only accept numeric values up to 30 digits.
    3. Text Area: field will allow any type of text to be entered up to a max of 255 characters.
    4. Date: field will only accept date values.  You may also choose to have the value default to today''s date.  This will auto-populate the field with the date that the record was first saved (for new records only).
  7. Click Save to add the new text field to your selected module.
Note: The new text field will appear on-screen for all existing clients, but the default text will not.   The default text will only show for new clients added.

Editing a Custom Field

  1. To edit an existing custom field sign in to Catalyst > Click on 'Admin' in the top toolbar > Click on 'Administration' > Click on 'Customization' > Click on 'Custom Fields'. 
  2. This will take you to the Custom Field Screen List screen.
  3. Select the module/screen that has the custom field you wish to edit.   This will take you to the Custom Field List screen.
  4. Click on the hyperlinked Label of the field you wish to edit. If the field you selected is a selection list, this will take you to the Edit Custom Selection List screen. If the field you selected is a textfield, this will take you to the Edit Custom Text field screen.



  5. Here you can edit any of the information:

    Any Custom Field:
    Label change: Change the name of the custom field.
    Selection Lists:
    Add an item: Type in the new item in the New Item section, and click the  button.
    Remove an item: Check off the Inactive box that appears beside an existing selection list item. The item will no longer appear in the selection list, but it will be saved in any records where it was selected in the past.
    Change a default value: Check off the Default checkbox for an item.
    Text fields:
    Add or change a default value: Add or change the text in the Add English Default: and or the Add French Default: fields.
    Change a field type: Select a different field type in the Field Type section.
  6. When you are finished editing the custom fields, click Save.

Deleting a Custom Field

Note: If you delete a custom field, all data associated with this field will be lost. The data associated with the deleted field (marked as inactive) is kept historically in the database.

  1. To edit an existing custom field sign in to Catalyst > Click on 'Admin' in the top toolbar > Click on 'Administration' > Click on 'Customization' > Click on 'Custom Fields'. 
  2. This will take you to the 'Custom Field' Screen List screen.
  3. Select the module/screen that has the custom field you wish to edit.   
  4. Under the 'Delete' column, check off the name of the item(s) you wish to remove and then click on 'Delete' at the bottom of the screen.



Reporting on Custom Fields

Custom fields may be reported on by using one or more of the data download reports.  These are reports that were designed to pull all data from a single module.  For example, the DD-03 Client Information Data Download report contains all of the records and data from the Client Information screen, including any custom fields that your agency has created for this module.


Note: When you export the report, we recommend using the format Microsoft Excel 97-2000 - Data Only (XLS). 

Related content