Overview of field attributes
Attributes
Description
System field
This attribute is set by Planon. You cannot change this setting. The following applies to system fields:
System fields cannot be disabled in Authorization.
System fields are always read-only for the end user and automatically populated by Planon ProCenter .
You can enable history on system fields present in the database (except for calculated system fields).
Planon field type
The field type specified by Planon; this field attribute is read-only and cannot be changed.
Planon input length
Maximum field length specified by Planon; this field attribute is read-only and cannot be changed. A field cannot accommodate more characters than the specified maximum length.
Number of decimal places
This attribute indicates the number of decimal places (field value accuracy) that will be applied to a number. By default, number of decimal places is set to 2. The maximum limit for the number of decimal places is 6. The number of decimal places can be changed only for Currency type fields with configurable precision. For all other decimal field types, the number of decimal places is fixed.
Note  
*The changes are permanent and irreversible
In use
This attribute makes it possible to show or hide a field in the data panel. It is advisable to hide a field that is not used within your organization.
Note  
*If you set a (free) field to In use, then it is useful to explain in the Comments field why this field has been configured. This simplifies future maintenance. Use the CTRL + D keys to add a date-time stamp.
Field type
Shows the field type. For some free fields you can modify the field type. If the field type cannot be modified, this field is grayed out. For more information on modifying a field type, refer to Modifying the field type.
Picklist - code, descriptive
This field is used in combination with the Field type field. If the field type is Picklists code descriptive, you should also enter a value in the Picklist - code, descriptive field. If a field has this attribute, a picklist is available from which end users can make a choice. For each choice in the picklist a description and a code are available. End users can either select an option from the picklist or type the corresponding code in the field. For more information about how to link a picklist to a free field, see Linking a picklist to a free field.
Picklist - descriptive
This field is used in combination with the Field type field. If the field type is Picklists descriptive, you should also enter a value in the Picklist - descriptive field. By selecting this attribute for a field, a picklist is made available for the field from which the end users can make a choice. For each choice in the picklist a description is available. Configured picklists of either type (descriptive, or code/descriptive) can be linked to free fields in Field definer .
Tip  
Picklists can be created and maintained in Supporting data .
In Planon ProCenter , both the configuration and the use of two types of picklists can be subjected to authorization. For more information on authorizing picklists, refer to the Authorization documentation.
For more information about how to link a picklist to a free field, see Linking a picklist to a free field.
Enforced
If the Enforced option is disabled, the end user can either select an option from the picklist or type a value that is not in the picklist. To improve standard data input, it is usually preferable to enable this option. End users are then forced to choose a value from the picklist.
Person type
End users can choose a person from a picklist containing (a number of) the persons registered in Personnel . By using the Person type field, you can specify the person type that is shown in this picklist. If you leave this field empty, end users will see the persons of all person types. For example, you have set the person type of the To be approved by field in Orders business object to Authorizer. For end users working with Work Orders , the picklist of the To be approved by field will only show the persons of the Authorizer person type.
Note  
*If the Enforced option of the To be approved by field is set to No, and if end users open the picklist of the To be approved by field in Work Orders : •    End users can, by selecting the Person type, have only the persons displayed of the person type specified in the Person type field.
•    End users can, by deselecting the Person type, have persons shown of all person types.
Address type
End users can choose an address from a picklist containing (a number of) the addresses registered in Addresses . By using the Address type field in Field definer you can specify the address type that is shown in this picklist. If you leave this field empty, end users will see the addresses of all address types.
You have set the Address type of the Assigned by field in Work Orders business object to Authority. For end users working with Work Orders , the picklist of the Assigned by field will only show the addresses of the Authority address type.
Note  
*If in Field definer the Enforced option of the Assigned by field is set to No, and end users open the picklist of the Assigned by field in Work Orders : •    End users can, by selecting the Address type, have only the addresses displayed of the type specified in the Address type field in Field definer (Authority).
•    End users can, by deselecting the Address type, have the addresses shown of all address types.
Inherit
This attribute can be applied to fields of hierarchical business objects, for example, the Property and Orders business objects. If the Inherit attribute is enabled for a field of a hierarchical business object and end users add subs to the main business object, this field will derive (inherit) field data from the same field at the main level.
Warning  
Inherited data will overwrite all data that is automatically specified as a result of selections made on previous selection levels.
For Orders, Assets and Contracts, the Inherit attribute can also be applied to existing subs. For these business objects, if end users change a field at the main level while the Inherit attribute is enabled for the same field in any of the subs, then the user will be prompted whether they want to overwrite this field's data at all sublevels or leave these fields unchanged.
Example: In Reservations, there is a main reservation with two suborders: a catering order and a requisition. The Inherit field attribute has been enabled for the Internal tradesperson field in both the suborders. If at the main level another internal tradesperson is selected, the user will be asked if this new data should overwrite the data in the Internal tradesperson fields in the suborders.
Display type
This attribute enables to select the display types for which a specific field should be visible. Using a display type you can specify the data that should be visible for a particular business object. For more information on display types, refer to Configuring display types.
History
You can specify for each field whether modifications to the field should be logged. This is the field's history. You can view any modifications to the field concerned using this history function.
Note  
*This attribute is only available to business objects for which a History business object is available.
In selection
This attribute determines if end users are allowed to create a filter for the field. As a result, the field will become available in all relevant filters.
Warning  
If you want to enable the In selection field attribute for a field of a hierarchical business object, make sure that you enable this attribute at the highest hierarchical level. The In selection field attribute is not available for a user-defined business object.
Simple selection
If you enable the Simple selection attribute for a field, the field will become available as search criterion in all relevant search bars, including those in dialog boxes.
Note  
*You can also activate In selection and Simple selection attributes for specific multiple reference fields. The setting is available on multiple reference fields of the following business objects: •    Properties - Linked customers field, Linked service agreements field
•    Customers - Linked properties field
•    Service Agreement services - Linked contract lines field, Linked service agreements field
•    Contract lines - Linked properties field, Linked service levels field, Linked services field
•    Service agreements - Linked service agreement services, Linked assets, Linked properties, Linked spaces fields
•    Service levels - Linked contract lines field
•    User groups - Users field
•    Users: User group details field
In selection for personal filter only
The number of characters in a field can adversely affect the application's performance when used in filters. For this reason, you can use Comment fields exceeding 2000 characters in personal filters only. When this is true, the In selection for personal filter only field is automatically set to Yes to indicate this limitation. If it remains No, this limitation is not set and it can be used in filters.
Note  
*The In selection for personal filter only field is available only for fields of type String.
Mandatory
This attribute determines whether it is compulsory to fill in a field. All mandatory fields must be completed when adding a new element.
Unique
If this attribute is selected, the value in the corresponding field may not be identical to the value in the same field for a different element. An example for a unique field is the Code field, because each element has its own unique code. For more information, see Apply "Planon Unique" to related user-defined business objects?.
Note  
*The attributes Unique and Inherit can never be selected at the same time for a field.
Apply "Planon Unique" to related user-defined business objects?
With the exception of the Orders business object, this attribute is only available for a base business object (i.e. one at the highest hierarchical level) that allows user-defined business objects to be added to it at lower levels in the hierarchy. Setting this attribute to Yes causes the value in the corresponding field to be unique for all user-defined business objects that are based on the selected base business object. For example, you created four user-defined business objects based on the Assets business object. If you set Apply "Planon Unique" to related user-defined business objects? to Yes for the Code field in the Assets business object, then users will be forced to uniquely name values in the Code field for all elements in all four user-defined business objects. If you set the Apply "Planon Unique" to related user-defined business objects? attribute to Yes, the Unique attribute is automatically set to Yes.
Derived from field
The Derived from field attribute can be used to link a free field of a business object to a field of another business object. To make this work, this free field must either be of the Derived or the Derive and restore field type and values must be entered in both the Derived from field and Derived field fields. For an example of how the Derived field and Derived from field work, see Using the 'Derived from field' and 'Derived field' attributes.
Derived field
This attribute can be used to link a business object’s free field, of the Derived or Derive and restore field type, to a business object and one of its derived fields. The Derived field attribute represents a field of a referencing business object. For example: the Fax field from the Personnel business object.
If the field type is Derived or Derive and restore, you should also enter values in both Derived from field and Derived field in Field definer . For more information, see Using the 'Derived from field' and 'Derived field' attributes.
Default value
With a default value, the field will be populated automatically. This will save time for the end users as they need not complete this field manually. You can link a default value to most fields. The principle of default value is best be explained in the following example:
In Field definer , the Planon administrator has specified a default value for the Country field of the Properties business object
. So, if the end user adds a property, the country will be populated automatically with the value specified in Field definer .
For more information on defining default values, see Defining default values.
Default time
The Default time field allows you to set a default time or use a macro to set a default time for the date-time fields of a business object (BO). If you specify a default time for a date-time field, the time is automatically added in the field if you enter only a date, and then tab out of the field. For example, if you enter 20:00 in the Default time field for a date-time field, 20:00 is added automatically in the field if you do not enter a time. Similarly, if you enter &ENDOFDAY in the Default time field for a date-time field, 23:59 is added automatically in the field if you do not enter a time.
You can set a default time or use a macro to set a default time in the following field types: •    Neutral date-time
•    Property date-time
•    Transaction date-time
•    Free string, if the field type is changed to Neutral time macro
Note  
*You must change the field type of a free string field to Neutral time macro and specify a macro in the Default value field. If you do not change the field type, it will display the text of the macro. For more information on modifying a field type, refer to Modifying the field type. For details on available macros, see Fundamentals. For the procedure on defining a default time, see Defining a default time. For information on using a macros, see Using macros to specify a default value.