Custom Fields Overview

Overview #

Custom fields store business-specific information beyond standard fields (email, name, phone). Tailor PloverCRM to your unique data needs.

Examples: Company Name, Industry, Budget, Renewal Date, Property Type, Loyalty Tier

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Storage #

Custom fields are stored securely in your WordPress database and can be accessed through the PloverCRM interface or integrated with FluentCRM.

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Field Types #

Text: Short text (Company Name, Job Title) – 255 chars
Textarea: Long text (Bio, Address) – unlimited
Number: Numeric values (Age, Budget, Score)
Email: Additional emails with validation
URL: Website links with validation
Date: Dates without time (Y-m-d format)
DateTime: Dates with time (Y-m-d H:i:s format)
Select: Single choice dropdown (Industry, Status)
Multi-Select: Multiple choices (Interests, Services)
Checkbox: Yes/No or multiple selections
Radio: Single choice, always visible (Gender, Contact Method)

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Creating Custom Fields #

PloverCRM Settings:

1. PloverCRM → Settings → PloverCRM tab
2. Custom Fields → Add Custom Field
3. Configure:
   • Label: Display name (e.g., “Company Name”)
   • Slug: Auto-generated identifier (e.g., “company_name”)
   • Type: Choose field type
   • Group: Optional grouping (e.g., “Company Info”)
   • Options: For select/multi-select (one per line)
   • Help Text: Optional description
   • Read-only: Check if shouldn’t be edited
4. Save Field

FluentCRM: FluentCRM → Settings → Custom Fields → Add New Field

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Managing Custom Fields #

Edit: Settings → Find field → Edit → Update → Save
⚠️ Warning: Changing field type may cause data loss. Export first!

Delete: Settings → Find field → Delete → Confirm
⚠️ Warning: Deletes all data for all contacts. Cannot be undone!

Reorder: Drag and drop fields (affects display order)

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Using Custom Fields #

Setting Values #

Create or Update Contact:

1. Open contact edit screen
2. Find your custom fields section
3. Enter values for each field
4. Save Contact

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Permissions #

Control who can create, read, and update custom fields per role.

Configuration:

1. PloverCRM → Settings → Role Manager
2. Edit role → Custom Field Permissions
3. Set per field: ☐ Create, ☐ Read, ☐ Update
4. Save Role

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Form Integration #

Map form fields to custom fields in Data Sources:

1. PloverCRM → Data Sources → Create/edit integration
2. Field Mapping: Form Field “Company” → CRM Field “company_name”
3. Save → Form submissions auto-populate custom fields

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Mobile App Support #

Full support: view, edit, filter, search all field types with offline sync.
Includes date/time pickers, dropdowns, and native controls.

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Validation #

Built-in Validation:

• Email: Valid format required
• URL: Valid format required
• Number: Numeric only
• Date: Valid date required

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Best Practices #

Naming #

✅ Clear labels: “Company Name” not “Company”
✅ Consistent naming: Use lowercase with underscores for identifiers
✅ Avoid abbreviations unless industry-standard

Organization #

✅ Use groups (3-5 max) with clear names
✅ Logical order: important fields first, related fields together
✅ Don’t overdo it: only create fields you’ll use

Data Quality #

✅ Use select fields for consistency (vs free text)
✅ Set sensible defaults
✅ Make required sparingly (reduces form abandonment)

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Common Setups #

B2B Sales #

Company Info: Name, Size (<span class="hljs-keyword">select</span>), Industry (<span class="hljs-keyword">select</span>), Revenue (number)
Deal Info: Value (number), Stage (<span class="hljs-keyword">select</span>), Close Date (date), Decision Maker (text)
Preferences: Contact <span class="hljs-function"><span class="hljs-keyword">Method</span> <span class="hljs-params">(<span class="hljs-keyword">select</span>)</span>, <span class="hljs-title">Best</span> <span class="hljs-title">Time</span> <span class="hljs-params">(<span class="hljs-keyword">select</span>)</span>, <span class="hljs-title">Newsletter</span> <span class="hljs-params">(checkbox)</span></span>

E-commerce #

Customer: Type (B2B/B2C), Lifetime Value (number), Total Orders (number)
Preferences: Categories (multi-select), Loyalty Tier (select)
Shipping: Address (textarea), Preferences (select)

Real Estate #

<span class="hljs-keyword">Property</span><span class="hljs-title"></span>: <span class="hljs-keyword">Type</span> (select), Budget Min/Max (<span class="hljs-keyword">number</span>), <span class="hljs-keyword">Location</span> <span class="hljs-title">(text</span>), Bedrooms (<span class="hljs-keyword">number</span>)
Status: Pre-approved (checkbox), Amount (<span class="hljs-keyword">number</span>), Move-<span class="hljs-keyword">in</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">Date</span> (<span class="hljs-keyword">date</span>)

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Troubleshooting #

Field not showing: Refresh/clear cache, check group, verify saved, check permissions
Can’t edit: Check read-only setting, verify role permissions, confirm update access
Data not saving: Verify field type matches data, check validation, check permissions
Deleted by mistake: Recreate field with same identifier (data may persist), restore from backup