User Defined Fields - Setup

Creating a UDF (User Defined Field) is a fairly simple process. By choosing the User Fields menu item under the Job Configuration submenu, the system opens a form that displays all the UDFs that have been created within Eralis Job. Please note that it is best to create UDFs when there are no other users on the system. Once you have created the UDF, it is recommended to then shut the system down and restart SAP Business One before using the fields.  

Setup Form 

The setup form contains all the necessary information to define the type of field that needs to be displayed and the type of field to be created. The first field on the form, the Table field, essentially defines where the UDF needs to be added. The available options are: 

1. The Job Table, which indicates that the UDF should be assigned to the master job header. 
2. The Subjob Table which will create a UDF on the subjob header. 
3. Job line to create a UDF on the job lines and data entry grids. 
4. Contract, for UDFs that need to be added to the contract header.  
5. Contract lines for adding UDFs to the contract phases table.  

In the setup form, the user can also choose to make a field active or not. This controls whether the field can be edited by a user or if the field is in a read only state. The Visible field determines whether the field will be visible on the relevant form.  

The Field Name is used to determine the name of the field that will be created in the database. When the field is added to the database, Eralis Job will automatically append a U_ prefix to the field name in the same manner as SAP Business One. This value needs to be the same as the UDFs created inside SAP Business One if information is to be passed between the fields. This only applies to UDFs on the job lines and marketing document rows.  

The Description field reflects the visible title of the field that the user will see on the relevant form.  

The Type field is another key field relating to the configuration of the UDF and is used to reflect the nature of the use of the field. The options that are available on the drop-down list are as follows. 

• Alphanumeric – Allows for the entry of both text and numeric characters. 
• Numeric – This must be an integer number, meaning only numbers without any decimals values can be entered. 
• DateTime – For entering date information. A field of this type will auto display a date picker on the form. 
• Units and Totals – Allows the user to have additional options around numeric data entry. When the user selects a data type of Units and Totals, a new option becomes available on the UDF setup screen to determine the structure of the field. This links into the decimal points that are attributed to the field. In the general settings of SAP Business One, the company can define the decimal points that are assigned to the different field types throughout the system. The different options inside the Structure field link directly to the decimal points settings. 
• Link – Allows the user to store a link through to a file. 
• Button – Allows the user to create buttons on the job, subjob or contract header, and define what the button should do.  The available options are as follows. 
• Launch a report 
• Browse a webpage 
• Launch an application 

When the button is executed, the system will also pass through the identity number of the source object. For example, the system will pass through the Job ID if launched from a job, or the subjob ID if launched from a subjob. 

The Position field allows the user to choose to place the first five or ten UDFs directly on the form, while the remaining fields are positioned on an extra tab. For fields that are added to job or contract lines, the only option for position is general as they are merely positioned in the order they are created. Form settings on the relevant grids can then be used to alter the position of the fields.  

The Length field allows the company to define the size of the field in terms of the amount of data or characters that can be stored in the field. This does not impact the displayed size of the field. The Length is only applicable to fields that are set with a data type of Alphanumeric.  

The Category field allows the UDFs that have been added to the extra tab to be grouped. On the extra tab, the user can then choose which group of UDFs they want to see. Please note that this is only applicable for header UDFs.  

The Order Number field allows the company to define the order in which the fields are positioned on the extra tab, and define the tab order that the cursor will move through the fields.  

The company is also able to configure specific values for the UDF with the Set Valid Value field. By adding valid values to the grid, the field will convert to a combo-box and allow the user to select from the listed values.  

Set Default Value for Field allows the company to define the initial default value for the field.  

The Mandatory Field option allows the company to specify that the field must be populated before a user can save the document.  

Categories 

There is a button on the main grid that lists all the UDFs. This allows the company to create categories or groups that UDFs can be assigned to. These categories are relevant to UDFs created on the extra field tab of the master job, subjob and contract header forms. The entry form is a simple grid entry allowing the company to create all the necessary categories. The list of categories is common to all the job, subjob and contract header forms.