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How to Fill In and Save Custom Fields

Once a custom field is on your layout of the call screen or the customer Overview, you fill it in like any other field and it is saved with the call or customer when you press Save. This page explains how each kind of custom field behaves, the messages you may see and what to do when the values cannot be read. To put a custom field on the screen first, customize the layout from the arrow beside Details or Overview.

How do I fill in a custom field and save it?​

Type or choose the value on the call's Details page or the customer's Overview, then press Save at the top of the screen. Custom fields are saved together with the rest of the call or customer, in the same save.

When you change a custom field on a saved call, the Unsaved changes bar at the foot of the call screen appears and names the fields you changed, and Save (or Ctrl and S together, Ctrl+S) saves them. On the customer screen the Save button becomes available and the bar counts the changed fields.

Only the custom fields you changed are saved. A field you did not touch is never written back, so you do not overwrite a value somebody else changed in the meantime.

A value you changed stays unsaved, and is still saved when you press Save, even if you switch to a layout that does not show the field. Switch back and you will see it.

You can fill in custom fields on a new call or a new customer too; they are saved when the new record is first saved.

How does each kind of custom field work?​

Each custom field works according to its kind, which ABM Service takes from the field itself:

  • Text — a single line. It stops at the number of characters the field can hold.
  • Drop-down — choose from your company's list. To empty it, point at the field (or move to it with the keyboard) and select the × that appears; its label is "Clear" and the field's name. If the record holds a value that is no longer in the list, that value is still shown so nothing is lost.
  • Multi-line text — a box for longer notes that fills the height it is given.
  • Number — a whole number, or a number with the decimal places the field allows.
  • Amount — a number with up to two decimal places.
  • Date — a date with no time.
  • Check box (a yes or no question) — has three states: never answered, yes (ticked) and no (unticked). A field nobody has answered shows as neither. The first click says yes, and after that clicks switch between yes and no. To go back to never answered, point at the field and select the × that appears beside the box, labelled "Clear" and the field's name.
  • Photo — shows the picture or "No photo", with Replace… to choose a picture file of up to 4 MB and Clear to remove it.

How do I add, change or remove a photo in a custom field?​

A photo custom field shows the picture, or "No photo" when there is none. Select Replace… to choose a picture file from your computer, and Clear to remove the photo. Either change is kept only when you press Save.

  1. Select Replace… under the photo box.
  2. Choose an image file. It must be no bigger than 4 MB.
  3. Look at the preview, which appears straight away.
  4. Type a description in the box under the photo, if the field has one (its placeholder reads "Description").
  5. Press Save at the top of the call or customer screen.

If the file is too big you will see a message naming the field, its size and "a photo may be up to 4 MB", and nothing is changed.

Tip: Choose a PNG, JPEG, GIF or BMP picture. Those are the kinds ABM Service recognises and the kinds ABM itself opens; a picture saved in another format is stored as it is, and may not show everywhere the photo is looked at.

A photo custom field is the only place for a picture in a field of its own. ABM Service has no attachments, so on a call where your company has no photo field, paste the picture into the call's Details or Resolution document and save the call.

Clear only appears while there is a photo to clear. A cleared field shows "No photo" straight away, and the photo is removed when you press Save. Until the call or customer is first saved there is no stored photo to show, but you can still choose one with Replace….

Signature fields work the same way as photos.

What do the error messages on custom fields mean?​

Each message names the field and says what is wrong, and appears before you press Save where ABM Service can check it, or after Save if the value is refused. The field is marked as wrong and pointing at it shows the message; when you press Save, the message is also listed above the fields. Nothing is saved until every problem is fixed, and the rest of the call or customer is not saved either. The photo size message is the exception: it turns away only the file you chose, the field keeps the photo it had, and Save still saves your other changes.

The messages, each starting with the field's name:

  • "holds at most" a number of characters, "this has" more — the text is too long for the field.
  • "must be a whole number." — the field takes no decimals.
  • "may have at most" a number of "decimal places." — too many digits after the point.
  • "must be between" two numbers — the number is too big or too small for the field.
  • "must have no more than" a number of "digits before the decimal point." — the number is too big for the field.
  • "is not a date." or "must be a date between" two dates — the date is not one the field can store.
  • The photo size message ending "a photo may be up to 4 MB."
  • "holds at most" a number of "bytes" — the picture is too big for a photo field that has a fixed size.

Correct the value and press Save again.

What should I do when the custom fields could not be read?​

Select Retry in the message at the top of the form. If ABM Service could not look up the custom field values, it says "The custom fields could not be read:" with the reason, the custom fields stay greyed out, and saving is turned off until they are read, so that you never type over values you cannot see.

While the values are still arriving, the custom fields are greyed out for a moment and Save is unavailable; pointing at it shows "Loading the custom fields…" (on the call screen, the unsaved changes bar says the same). If the lookup fails, Save shows "The custom fields could not be read." instead.

  1. Select Retry in the message above the fields.
  2. Wait for the fields to fill in and become available.
  3. Carry on and save as usual.

If Retry keeps failing, the rest of the screen still shows correctly but you cannot save the call or customer. Tell your system administrator, and give them the reason shown in the message. Hiding the custom fields from your layout (with Customize this layout…) also lets you save again, because nothing then needs to be read.