How to Add Custom Fields to a Category?
Every rental business tracks details the standard asset form doesn’t cover. Cameras have a sensor type, generators have a fuel type, costumes have a size. Custom fields let you define these extra attributes on a category so they show up automatically whenever you add or edit items in that category—no more cramming everything into the description box.
Why Use Custom Fields?
Custom fields turn free-text notes into structured, consistent data:
- Consistency — everyone records the same attributes the same way (e.g. always a “Battery Type” dropdown instead of typing it differently each time).
- Completeness — mark a field mandatory so key details are never left blank.
- Reusability — define a field once on a category and it applies to every item you add there.
Custom fields live on your Item Categories, so it helps to have your categories set up first. See How to Categorize Your Products?.
Open the Custom Fields Drawer
- Click the Settings (gear) icon in the top bar, then go to Inventory Setup → Item Categories.
- Find the category you want to configure in the list.
- In that row, click the purple Fields action (the gear icon). A number badge next to it shows how many custom fields the category already has.
The Custom Fields drawer slides in, titled with the category name and listing any fields already defined.
If a category has no fields yet, you’ll see “No custom fields configured for this category.”
Add a Custom Field
- In the drawer, click Add Custom Field.
- Field Name — enter a clear label (for example, “Brand Name” or “Battery Type”). Up to 100 characters.
- Field Type — choose how the value is entered:
| Field Type | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Short free-text values | Brand Name, Serial Prefix |
| Number | Numeric values | Weight, Wattage |
| Date | Calendar dates | Purchase Date, Warranty Expiry |
| Dropdown | A fixed list of choices | Battery Type, Size |
- Make this field mandatory — tick this box if the field must be filled in before an item can be saved. Mandatory fields show as Yes in the drawer’s list.
- Show on the order screen — tick this to show the field’s value on orders that include units of this item (useful for per-unit specs your team needs on the booking, such as RAM/SSD on a laptop or the IMEI on a phone).
- Show on the invoice — tick this to print the field’s value on the invoice for the customer. The two options are independent, so a field can be visible to staff on the order without being printed for the customer.
- Fill in any type-specific options (see below).
- Category Association — this defaults to the current category. You can select additional categories here to reuse the same field across several categories at once.
- Click Create. A Custom field created successfully message confirms it, and the count badge on the category’s Fields action goes up by one.
Text fields: set a character limit
When Field Type is Text, an optional Maximum Character Length appears. Enter a number (1–9999) to cap how long the value can be—useful for codes or short labels. Leave it empty for no limit.
Dropdown fields: define the choices
When Field Type is Dropdown, a Dropdown Options section appears:
- Type your first option in the Option 1 box.
- Click Add Option to add more rows.
- Use the trash icon to remove an option you don’t need.
You must add at least one dropdown option before the field can be saved.
Edit or Remove a Field
The drawer lists each field with its Field Name, Type, Mandatory (Yes / No), and Visible On — Order, Invoice, or both, or Stock only when neither option is ticked. Each field has action icons:
- Edit (pencil) — reopens the form to change the name, type, mandatory flag, visibility, or options. Click Update to save.
- Remove (trash) — asks you to confirm. Removing a field stops it from appearing on new items, but existing values are preserved—nothing you’ve already recorded is lost.
Where Custom Fields Appear
Once defined, a category’s custom fields show up automatically for every item in that category:
- Asset and stock forms — when you create an asset or edit a stock unit, the fields appear for you to fill in. Mandatory ones must be completed before saving.
- Stock list — open an item (Assets → click the item) and each custom field appears as its own column next to the stock units, so you can see each unit’s values at a glance.
- Bulk stock upload — the template you download from Add Stocks → Bulk Upload includes a column for each custom field, so you can fill them in for many units at once. See How to Bulk-Add Stock Units to an Item?.
- Orders and invoices — only for fields with Show on the order screen or Show on the invoice ticked.
Permissions: Anyone can open the Fields drawer to view a category’s custom fields, but adding, editing, or removing them requires the Settings Write permission. If you don’t see the Add Custom Field button or the action icons, ask your administrator to grant it.