Contents
Custom fields - Plugixa FAQ
Where this appears: Plugixa FAQ, then Custom Fields, and the bottom of the FAQ editor.
Extra structured data on an answer: a source URL, a priority, a review date, a product code. Defined once, available on every answer, and rendered underneath it on the front end without a template edit.
The eight types
| Type | For |
|---|---|
| Text | A short single line |
| Textarea | Several lines |
| URL | A link, rendered as one |
| Number | A numeric value |
| Date | A date, with a picker |
| Select | One of a list you define |
| Checkbox | A yes or no |
| Colour | A colour, with a picker |
Defining one
Label is what editors see beside the input, and what the front end prints before the value.
Key is the identifier. It fills itself in from the label and is what the value is stored against, so changing it later orphans the values already entered. Worth getting right the first time.
Type decides the input and how the value renders.
Required makes the field mandatory in the submission form.
Show on the front end can be turned off for a field that is internal, like a review date you use for housekeeping and visitors do not need.
Ordering
Drag the fields into the order they should appear, in the editor and on the front end.
Translation
Field values carry their own language and travel with the answer’s translation group, so a French answer has French field values rather than the English ones. See multilingual.
Worth not overdoing
Every field is another input on the editor screen and another line under the answer. Three or four well-chosen fields are useful; a dozen turn the editor into a form nobody fills in and the front end into a specification sheet.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Values disappeared after an edit | The field key was changed | Change it back; values are stored against the key |
| A field is not on the front end | Its front-end toggle is off | Turn it on in the field editor |
| The inputs are missing from the editor | No fields are defined, or this is the free build | Define one, or see free vs Pro |
| A required field does not block saving | Required applies to the submission form | Admin saves are not blocked by design |
What to do next
The submission form uses these fields.