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Custom fields
Record information Monument doesn't track by default: add your own fields to projects, tasks, contacts and resources, like a council reference or a contract type.
What you'll achieve
Add a custom field so Monument captures a piece of information it doesn't ship with, attached to the right kind of record.
You'll end up with: A custom field that appears on every project, task, contact or resource of its kind, with a stable key that identifies the field in reporting and API data.
Before you start
Monument tracks the things every firm needs: dates, fees, statuses, people. It can't know the one detail that matters to your practice, though, whether that's a council reference on every project, a contract type, or a square-footage. Custom fields close that gap. You add a field once, decide what kind of record it lives on, and from then on Monument records it like any built-in field.
We'll add the field Northlight Architects wants on every job: a Council Reference on projects, so the planning authority's number sits alongside the fee and the dates.
Where custom fields live
Custom fields sit on the Application tab in Settings, and they're grouped by what they attach to. A field belongs to one kind of record: a Project, a Task, a Contact or a Resource. Choosing the entity tab the field attaches to, such as Projects, is what decides where it shows up, because a council reference makes sense on a project but not on a person. Switch to the right tab first, then add the field, and it appears on every record of that kind.
Like the rest of Settings, these controls are restricted to admins. A field you add here applies across the whole firm, so everyone sees it on the record type you chose.
Add a field
- 1
On the Application tab, go to Custom Fields and select the Projects tab.
- 2
Click Add Field and name it, for example Council Reference.
- 3
Choosing a Field Type decides what kind of value the field stores. Options include Text, Number, Currency, Date, Yes/No, URL, Single Select and Multi Select; a council reference is a Text field.
- 4
Click Create Field, and it's live on every project immediately.
For a Single Select or Multi Select field, you type the options one per line, and those become the choices people pick from later.
Monument generates the key as you type: Council Reference becomes council_reference. Review or edit the Key field before you click Create Field, since the key cannot be changed afterward.
Troubleshooting
- Fields apply immediately. Unlike code generation, a custom field is live the moment you create it. There's no page save bar to click for custom fields.
- The key comes from the name, once. Type Council Reference and Monument fills in council_reference automatically as you go. Review or edit the Key field before clicking Create Field, since the key cannot be changed afterward.
- Pick the right record type up front. A field lives on the entity tab you added it under. If a field you expected on projects isn't there, check you didn't add it under Tasks or Contacts.
Where this fits next
Fields capture the what. Next, shape the where a task is up to with your own task statuses, or set the codes and numbering that name your projects and invoices. The Customise Monument overview ties all four together and shows them on screen.