Sometimes an individual
project requires dozens of custom fields making project setup a tedious process
through the standard web interface. Today
we are excited to announce the ability to import and export custom field
definitions. The original web interface
for creating and editing custom field definitions remains in place, but now you
are able to fully manage custom field definitions through the import/export
center. Custom field definitions can be
created, updated, and deleted en masse with this functionality. Remember, BigWave has always had the ability
to import/export custom field values, but now the actual definitions of
those custom fields can be imported and exported.
IMPORTANT:
This new feature is destructive in that it allows you to delete your custom
field definitions. Unlike most parts of
BigWave, when you delete a custom field, you lose the field and the
data. Therefore, for existing projects,
extreme care must be taken to avoid losing your data. You should always perform an export of your custom field
data before using this feature to delete custom fields. That way, if you make a mistake, you at least
have a backup of your data, and it is trivial to reconstruct what you had in
place before.
SECURITY: Access to this feature is available through the following permissions settings.
SECURITY: Access to this feature is available through the following permissions settings.
- Project.Setup.Import / Export Center.Import Custom Field Definitions
- Project.Setup.Import / Export Center.Export Custom Field Definitions
- Project
- Project.Setup
- Project.Setup.Import / Export Center
Importing custom fields
follows the standard convention employed by BigWave when working with
spreadsheets. That is column headers are
expected to be in the first row of your spreadsheet, and your importable data
is expected to be the first worksheet.
A great template for
importing custom field definitions can be obtained through the export
custom fields functionality. Let’s
explore that quickly.
Exporting Custom Field Definitions
You will see a new option to
export custom field definitions in your list of exportable items in the Project
Setup/Import_Export Center. Simply
choose this option, hit Next, and an export of your current custom field
definitions will be created.
You can use the resulting exported spreadsheet as a template to manage your custom field imports.
Importing Custom Field Definitions
Prepare a spreadsheet for import (get a template for this as described
above).
You will see a new option to import custom field
definitions in your list of importable items in the Project Setup/Import_Export
Center. Simply choose this option and hit
Next.
Upload your spreadsheet as usual.
The next screen allows
you to map your columns. Just like
other imports, BigWave makes a best guess map against your spreadsheet based on
its column headers. Notice it shows Group
Name and Display Name as the only required fields. If creating new fields, Type is also
required. If Type is not mapped in this
step, then no custom field definitions will be created, and an import report
will be created showing that the Type field wasn’t mapped. If this happens, simply do the import again,
map Type, and your fields will import.
If updating fields or deleting fields, Type is not required.
Notice the option to ‘Update’ (first red arrow). The only fields that can be updated via
import are the Group Name, Sort Order, and Required fields. If you need to change the Display Name, then
the New Display Name field must be mapped (last red arrow below) to a column
that contains the new display names for your fields. To delete a custom field definition, use the
Delete action column (middle red arrow below).
Simply place a ‘1’ or ‘x’ in this column next to a field you wish to
delete.
When updating/deleting a custom field definition, BigWave
attempts to find a matching field in your current list of custom fields using
the Group Name combined with the Display Name as a key. If it finds a match then the update/delete
operation is performed.
That’s it! Once you
have imported your fields, BigWave will provide a verbose status report showing
what it did (including affirmation of successful creation of each field). Simply open the resulting spreadsheet and
inspect the comments in each cell for an explanation of what transpired.
As always we value your feedback on this or any other part of
the system. Let us know your feedback at
support@bigwavesoftware.com.