About custom types

Custom types are collections of customized fields (called Custom type fields) that can be used to store additional data on cases, documents or contacts as well as units, employees and addresses by referencing these entities. Custom types can also be created to be independent of any references and can be made to reference another custom type, creating a detail page - detail tab structure similar to the detail page - detail tab structure for cases, documents and contacts.

Custom types can be defined specific to your organization's requirements and are created and set up by a system administrator in WorkZone Configurator. Once the custom types are created, any user can edit their configuration and add or remove any available custom types to the detail tab of a detail page.

Custom types can be considered to be an extra database table that can be connected to a case, document, contact, unit, employee or address that enables an additional level of data to be stored for the connected entity.

Important: Custom type names must be unique.

Custom type fields

Custom type fields resemble custom fields, but are data fields that can contain multiple data values as opposed to custom fields which only can contain one data value. Custom type fields can only be added to custom types and cannot be added to other WorkZone elements. Like custom fields, you can attach a validation rule to a custom type field and if the field is configured as a droplist, define which droplist to use in the field.

Important: Both the custom type field names and labels must be unique within the custom type.

Custom type reference fields

Custom type fields can also contain references to cases, documents, contacts, units, employee and addresses as well as to another custom type. These reference fields are used to connect the custom type to the main entity. If the reference field is not used to connect to the main entity, it contains a link to the specified case, document, contact, address, unit, employee or custom type.

Selecting connectors

A custom type can contain many reference fields and can be used to connect to a case, a document and a contact at the same time as well as contain references to other cases, documents, contacts, units, employees and addresses. The user must select which reference field to use as a connector when adding a custom type to the detail tabs in the Tab selector form.

When adding a custom type with reference fields to a detail tab, all reference fields that can be used as connectors to the entity in question (case, documents or contact) will be displayed in parentheses in addition to the name of the custom type itself. This enables the user to select the exact reference field to use as a connector but can be confusing and overwhelming if there are many reference fields relevant to the entity in question on the custom type. If there is only one custom type field that can be used as a reference, the name of the field will not be displayed.

To help users, you can specify the custom type and which reference field is to be used as a connector when instructing users how to add custom types to their detail tabs.

Custom types and access rights

Access rights can be assigned to custom types in two ways:

Manually assigning: Users can manually assign read and/or write access rights on the custom type.
Inheritance: Custom type fields that reference cases or contacts can inherit the access rights of the referenced case or contact.

In both situations, you must first enable the assignment of access rights to custom types either on the custom type or the custom type field.

Manually assigning access rights to a custom type

WorkZone users can assign access codes to a custom type in the same fashion as access codes can be assigned to cases, documents and contacts in WorkZone.

You must select the R/W Access code option on the custom type properties for the specific custom type to enable users to manually assign access codes to the custom type.

Inherit a referenced case or contact's access rights

Custom types that reference a case or contact can be protected by the access codes of the referencing case or contact. If a custom type contains multiple custom type fields that reference a case or contact, the custom type will inherit the access codes of all the referenced cases and contacts that inheritance has been enabled for, similar to WorkZone access code functionality.

Custom type fields referencing documents cannot inherit the referenced document’s access rights.

You must select the Protect by option on the custom type field’s parameter form to enable access code inheritances. The Protected by option is only accessible for custom type fields that reference cases or contacts.

Access rights

All access rights accumulate, meaning it is the combination of all access rights that are applied. A user must be assigned all the required access codes to be able to interact with the custom type.

Access rights inherited by or assigned to custom types are applied throughout WorkZone, for example to search results performed in WorkZone QueryBuilder.

The special * access code assignments to users is also honored on custom types.

Custom type detail pages

All custom types can be opened in their own detail page where users can directly create new records on the custom type. If the custom type is connected to another custom type, a custom type detail tab on the custom type detail page will be displayed once the main custom type record has been created. This detail page - detail tab structure is similar to the detail page - detail tab structure for cases, documents and contacts.

Custom type detail tabs can be configured like any standard WorkZone detail tab - additional tabs can be added or removed and columns (fields) can be displayed or hidden from view.

The custom type detail page is opened from the Main ribbon > More button.

The More button

'The More button in the Main ribbon displays all created and active custom types. The button is used to open the custom type detail page for the selected custom type where users can enter data.

Note: The More button is not displayed by default and must be enabled manually by editing the main ribbon. The More button option is also locked for editing by default and must be unlocked by a system administrator if users are to be permitted to make changes to the button and its underlying menu options.

Custom types and WorkZone performance

Custom types should not contain large amounts of data and are not architecturally designed to do so.

If large amounts of data are stored in custom types, either in one custom type that contains large amounts of data or many custom types each with significant amounts of data, overall system performance may be noticeably reduced. The specific amounts of data that will cause reduced performance will depend on the hardware, software, network configuration and work policies implemented in your organization.

Reload WorkZone Client

After adding, removing or editing a custom type or custom type field, reload the WorkZone Client to update the custom type in use. If you do not reload the WorkZone Client, any changes made to the custom type or custom type fields will not be displayed correctly.

Searches

Custom type fields can be added as search criteria to any general or type-specific searches and are saved like any other field based search criteria when the search is saved. The custom types are displayed in the Available fields pane when configuring a search page and you must click the.

Custom type specific searches

Searches based on independent custom types (custom types that are not connected to another entity) can also be generated, saved and shared to other users. Like all other saved searches, the saved custom type searches can be used to create lists for the custom type or generate data for dashboard widgets.

Custom type searches can be accessed from the main ribbon by clicking New search > More.

Note: The More search menu option is not displayed by default and must be enabled manually be editing the main ribbon. The search menu option is also locked for editing by default and must be unlocked and made available by a system administrator if users are to be permitted to make changes to the button and its underlying menu options.

For more information, see Configure a search page (link to WorkZone Client online help)