This is the maximum length the text value can be for the optional field (up to 60 characters).
Enter a code for the new optional field, and then enter a description.
Select a Type (of optional field) from the drop-down list. Choices include the following:
- Text (then choose a length, up to 60 characters)
- Amount
- Number (then enter the number of decimal places, up to 9)
- Integer
- Yes/No
- Date
- Time
You select the Validate option if you want to create a list of valid entries for the optional field that you are adding.
If you select the Validate option, users can enter only the listed values for the optional field. For Text or Date optional fields, you can also select Allow Blank to let users enter blanks as valid values for these optional fields.
If you do not select the Validate option, users can enter any values in the optional field, provided they are of the correct field type.
After you save the optional field, you cannot change the Validate option.
You can enter as many values as you wish for each Type (text, amount, number, integer, yes/no, date, or time). You then enter an appropriate description.
The value you enter depends upon the Type you chose. For example, if the Type is:
- Text: you also choose a maximum length (up to 60 characters), and enter text that does not exceed that length.
- Amount: the value field displays 0.000 for your entry.
- Number: you also choose a maximum number of decimal places (up to 9), and enter a value up to that maximum.
- Integer: the highest actual integer you can enter is 2,147,483,647.
- Date: the value field allows a date in the format of month/day/year (and the option to enter a blank).
- Time: the value field allows you to enter the time in the format of hour/minute/second.
If you select the Validate option (available for all types except Yes/No), users will be required to enter (for the optional field that they are adding) one of the entries you added to the Values column when you created the optional field.
If you do not select the Validate option, the entries in the Values column are not required values when a user adds an optional field of that type. That is, the user can enter a value from the Values column, or any other value.