Customising Fields
Walkthrough for adding, editing and retiring fields in Settings → Data Model. Editing needs a paid plan and the admin role.
Adding a new field
- Settings → Data Model.
- Pick a category tab — Shared if it should appear on every item, otherwise the specific category.
- Find the right pillar (Descriptive / Administrative / Structural).
- Click + Add at the top of the pillar.
- Fill in the drawer:
| Property | Notes |
|---|---|
| Machine key | Lowercase snake_case, e.g. donor_reference. Cannot be changed after creation |
| Display label | Human-readable, e.g. Donor reference |
| Pillar | Descriptive / Administrative / Structural |
| Hierarchy levels | Which levels the field applies to — fonds, series, file, item and the rest, plus collection |
| Data type | Text / Long text / List / List of details / Date / Pick from a list / Group of details. Also fixed after creation |
| Requirement level | Required / Recommended / Optional |
| Help text | Shown beneath the field on the form |
| Validation rules | Optional — a pattern (with a test box), minimum and maximum length; for dates, a range and whether it's date only or date and time |
| Allowed values | For Pick from a list — type a value and click Add |
- Save field.
Vocabulary binding is set after saving — the drawer says "Vocabulary can be bound after saving the field". Reopen the field and choose one.
The field appears immediately on new accessions and on the item review screen for existing accessions in that category.
Field types in detail
Text
Single-line free text. Use for short identifiers, names, simple labels.
Long text
Multi-line free text. Use for descriptions, narrative content, conservation reports.
Date
ISO date with partial support: YYYY, YYYY-MM, YYYY-MM-DD. Date ranges are stored as two fields if you need both start and end.
Pick from a list
A picker from a fixed list you define on the field. Use for controlled values that aren't in any external vocabulary: Sensitivity level with Public / Restricted / Closed, Access rights with predefined options.
List
Repeating values. You also say what one entry holds — words, numbers, dates or a set of details — and that's a description of each entry, not a limit on how many you can add. Most commonly used with a vocabulary binding, so each value becomes an authority pill. Without one, it's a free-text tag list.
List of details / Group of details
For structured values — a repeating set of sub-fields, or a single group of them.
Editing an existing field
Click any field row in the Data Model. The drawer opens with the editable properties:
- Display label, help text, requirement level, pillar, hierarchy levels, validation — change freely
- Vocabulary binding — change at any time, or set it back to Freeform — no vocabulary; existing values revert to free-text labels until re-resolved
- Machine key, category and data type — fixed. The data-type box shows a padlock and the word Immutable
After save, the change applies to new and existing accessions immediately.
Each field row also has move up and move down arrows to reorder it within its pillar.
Retiring a field
Fields are never deleted — they are deprecated, which hides them from new accessions while preserving the data on existing items. The confirmation puts it plainly: "Deprecate this field? It will no longer appear in new prompts or review forms, but historical data is preserved."
- Open the field.
- Click Deprecate.
Deprecated fields show a retired pill and are hidden by default. Tick Show deprecated at the top of the page to see them, and Restore to bring one back.
Vocabulary bindings — practical guidance
| Field type | Recommended binding |
|---|---|
| Subjects (general) | LCSH or FAST |
| Subjects (art / museum) | AAT |
| Iconography | Iconclass |
| People mentioned | FAST or VIAF |
| Makers and artists | ULAN |
| Places mentioned | TGN (historical) or GeoNames (modern) |
| Organisations mentioned | FAST or VIAF |
| Materials (artefact) | AAT |
| Monument types, periods | FISH |
A field binds to one vocabulary. Apply default vocab bindings at the top of the page is the quick way to set standard vocabularies (LCSH, AAT, TGN, FAST) on everything that hasn't got one yet — it never overwrites a binding you chose yourself.
Local vocabularies
For entities that don't exist in any global vocabulary, build your own list at Settings → Data Model → Local Vocabularies (also reachable from Manage local authorities → in the field drawer).
- Click New vocabulary, give it a Vocabulary name and an optional description, and click Create.
- Open the vocabulary and click + Add term.
- Give the term a Preferred label and any Alternative labels (comma-separated), then Add term.
Local-vocabulary entries:
- Get an internal URI within your archive, beginning
archivers:local/ - Are reusable across accessions and visible to your whole organisation
- Appear in the picker on any field bound to that vocabulary
- Can be removed one at a time; deleting a whole vocabulary asks you to type its name first, because it unlinks every term from the records it is tagged on
Creating and deleting a vocabulary is admin-only; adding terms is open to every archivist — an admin, a member or a reviewer can add one while cataloguing. Local vocabularies are available on Starter and above.