Custom Columns

The column document (completed custom columns form) can contain one or more column definitions.

The rules folder can contain multiple column documents.

The columns are added in the order they appear in the column document and in the order the column documents appear in the rules folder.

The first column document found sets the merge policy to one of the following:

Use these columns only	Only the columns defined in the rules folder for this template are available.
Use Default Schema and Columns	The columns in the rules folder are used in addition to the standard columns for the container.
Use Default Schema	The columns in the rules folder are added to the standard columns for the container. The standard columns are not visible but may be selected by the user.
Name	Enter a name for this custom column rule.
Enabled	Select to enable this custom column document. Each column can be enabled or disabled individually in the lower section.

Each row of the column document adds a custom field to the container:

Column Title	The name of the column, displayed at the top of the list.
Field	The Field ID of the field on a form. Use FirstClass Designer to find the field ID, or choose an item from the list.
	Last Modified	Displays the date and time that the data was last modified.
	Icon	Displays the icon that corresponds with the item. Icons can be changed, for example you can use pictures as icons.
	Size	Displays the file size of the data.
	Name	Displays the To or From name in a message.
	Subject	Displays the subject title of the item.
	Flag	Notifies you when the data of an item has not been read. The flag appears beside new items, and items that have been modified.
	Attachment	Notifies you if the item has an attachment.
	Status	These features are only used by advanced developers and are not intended for every-day users. For information on advanced development tools, professional services are available. Contact FirstClass Sales or your reseller for more information.
	Icon Position
	Thread ID
	Message ID
	System ID
	Icon Title	If the column type is "Icon", enter a label for the icon.
	Pin	Enables a push-pin column, used for saving items in consecutive searches.
	Approve	Allows the approver to approve an item by clicking this column when there is an unapproved item. Select "Checkbox" as the Type.
	Explorer Flag	Provides a secondary flag in the left side of the Explorer view.
	Preview	Displays a short preview of the message body in list view. Use 'Up' propagation. Use "Text" as the Type.
Type	The category of the data, which specifies the expected content format. When you are not sure, choose "Text".
	Text	Data consists of words.
	Icon	Data is a graphic image.
	ResStr	Used by developers with custom forms. For information on advanced development tools, professional services are available. Contact FirstClass Sales or your reseller for more information.
	Image	Date is an image. The corresponding form field must be defined as "Picture" in FirstClass Designer.
	Number	Data is numerical.
	Date	Data is a date.
	Checkbox	Displays a checkmark in the list view.
	Enumerated List	Are Static Selection Lists that give you more control over sorting and grouping. The lists are generated from an existing form template. The FormID must be entered in Ref Form. Users will only be able to choose one item from the dropdown list for the value of that field. Enumerated lists are recommended because the information is stored as a number, rather than a string.
Ref Form	Allows you to enter the FormID of the form template containing the enumerated list. The only time you need to enter a form ID is if you use an enumerated list. The form ID needs to reside in a settings file, not necessarily in the form that is being used. If the field is a numeric enumerated list, the list of choices can be drawn from a form stored in the client settings file.
Align/Sort	Controls the client display of the field.
	Left	Aligns text to the left side of the column and sorts forward (dates columns are sorted to display the newest item first, and text fields sort alphabetically).
	Right	Aligns text to the right side of the column and sorts forward (dates columns are sorted to display the newest item first, and text fields sort alphabetically).
	Center	Centers the text in the middle of the column and sorts forward (dates columns are sorted to display the newest item first, and text fields sort alphabetically).
	Justify	Adjusts the horizontal spacing so that the data spans the width of the column and touches both the left and right margins and sorts forward (dates columns are sorted to display the newest item first, and text fields sort alphabetically).
	Left & Reverse	Aligns text to the left side of the column and sorts backwards (dates columns are sorted to display the oldest item first, and text fields sort reverse alphabetically).
	Right & Reverse	Aligns text to the right side of the column and sorts backwards (dates columns are sorted to display the oldest item first, and text fields sort reverse alphabetically).
	Center & Reverse	Centers the text in the middle of the column and sorts backwards (dates columns are sorted to display the oldest item first, and text fields sort reverse alphabetically).
	Justify & Reverse	Adjusts the horizontal spacing so that the data spans the width of the column and touches both the left and right margins and sorts backwards (dates columns are sorted to display the oldest item first, and text fields sort reverse alphabetically).
	Editable	Any user with the "Edit items" permission can edit this column.
	Image for Icon	If you have an image field on a form you can use this as the icon. When the container is viewed in Icon view, you will see the image. The size of your image field will control the size of your icon. Within your document, the image field automatically thumbnails the picture. If you double-click the field, you will see a full size image. Choose either "Up" or "Up Linked" as the Propagation.
	Hide no Data	Columns do not appear in the List View until the defined column contains field data. This allows you to add a wider selection of columns without them all displayed on the interface.
	Text for Icon	Enables you to choose any field for the icon label. When the container is viewed in Icon view, you will see the text under the icon.
Propagation	System	Field exists only at the list level and is not copied from a document or form.
	Up	Field is copied to the list when the document or form is changed.
	Down	Field is copied to the document or form when the list is changed.
	Up/Down	Combination of Up & Down above.
	Up/Linked	If the form has another form attached to it, this option enables you to bring up field data from the attached form. The field is copied from an attached document.
Icon	Icon to use in place of a text title, for small columns. If the column type is Icon, click to choose an icon.
Max Str Size	The maximum to copy, when copying text to the list. The list has limited space available and larger limits make the container slower to load.
Col Width	Sets the width of the column.
On	Enables the column in the rule.

Add Column	Adds a custom column to the rule.
Delete Column	Removes the selected custom column from the rule.

Note

To disable a column without deleting it, clear the "On" checkbox.

Related topics

Creating custom column layouts