Custom Fields Overview

In this article

• What are custom fields?
• Field types
  • Text
  • Date
  • Single select
  • People
  • Phone number
  • Email
• How custom fields work
  • Creating fields
  • Field visibility
  • Managing existing fields
• Where custom fields appear
  • In record details
  • In lists and tables
• Best practices
  • Planning your fields
  • Field naming
  • Data types
  • Organization
• Notes

Custom fields allow you to track additional information specific to your business needs. Add industry-specific data to clients, contacts, projects, and deals that isn't covered by Cone's standard fields

What are custom fields?

Custom fields are additional data points you can create and manage for different objects in Cone. Once created, these fields appear across all records of that type, allowing you to consistently capture and track information unique to your business.

Field types

Cone supports six different field types to match your data needs:

Text

Free-form text input for names, descriptions, or notes

• Example: Internal reference number, special instructions

Date

Date picker for tracking important dates

• Example: Contract renewal date, last review date

Single select

Dropdown menu with predefined options

• Example: Client category, priority level

People

Link to team members in your organization

• Example: Account manager, project lead

Phone number

Formatted phone number fields

• Example: Alternative contact number, emergency phone

Email

Email address fields with validation

• Example: Secondary email, billing email address

How custom fields work

Creating fields

1. Navigate to Settings → Custom fields
2. Select the object type tab (Clients, Contacts, Projects, or Deals)
3. Click Create new field
4. Enter the field name
5. Select the field type
6. Optionally enable Create placeholder for this field
7. Click Create

Field visibility

• Custom fields appear on all records of that object type
• Fields are visible in the record's detail view
• Team members with appropriate permissions can view and edit custom fields

Managing existing fields

Once created, custom fields appear in a table showing:

• Field name: The label that appears on records
• Type: The type of data the field accepts
• Options to edit or delete fields (when available)

Where custom fields appear

In record details

Custom fields display in the sidebar or detail sections of:

• Client profiles
• Contact records
• Project details
• Deal information

In lists and tables

Custom fields can be:

• Added as columns in list views
• Used for filtering and searching
• Included in exports

Best practices

Planning your fields

• Identify what information you consistently need to track
• Start with essential fields and add more as needed
• Use consistent naming conventions
• Consider what reports you'll need

Field naming

• Use clear, descriptive names
• Avoid abbreviations that might confuse team members
• Keep names concise but meaningful
• Use consistent formatting (Title Case or Sentence case)

Data types

• Choose the most appropriate field type for your data
• Use Single Select for standardized options
• Use Date fields for anything time-sensitive
• Text fields work best for unique or variable information

Organization

• Group related custom fields logically
• Document what each field is used for
• Train team members on proper field usage
• Regularly review and clean up unused fields

Notes

• Custom fields cannot be made required/mandatory
• Field types cannot be changed after creation
• Deleted fields remove data from all records
• Some field types may have character limits