How to Use Custom Fields with Products

This article explains how to create and assign custom fields to products or product groups in DecoNetwork. Custom fields allow you to gather extra information from customers (such as banner finishing options) or apply price adjustments to products. They can be configured as dropdowns, checkboxes, text fields, and more, giving you flexibility to control how information is captured during ordering.

Watch the video below for a demonstration, then follow the written guide for detailed instructions.

In this article

• Prerequisites
• Why Use Custom Fields
• Step 1: Create a Custom Field
• Step 2: Configure Field Options and Pricing
• Step 3: Organize Custom Fields
• Step 4: Apply Custom Fields to Products or Groups
• Best-Practice Tips
• Troubleshooting
• FAQs
• Additional Resources

Prerequisites

Why Use Custom Fields

Custom fields let you tailor product ordering to your business needs. For example, you might need customers to specify banner finishing options or provide extra notes. Using custom fields delivers:

• Flexible ways to capture customer preferences (dropdowns, checkboxes, radio buttons, text areas).
• Accurate pricing adjustments based on customer choices.
• Cleaner order details with required input for specific products or groups.

Step 1: Create a Custom Field

1. Go to Admin → Products → Custom Fields.
2. Click Add Custom Field.
3. Enter a descriptive field name in the Title field (e.g., "Banner Finishing").
4. Choose the Field Type:
   • Text: Short answer from the customer.
   • Text Area: Longer notes.
   • Dropdown: Predefined list of options.
   • Checkbox: Yes/no agreement.
   • Radio Button: Show all options but allow only one selection.
   • Multiple Select: Choose multiple options.

Step 2: Configure Field Options and Pricing

1. Define option values (e.g., No Finishing, Grommet every 2 ft, Grommet every 4 ft).
2. Click the Gear icon beside an option to add a price adjustment.
3. Decide whether pricing applies as a flat amount (default) or as a percentage.
4. Optionally, All size variants.
5. Create variants by combining multiple attributes (e.g., material type + finishing style).

Step 3: Organize Custom Fields

1. Arrange field order using the up/down arrows in the list.
2. The order here determines how customers see the options on the product page.

Step 4: Apply Custom Fields to Products or Groups

1. Open a product group (e.g., Accessories) or create a new one.
2. Go to the Custom Fields tab.
3. Select Specify Custom Fields.
4. Select the custom fields you want to enable.
5. Optionally set fields as Required to force customer input.
6. You can also apply fields to an individual product and override pricing at the product level if needed.

Best-Practice Tips

• Use dropdowns or radio buttons for clear option selection instead of text fields where possible.
• Assign custom fields to product groups for efficiency.
• Set default values for common options to streamline ordering.

Troubleshooting

• Custom field not showing: Make sure it’s assigned to the product or group.
• Price not updating: Confirm the gear icon pricing adjustment was saved and applied per unit.
• Field appears on all products: Uncheck “Field on by Default” in the custom field setup.

FAQs

• Q: Can I apply custom fields to quotes and orders?
  A: Yes, once assigned to products, the fields appear in both.
• Q: Can I hide custom fields from customers but still record internal info?
  A: No, custom fields are designed for customer input. For internal notes, use product notes instead.
• Q: Can I charge a one-time setup fee instead of per-unit pricing?
  A: Custom fields only apply pricing per unit. For one-time charges, use extra charges instead.

Additional Resources

• Creating Product Groups
• Managing Extra Charges