Settings Custom Fields

Custom fields & dropdown lists

This guide explains how to customise the data MSM collects and the options available in dropdown menus. You can tailor dropdown lists to match your school's terminology, and add custom fields to student, contact, and instrument records to capture information beyond the built-in fields.

On this page
  1. Where to find Custom Fields
  2. Managing dropdown lists
  3. Managing custom fields
  4. Field types
  5. Quick reference

Where to find Custom Fields

Go to Settings in the main menu, then select Custom Fields. The page is divided into five tabs:

Dropdowns Students Student Contacts Contacts Instruments
Tab
What you can manage here
Dropdowns
The option lists used in select menus throughout the system (e.g. instrument status values, student grade levels)
Students
Extra fields added to student records
Student Contacts
Extra fields added to parent and guardian contact records
Contacts
Extra fields added to general staff and supplier contacts
Instruments
Extra fields added to instrument records

The Dropdowns tab controls the options available in five select menus used throughout MSM. Select a list from the left panel to view and edit its items.

Dropdown list
Used for
Instrument Status
The condition or availability of an instrument — e.g. Available, Hired, In Service
Instruments
The instrument types that can be assigned to students and records
Student Grade
Year or grade levels — e.g. Year 7, Year 8
Student Relationship
The relationship of a contact to a student — e.g. Mother, Father, Guardian
Student Status
The enrolment status of a student — e.g. Active, Inactive
ℹ️

Some default items are locked and cannot be edited or deleted — these appear without a pencil or bin icon. You can add your own items alongside them.

Add a dropdown item

  1. Go to Settings > Custom Fields > Dropdowns tab
  2. Select the list you want to update from the left panel — e.g. Student Status
  3. Click the + button in the top right
  4. Type the new option and press Enter or click Add

Edit a dropdown item

  1. Select the list from the left panel
  2. Click the pencil icon next to the item you want to change
  3. Update the text and click Save

Remove a dropdown item

  1. Select the list from the left panel
  2. Click the bin icon next to the item
  3. Confirm deletion
⚠️

Note: Removing a dropdown item removes it from all records where it was previously selected. This action cannot be undone.


Managing custom fields

Custom fields let you capture additional information on records beyond the built-in fields. You can add up to 10 custom fields per record type — Students, Student Contacts, Contacts, and Instruments each have their own set.

Each field appears as a column in the custom fields table, showing its Label, Field Type, whether it is shown In Grid, and any Field Values defined for Select and Multi Select fields.

Add a custom field

  1. Go to Settings > Custom Fields
  2. Click the tab for the record type you want to add a field to — e.g. Students
  3. Click the + button in the top right
  4. Fill in the form:
Field
What to enter
Label
The field name shown on the record — e.g. School House. Maximum 12 characters.
Type
The type of input — see Field types below
Values
For Select and Multi Select fields only — type each option and press Enter to add it. Click the × on a value to remove it.
Show on grid
Tick this to display the field as a column in the student or contact list view
  1. Click Save
💡

Tip: Use Show on grid sparingly — only tick it for fields you need to scan across many records at once, such as School House or Instrument Status. Too many grid columns make the list view hard to read.

Edit a custom field

  1. Click anywhere on the field row in the table to open the Edit Field form
  2. Update the Label, Values, or Show on grid setting
  3. Click Save
ℹ️

The Type field is greyed out and cannot be changed after a field is saved. If you need a different type, delete the field and create a new one.

Reorder custom fields

Drag the ≡ handle on the left of any row up or down to change the order fields appear on records. The order in the table matches the order fields appear when editing a student, contact, or instrument.

Delete a custom field

  1. Click the field row to open the Edit Field form
  2. Click Delete (bottom right, in red)
  3. Confirm deletion
⚠️

Note: Deleting a custom field permanently removes all data stored in that field across every record. This cannot be undone.


Field types

Choose the field type that best matches the kind of data you want to collect. The type cannot be changed after the field is saved.

Type
What it does
Example use
Text
A single line of free text the user types in
School House, locker number, notes
Checkbox
A simple tick box — yes or no
Photo consent, medical alert flag
Date Picker
A date selector — opens a calendar when clicked
Instrument hire start date, enrolment date
Select
A dropdown where the user picks one option from a list you define
Learning level (Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced)
Multi Select
A dropdown where the user can pick multiple options from a list you define
Allergies, extra-curricular activities
💡

Tip: Use Select or Multi Select instead of Text whenever you want consistent data — free-text fields lead to inconsistent entries (e.g. "Yr 7", "Year 7", "year seven") that are hard to filter and report on.

Quick reference

A handy reminder once you are familiar with the system.

Task
Where to go
Open Custom Fields
Settings > Custom Fields
Edit a dropdown list
Settings > Custom Fields > Dropdowns tab > select list
Add a dropdown option
Dropdowns tab > select list > + button
Add a field to student records
Custom Fields > Students tab > + button
Add a field to instrument records
Custom Fields > Instruments tab > + button
Edit a custom field
Custom Fields > [tab] > click the field row
Change field display order
Custom Fields > [tab] > drag the ≡ handle
Show a field in the list view
Edit field > tick Show on grid > Save
Delete a custom field
Edit field > Delete button > confirm