Custom Fields (Settings → Custom Fields, `/app/settings/custom-fields`) let you add your own extra fields to Customer and Vehicle records — anything your shop wants to track that isn't already a built-in field. It's a separate feature from Franchise Sales prospect custom fields, which the page links out to if that's what you're actually after; this page only manages fields on your shop's customer and vehicle records.
Two tabs, same pattern
Customer fields and Vehicle fields are separate lists — a field you add under one tab only appears on that entity type. Both work identically: a list of existing fields with inline edit controls, and an Add field form.
Field types
Five types are available: Text, Number, Date, Yes/No, and Dropdown. Dropdown fields need at least one option — enter them comma-separated (e.g. "Google, Yelp, Referral"). The Add field button itself doesn't grey out if you skip this — click it with no options and you'll get an inline error ("Add at least one option") instead of a saved field.
Adding, editing, and reordering
Click Add field, fill in a Label and pick a Type, optionally check Required, and save. Once a field exists:
- Its label is inline-editable — click into it, type, and blur or hit Enter to commit the change.
- Its Required checkbox is editable directly on the row. For Dropdown fields, the options list is shown read-only underneath the row — there's currently no way to edit the choices after creation; if you need to change them, delete the field and recreate it with the new options.
- Up/down chevrons reorder the field — this is the display order everywhere the field appears, not just on this settings page.
- The small gray monospace text under each row is the field's internal key, generated once from the label when you created it. Renaming the label later doesn't change the key.
Creating, editing, reordering, or deleting a field definition requires the Owner, Admin, or Manager role. Anyone else on the team can still see and fill in a field's value on a customer or vehicle record — they just can't touch the field definitions themselves.
Deleting a field
Deleting is a real delete, not an archive — the confirmation dialog says it plainly: it "also removes any saved values for this field on every record," and it can't be undone.
Where the values actually show up
Once a shop has defined at least one custom field for an entity type, a Custom Fields card appears automatically on that entity's detail page — the customer detail page, and the vehicle view inside it — with the right input for each field's type. If you haven't defined any fields yet, the card doesn't render at all, so there's no empty-card clutter on a shop that isn't using the feature. A Required field that's cleared to blank is rejected by the server, not just flagged with an asterisk in the UI, so the requirement actually holds rather than being cosmetic.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What entity types can I add custom fields to today?
A: Customer records and Vehicle records — those are the two tabs on the Custom Fields settings page. Only these two entity types have a management UI today.
Q: Who can create or edit custom field definitions?
A: Only shop members with the Owner, Admin, or Manager role. Anyone else on the account can still view and fill in a field's value on a record — they just can't add, edit, reorder, or delete the field definitions themselves.
Q: What field types are available?
A: Text, Number, Date, Yes/No, and Dropdown. Dropdown fields need at least one comma-separated option before you can save them.
Q: What happens if I delete a custom field?
A: It's removed for good, and so is every saved value for that field on every customer or vehicle record. The confirmation dialog spells this out because it can't be undone.
Q: Can I rename a field after creating it?
A: Yes — the display label is editable inline anytime. But the field's internal machine key is generated once from the original label at creation and stays fixed even after you rename it.
Q: Where do custom fields actually show up once I've added them?
A: A "Custom Fields" card appears automatically on the customer detail page (and the vehicle view inside it) as soon as you've defined at least one field for that entity type. It stays hidden if you haven't defined any.