Configuring the User Interface › How to Configure the User Interface › Field Configuration › Make a Field Read-Only, Required, or Optional

Make a Field Read-Only, Required, or Optional

A required field is a field that must contain a value to save the record. When you configure a field or create an extended field, you can make the field read-only, required, or optional. Making a field required is useful for fields that contain key pieces of data.

Important! When making a new required field, saved records may not have data in the field. When you save the record in the future, you must enter data into the new required field. You must also enter data when a pre-existing record is updated by an application you write using the web services. Your client application must verify that the required field contains data, or provides data for the field. If not, the record will not be updated.

We recommend that before you make a field required, you populate the field for all existing records. You can search to locate all occurrences of blank values in the field by searching for NULL or space (clear the value field).

To make a field read-only, required, or optional

1. Click the tab and optional subtab for the object that you want to configure.
2. On the left, click CONFIGURE: ON.

   The configuration of the page is enabled.

3. In the Configuration Information area of the page, complete the following steps:
   1. Specify the information for the new global or local configuration, or select an existing configuration that you want to change.
   2. (Optional) In the Object drop-down list, select the part of the object that you want to configure. Any permission changes you make (for example, deny permissions to move a field) apply only to that part of the object.

      For example, when configuring a legal document, you select Legaldoc Status History in the Object drop-down list. You deny permissions to move fields for that part of the object (the status history). The permission changes apply only to the status history part of the object, and not to the other parts of the object.

   Important! Global configuration changes affect all users, regardless of their role. Local configuration changes only affect users in the roles assigned to the selected configuration.

4. Next to the field, click the appropriate icon to make the field read-only, required, or optional.
5. Click Save Configuration.

   When you assign a configuration to a role, users in the role see the fields as read-only, required, or optional.