Tags & User-Defined Fields
Requires.
- Tags: User Defined Fields and Tags - Full Control.
- User-Defined Fields: UDF Management — the view, create, modify, and delete grants gate the matching actions.
This admin area houses two related catalogs:
- Tags — short labels you stick on records to group them (e.g. VIP, Has Pets, Hot Lead). Users with the relevant Tags permission can apply them; admins define which tags exist here.
- User-Defined Fields (UDFs) — custom fields that add arbitrary structured data to a record type. Unlike tags, UDFs hold a value (text, number, date, select, etc.), not just an on/off label.
Getting here
- From the Admin index, click Tags in the System section.
- Or navigate directly to
https://portal.securitytrax.com/{your-company}/admin/tags.
The User-Defined Fields list is a separate page at https://portal.securitytrax.com/{your-company}/admin/udfs.
Tags
The Tags list
The Tags landing page (admin.tags.index) shows the full tag catalog. Each row:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| ID | The internal tag ID. |
| Name | The tag label, as users see it in pickers. Click to edit. |
| Description | Internal clarification for administrators. |
| Object Type | Which record type can wear this tag — Customer, User, Customer Note, Equipment, Invoice, and more. |
| Context | Optional context limit for record types that support contexts. |
| Active | Whether the tag is available to apply. |
Click Add Tag to open the create form.
Tag form
Routes: admin.tags.create (new), admin.tags.edit (edit).
| Field | Required? | Type | Validation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tag For | Yes (new tags only) | Select | Must choose one object type | Not editable after the tag is created. Options include Customer, User, Customer Note, Source, Tech Schedule, Sale Schedule, Location, Equipment, Invoice, Pending Equipment, Payroll To Customer, Customer Equipment, Customer At Risk, and Permission Group. |
| Name | Yes | Text | 1–255 characters; duplicate active tag names are blocked within the same object type | The label users see in tag pickers and chips. |
| Limit Context To | No | Select | Only shown when the selected object type supports contexts | Narrows the tag to a specific context, such as a pending-equipment or appointment context. |
| Description | No | Textarea | None | Internal clarification for administrators. |
| Active | No | Checkbox | None | Checked by default for new tags. Inactive tags remain on existing records but cannot be applied as normal active tags. |
Click Save to create or update the tag. SecurityTrax returns to the Tags list after saving.
Deleting a tag
Click Delete on the tag's edit page to remove it from the catalog. SecurityTrax confirms with a dialog and then runs the same in-use check described in the Administration overview: if any records are still tagged with this tag, deletion is blocked and a red "Cannot delete — currently in use" banner appears. Mark the tag inactive (uncheck Active and save) if you want to keep existing applications but stop offering it on new records.
Three additional rules apply specifically to tags:
- Protected, system, and hidden tags can't be deleted at all. If a tag was created by SecurityTrax for use by the platform itself, the Delete button doesn't appear and deletion is refused.
- Per-tag group restrictions may apply. Some companies are configured so that only specific user groups are allowed to modify or delete a given tag. If your group isn't on the allow-list for that tag, the Delete button won't appear even though you can otherwise see the editor. Contact SecurityTrax support to change these restrictions.
Creating tags from a customer record
Users with the right customer tag permissions can create a customer tag while they are editing a customer's tags. The customer tag-manager modal shows Create and apply a new tag when all of these are true:
- Company settings allow tag creation from record tag windows.
- The user has Tags with Create on the customer's location.
- The user has Tags with Modify on the customer's location.
When the user clicks Add Tag, SecurityTrax creates the tag and applies it to that customer immediately.
When to create a tag vs. a UDF
Quick heuristic:
- Tag — a yes/no attribute. "Is this customer VIP?" Either the tag is on them or it isn't.
- UDF — a value that isn't yes/no. "What's their preferred install day?" (Monday, Tuesday, …). "What's their annual contract revenue?" (a number).
Tags are easier to manage and faster to filter on. UDFs are more powerful but harder to design.
User-Defined Fields (UDFs)
UDFs are fully self-service: create, edit, place, reorder, and delete them from the admin area. UDF design affects forms, list filters, reports, imports, and integrations, so decide the field's purpose and allowed values before creating it.
The UDFs list
Route: admin.udfs.index.
Shows every UDF configured in your company. Each row:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| ID | The internal field ID. |
| Name | The label users see on the record's form. Click to edit. |
| Object Type | Which record type the field attaches to. |
| Value Type | The kind of input — see the full list below. |
| Hide In UI | Whether the field is hidden from forms. |
Click Add UDF to create a field, or Sort Order to open the placement and section manager.
Creating and editing a UDF
Routes: admin.udfs.create (new), admin.udfs.edit (edit).
| Field | Required? | Type | Validation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | Text | 1–255 characters; duplicate names are blocked within the same object type | What users see on the form. Editable any time. |
| Object Type | Yes (new fields only) | Select | Must choose one | Not editable after creation. Options: Customer, Lead, User, Equipment, Tech Schedule, Customer Contact, Customer Equipment, Location, Source, Customer At Risk, Customer Note. Choosing Lead creates a customer field pre-scoped to lead records only — you can widen it to customers later with the Record Types checkboxes. |
| Value Type | Yes (new fields only) | Select | Must choose one | Not editable after creation. Options: Text Box, Date Field, Checkbox, Integer, Decimal, Dropdown (Pre-defined List), Dropdown (Dynamic Method), Multi-Select (Pre-defined List), Multi-Select (Dynamic Method). |
| Pre-defined Options | Conditional | Textarea | Required for the Pre-defined List types; comma-separated | Once the field is applied to records you can add options but not remove existing ones. |
| Dropdown Method | Conditional | Select | Required for the Dynamic Method types | The option list comes from live data: Sales Reps, Techs, Active Locations, At-Risk Representatives, Marketing Groups, or Languages. Locked once the field is applied to records. |
| Hide In UI | No | Checkbox | — | Hides the field from every form while keeping stored values. Use this to retire a field without losing data. |
Record types and page placements (Customer and Lead fields only)
Customer and Lead fields share one extra pair of settings on the editor:
- Record Types — check Customers and/or Leads to control which record type shows and accepts the field. At least one must stay checked.
Heads up. Unchecking a record type removes the field's page placements on that side and the field stops displaying on those records. Saved values are kept, so re-checking the record type brings them back.
- Page Placements — checkboxes grouped under Customer Pages and Lead Pages (Accounting, Appointments, Files, Messages, Notes, Work Orders, and more). Placing the field adds a saveable Custom Fields panel to that page of the customer or lead record. The main record page always shows the field regardless of placements.
Organizing fields: sort order and sections
Route: admin.udfs.sort — click Sort Order on the UDFs list.
- Pick an Object Type and a Context — the main record page, or one of the customer/lead sub-pages you've placed fields on.
- Drag rows to reorder fields. The order saves as you drop.
- Click Add Section to create a named group (with an optional Show Header toggle). Sections with a visible header render as titled groups inside the record's Custom Fields panel.
- Use each section's Add Field select to move a field into it, or the row's remove button to send it back to the default group.
- Delete a custom section with its trash icon — its fields return to the default group. The Default Section can't be deleted.
Where custom fields appear
Every field renders under a Custom Fields heading on its record type's form:
| Object type | Where the field shows |
|---|---|
| Customer / Lead | The main record page, plus any sub-pages selected under Page Placements. |
| User | The user edit page. |
| Equipment | The equipment item edit form in the admin catalog. |
| Tech Schedule | The appointment scheduling form. |
| Customer Contact | The contact create/edit form on the customer record. |
| Customer Equipment | The equipment edit form on the customer record. |
| Customer Note | The note/ticket form. |
| Customer At Risk | The at-risk form. |
| Location | The location edit page. |
| Source | The Source (partner company) edit page. |
Filtering lists by custom fields
The Customer and Lead list pages include your custom fields in the filter flyout, under a Custom Fields section:
- Text, Integer, and Decimal fields — an operator select (Equals, Starts With, Contains, Ends With) plus a value box.
- Dropdown fields — a select of the field's options.
- Checkbox fields — All / Yes / No.
- Date fields — From and To date pickers.
Step-by-step: adding a "Preferred Install Day" field to customers
- Go to the UDFs list and click Add UDF.
- Name: "Preferred Install Day".
- Object Type: Customer.
- Value Type: Dropdown (Pre-defined List).
- Pre-defined Options: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
- Leave both Record Types checked if leads should have it too, or uncheck Leads for customers only.
- Click Save, then open any customer — the new field appears in the Custom Fields section of the main record page. Use Sort Order to position it.
Non-obvious behaviors
- Object type and value type are immutable. Once a UDF is created, neither can change. Create a new UDF if you need a different record type or input kind.
- Hide In UI preserves values. The field disappears from every form, but records keep their stored values. Unchecking it brings the field (and the values) back.
- Deleting is blocked while the field is in use. The editor shows the field's usage count; you can't delete a field that still has values on records. Clear the values (or keep the field hidden instead) if you truly want it gone.
- Pre-defined list options can't be removed once applied. After any record stores a value, you can add new options but existing ones are locked so stored values stay valid.
- Tags don't age out. Applied tags stay on records until someone removes them. If you deactivate a tag, it stays applied where it already is but can't be added to new records.
- Custom-field values are searchable. The Customer and Lead list filters cover every filterable field type, making UDFs a practical tool for bespoke segmentation.
Related
- Tags (per-customer) — where customer tags get applied to specific records.
- Users — user records also support UDFs.
- Customer Home — the Custom Fields section on the customer form renders customer-scoped UDFs.