Custom Database Field Management
Our custom database field management allows you to add virtually any type of field to your database. You can choose between a set of predefined fields that we have carefully curated for most of your needs. If we don't have a field that fits your requirements, you have the ability to choose between various custom field types. To begin managing your fields, simply go into your database account area and click the "Manage Fields" link in the navigation. You will be taken to a page that lists all of the fields that have been defined for your database separated by category. These categories reflect the structure of your database's add/edit form.
Predefined Fields
Required Fields
Before we begin, it's important to understand that we have a few fields that cannot be removed and have limited preferences. Unless otherwise noted, you can control the field's label, category, description, and whether or not admins are the only users that are allowed to edit or view each field.
Name - The name of the animal. This field has a maximum length of 200 characters. Because this is a required field, if you only allow admins to edit the field, non-admins will not be able to create new animals.
Sex - The sex of the animal. The only options are Male and Female for this field. Because this is a required field, if you only allow admins to edit the field, non-admins will not be able to create new animals. Once an animal has offspring, its sex becomes read-only in order to preserve the integrity of the pedigree.
Sire - The animal's sire or father. You can set whether this field is required when adding or updating a record. You can also set whether or not you'd like the sire field to be hidden when adding a new animal to the database. Lastly, you can control whether or not a dropdown for the sire's breed is displayed next to the sire's name on the animal's add/edit form.
Dam - The animal's dam or mother. You can set whether this field is required when adding or updating a record. You can also set whether or not you'd like the dam field to be hidden when adding a new animal to the database. Lastly, you can control whether or not a dropdown for the dam's breed is displayed next to the dam's name on the animal's add/edit form.
Date of Birth - The date of birth of the animal. This field has quite a few customizations available. You can set whether this field is required when adding or editing an animal's record. You can also choose to hide the field when adding a new record to the database. If you want to allow your database to accommodate approximate DOBs you can check the "Allow approximate years" option, which will let users enter a tilde preceding the year (e.g. ~1990) or a trailing question mark (e.g. 1990?). If you only have a year of birth instead of a full date, you can check "Allow only year when an exact date isn't known," which will not require an exact date. If you only have a decade, you can check "Allow decade" which accepts entries like 1950s. Lastly, we provide a configuration where our database will approximate the year of birth of an animal's sire and dam when they are entered from the offspring's add/edit page. For example, if you're adding an animal's sire but it's not yet in the database, you will select the option labeled "Not found (this animal will be added to the database)." In that case, we will estimate the YOB based on the subject animal's YOB and the "Sire/Dam Age Estimate (In Years)" field. So if the subject animal was born in 1990 and the Sire/Dam Age Estimate is set to 9, the new sire's YOB will be set to ~1981.
Locked - This field allows you to lock a record. Administrators can always edit locked records.
Optional Fields
The remaining predefined fields are all optional, although we have set up your database with a sensible configuration to start.
Awards - The awards field is a hybrid dropdown/text field similar to color, breed, etc. We will not pre-fill the "Dropdown Options," meaning the default settings allow your users to enter custom awards. If you'd like to restrict your users from entering custom values, you can uncheck "Allow users to add custom values" and set the available awards in the dropdown by entering values into the "Dropdown options" field. Once you enter a new award you can press "TAB" or "ENTER" on your keyboard to confirm the new option. If no awards are entered in this text area your users will be allowed to manually type in an award. The field also allows you to control the maximum number of awards that your users can associate with a record, up to a maximum of 10.
Birth Country - The birth country field allows you to set where the animal was born. We pre-fill the dropdown options with all countries, but you are welcome to modify this list however you'd like. You can set the available countries by entering values into the "Dropdown options" field. Once you enter a new country you can press "TAB" or "ENTER" on your keyboard to confirm the new option. If no countries are entered in this text area your users will be allowed to manually type in a country. This field also allows you to control whether or not you allow users to set custom values.
Breed - The breed field is a hybrid dropdown/text field that allows you to set the breed(s) of your animals. You can set the available breeds to select in the "Dropdown options" field. Once you enter a breed you can press "TAB" or "ENTER" on your keyboard to confirm the new option. If no breeds are entered in this text area, your users will always be allowed to type in the breed free-form. You will see a dropdown labeled "Maximum entries allowed" that allows you to control how many breeds your users are allowed to associate with an animal. Lastly, there is a checkbox labeled "Allow users to add custom values" which will allow users to type in a breed regardless of the breeds in the "Dropdown options" box.
Breeder - The breeder field is a basic text box and allows you to enter the animal's breeder(s). If you'd like to also store breeder address information, we suggest creating custom text fields for the applicable address, city, postal code, etc., or using a Contact Field (see below).
Breeding Status - A hybrid dropdown/text field that describes whether an animal has been neutered or is otherwise unavailable for breeding. It behaves the same as our other tag-style fields: you can pre-fill the dropdown options, control whether users can add custom values, and limit the maximum number of entries.
Call Name - The call name field is a simple text field.
Clubs - The clubs field is a hybrid dropdown/text field similar to color, breed, etc. We will not pre-fill the "Dropdown Options," meaning the default settings allow your users to enter custom clubs. If you'd like to restrict your users from entering custom values, you can uncheck "Allow users to add custom values" and then set the available clubs in the dropdown by entering values into the "Dropdown options" field. Once you enter a new club you can press "TAB" or "ENTER" on your keyboard to confirm the new option. If no clubs are entered in this text area your users will be allowed to manually type in a club. The field also allows you to control the maximum number of clubs that your users can associate with a record, up to a maximum of 10.
Color - The color field allows you to set an animal's color(s). We will not pre-fill the "Dropdown Options," meaning the default settings allow your users to enter custom values. You can set the available colors by entering values into the "Dropdown options" field. Once you enter a new color you can press "TAB" or "ENTER" on your keyboard to confirm the new option. If no colors are entered in this text area your users will be allowed to manually type in a color. The field also allows you to control the maximum number of colors that your users can associate with a record, up to a maximum of 10.
Comments - The comments field is a long-text area. You may enter up to 2,000 characters. If you'd like to format the content with headings, bold/italic, lists, or links, you can enable the "Markdown" option on the field and your users will get a Markdown-aware editor.
Competition Stats - The competition stats field is a structured field for tracking competition results such as starts, 1st/2nd/3rd placements, and earnings. It's rendered as its own grouped form on the add/edit page rather than as a single input.
Current Country - The current country field allows you to set where the animal currently resides. We pre-fill the dropdown options with all countries, but you are welcome to modify this list however you'd like. You can set the available countries by entering values into the "Dropdown options" field. Once you enter a new country you can press "TAB" or "ENTER" on your keyboard to confirm the new option. If no countries are entered in this text area your users will be allowed to manually type in a country. This field also allows you to control whether or not you allow users to set custom values.
Date of Death - The date of death field behaves like Date of Birth: you can require it, hide it on create, and allow approximate years, year-only entries, or decades if you'd like.
DNA - Our DNA field allows you to upload simple key/value pairs for your animal's DNA markers. On the add/edit form you will see a text box for "DNA Marker" and another next to it for "DNA Value." We have a pre-defined set of markers that has been populated for dogs, but users are allowed to enter custom markers directly from the add/edit form. You are allowed to add up to a maximum of 250 marker/value pairs.
Height - The height field displays a text box and a dropdown for the units of the animal's height. You can manage which units are allowed to be saved (mm, cm, in, hh, ft, m) and the minimum and maximum numeric values allowed. Please note that the maximum/minimum values are not unit-based. For example, you can't enter "90 cm" for a maximum value. Instead you will need to enter "90." This is a known limitation and we will work on making it more flexible.
Markings - The markings field is a hybrid dropdown/text field similar to color, breed, etc. We will not pre-fill the "Dropdown Options," meaning the default settings allow your users to enter custom markings. If you'd like to restrict your users from entering custom values, you can uncheck "Allow users to add custom values" and enter values into the "Dropdown options" field. Once you enter a new marking you can press "TAB" or "ENTER" on your keyboard to confirm the new option. If no markings are entered in this text area your users will be allowed to manually type in a marking. The field also allows you to control the maximum number of markings that your users can associate with a record, up to a maximum of 10.
Owner - The owner field is a basic text box and allows you to enter the animal's owner(s). If you'd like to also store owner address information, we suggest creating custom text fields for the applicable address, city, postal code, etc., or using a Contact Field (see below).
Performance Titles - The performance titles field is a simple text field. Any performance titles associated with an animal will be displayed after the animal's name in its pedigree.
Photo - The photo field allows you to attach photos to the animal record. Supported formats are JPG, PNG, GIF, and WebP, and each file can be up to 20 MB. By default, each animal can have up to 10 photos attached.
Registry Number - The registry number field is quite flexible. Along with a free-form text field, you can also add a list of optional registries in the "Registries" text box. Once you enter a new registry you can press "TAB" or "ENTER" on your keyboard to confirm the new option. Once you have added at least one registry, a dropdown will appear next to the registry number field on the add/edit form and you will not be able to enter a registry number without also selecting an option from the registry dropdown. We also can auto-generate registry numbers for you. Simply check the "Automatically generate a unique registry number if one is omitted when creating a new record" checkbox and set a numeric value in the "Begin at registry number" field. Whenever a new record is added to the database without a registry number, we will automatically generate a number based on these settings. You can also control whether or not a registry number is automatically generated when adding new sire/dam records from the offspring add/edit page by selecting the "Automatically generate a registry number for the sire and dam when creating at the same time as their offspring" checkbox. If an animal needs to be tracked in more than one registry, you can raise the "Maximum entries allowed" setting so multiple registry/number pairs can be stored on a single record. Each individual registry number has a maximum length of 40 characters.
Show Titles - The show titles field is a simple text field. Any show titles associated with an animal will be displayed before the animal's name in its pedigree.
Weight - The weight field displays a text box and a dropdown for the units of the animal's weight. You can manage which units are allowed to be saved (g, oz, kg, lb) and the minimum and maximum numeric values allowed. Please note that the maximum/minimum values are not unit-based. For example, you can't enter "100 lb" for a maximum value. Instead you will need to enter "100." This is a known limitation and we will work on making it more flexible.
Custom Fields
Basic Text Field - A basic text field will be the most common type of field you will want to use. Aside from the label, category, description, and standard checkbox settings there are no special configuration options for this field. All basic text field values have a maximum length of 200 characters.
Long Text Field - If you need something longer than the 200-character limit of a Basic Text Field, you should use a Long Text Field. This functions exactly the same as a Basic Text Field but supports up to 2,000 characters. You can also enable the "Markdown" option, which gives your users a Markdown-aware editor with support for headings, bold/italic, lists, and links.
Dropdown Field - A dropdown field is essentially a hybrid dropdown/text field and is a perfect option for when you want to give your users the option of selecting values from a list and/or limiting the values that your users can enter. When creating a dropdown field you can enter values in the "Dropdown options" field to populate the dropdown that's available on the add/edit form. If you check the "Allow users to add custom values" box, users will have the ability to either select from the dropdown or manually type in a custom value. If you don't enter any values in the "Dropdown options" setting, users will be forced to type in a custom value. Use the "Maximum entries allowed" setting to limit how many unique values can be associated with an animal's record. Dropdown fields also support "sex-linked" choices, which let you show a different set of options depending on whether the animal is male or female.
Numeric Field - Numeric fields are very similar to basic text fields with the exception that the input on the add/edit form only allows numeric values and you have the ability to configure a minimum and maximum value. These settings are not required.
Date Field - Date fields allow you to associate simple dates with your animals. Common uses might be: registration date, date of last measurement, transfer date, etc. Like our Date of Birth field, you can optionally allow year-only entries, approximate years (prefix with ~ or suffix with ?), and decades (e.g. 1950s).
Yes / No (Boolean) Field - The Yes / No fields allow you to add a simple dropdown with "Yes" and "No" as the only options.
Length / Height Field - Length / Height fields allow you to save length or distance measurements on your animals' records. When you create a length / height field you can select which units you'd like to show on the add/edit form: mm, cm, in, hh (hands), ft, m. We will start you off with a sensible default, but you are free to add or remove any of these units. You are also welcome to set a minimum and maximum value that is allowed. Please note that the maximum and minimum values are not unit-based. For example, you can't enter "90 cm" for a maximum value. Instead you will need to enter "90" and users will not be allowed to enter anything with a numeric value over 90 (e.g. "90 in" or "90 ft"). This is a known limitation and we will work on making it more flexible in the future.
Weight Field - Weight fields allow you to save weight measurements on your animals' records. When you create a weight field you can select which units you'd like to show on the add/edit form: g, oz, kg, lb. We will start you off with a sensible default, but you are free to add or remove any of these units. You are also welcome to set a minimum and maximum value that is allowed. Please note that the maximum and minimum values are not unit-based. For example, you can't enter "90 kg" for a maximum value. Instead you will need to enter "90" and users will not be allowed to enter anything with a numeric value over 90 (e.g. "90 g" or "90 lb"). This is a known limitation and we will work on making it more flexible in the future.
Contact Field - A Contact Field is designed for associating people or organizations (breeders, owners, trainers, veterinarians, etc.) with an animal. Unlike a free-form text field, contacts are stored as structured records that can be re-used across animals, and you can choose which pieces of their information are displayed on the pedigree: address, city, state/province, postal code, country, phone, and email. You can also cap how many contacts may be associated with a single record.
URL / Link Field - URL fields let you attach one or more web links to an animal's record. Each link can optionally have custom display text, and you can choose how the link is rendered (full URL, domain only, or custom text). You can cap the maximum number of links per record, and if you want to restrict where users can link to, you can enter a list of allowed domains.
Media / File Field - Media fields allow you to attach files (such as PDFs) to an animal's record. Individual files can be up to 20 MB, and you can configure how many files are allowed per record.