We’re happy to introduce two new features to the Projects module: editing project categories and adding custom fields via forms. These updates allow for greater customization of the project details by category for greater flexibility and better specificity in all of your project management activities.
To review the video associated with this article, please see the video:
Figure 1: The New Categories and Forms Tab in Projects
Editing Project Categories
Project Category editing is easy – but users beware! - if you edit one it applies to all projects in the whole account. So, just to be safe we’ve created a new Admin permission called “Can Manage Project Categories” where only users with this level can make changes to categories and custom forms and fields.
Permission Requirements:
Before you attempt to edit categories or add custom fields you’ll want to check to see if you have the correct permission levels set for doing so. To do so:
-
In Bid Users, go to Admin > Manage Permissions
-
Scroll to the Projects section
-
Ensure "Bid Users manage project categories" is checked for authorized users
-
Note: This is an account-level permission and changes affect all projects in the account
Categories:
Once your admin levels have been sorted out, you’re ready to edit categories and add custom fields for all projects in the account.
Figure 2: Editing Category and Charge Code
To get there:
-
Navigate to the Projects module
-
Locate the new "Categories" tab in the top menu and select it.
Editing Categories:
-
Open the Categories tab
-
Modify category names as needed
-
Add charge codes from the accounting module
-
Save changes
Adding Custom Fields via Forms:
The next new feature we’ll discuss is adding new fields to your projects. Note that these are specific to the Project Categories so, for example, you could add a square footage field only to CAPEX Improvement projects, as we detail in the linked instructional video. This takes a few steps, but it’s easy to do. Here’s an overview:
-
Create the form
-
Add the fields to the new form
-
Attach the form (with its custom fields) to the Project Category
Figure 3: Editing the form to add custom fields
Here are the details behind each step:
Accessing Forms:
-
Navigate to the Projects module
-
Locate the new "Forms" tab in the top menu
Creating a New Form:
-
Click "Add a Form"
-
Name the form (e.g., "CapEx Improvements")
-
Click "Add a custom field"
Configuring Custom Fields:
-
Choose field type (e.g., number, text, etc.)
-
Set field name and add hint text
-
Configure field properties (e.g., whole numbers only, required field)
-
Save the new field
Attaching Forms to Categories:
-
Return to the Categories tab
-
Edit the desired category
-
Add the newly created form to the category
-
Save changes
Using New Custom Fields in Projects
Once you’ve created all the custom fields you need for each Project Category, the Project Manager is ready to use it! Let’s walk through an example of using the new field we just created in a new project.
Create a New Project:
-
Start a new project using the “+ New Project” button in the Projects app (or alternatively in the Prism Home Page Projects card)
-
In the Project Details page, select the Category tab that has the new custom form (with its associated fields) attached
-
Fill in standard project details
-
Scroll down (below Property selection) to locate the new custom fields
-
Enter the required information
-
Complete project creation
Viewing Custom Fields:
Once you’ve entered the custom field details, you can view them by going back into the project and selecting the “Forms” tab.
-
Open the project details
-
Find the new tab with the custom form name
-
View or edit the custom field data as needed
Wrap Up!
Adding custom fields to Projects allows for data tailored by the Project Category. The user-created fields are accessible via API, enabling integration with other systems like accounting, construction management, and many other applications, providing better tracking, greater flexibility, and a better user experience for all Project Managers.