Overview

ProblemTracker allows you to customize the data record to your needs by adding and removing fields as necessary. In addition, you can specify the name displayed for all fields, the values for pulldown menus, and specify whether a field is required or not.

Data Types

ProblemTracker allows you to use the following data types:

Integer
An integer numeric value.

Float
A floating point number.

Text
A text string up to 80 characters.

TextArea
A very large text string. The maximum size determined by the amount of data supported by the textarea type on your web browser, and the particular database in use.

Url
A 255 character string that is a valid formatted URL.

Date
A string of the format MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM:SS AM/PM (US Default). ProblemTracker may also be configured to use the '-' and '.' delimiters as well as the "DD MM YYYY" and "YYYY MM DD" format for the date representation portion of this string. Please note that the usage of the alternative date formats is dependent on the localized settings for the database in use. Make sure your localized database settings accept the selected alternate format prior to entering your date/time strings.

Pulldown
A pulldown menu. You can customize all values in the menu.

Release Number
A combination of four pulldown menus. You can customize all values in the menu.

YesNo
A pulldown with the values Yes and No.

Adding and Removing Fields

It is often a good idea to create a backup of your database before making major changes such as modifying your fields as some modifications are irreversible other than by restoring backup copy of your database.

To add or remove a field from the data record, click on the "Define Schema" button in the Admin section. Use the Add and Remove buttons to move fields from the right list (fields not in use) to the left list (fields in use) and vice versa.

Note that for release number types, only the first pulldown menu will be shown on this page, although all four components do appear in the "Options Menu" page in the Admin section, allowing you to specify the values for any of the component pulldown menus.

Effects on Existing Records when Adding and Removing Fields

When you add a field, existing records that do not have a value for this field (some may if the field was previously in use) will be given an initial value. For pulldown menus and release numbers, the current default value (see Option Menus) for the pulldown or release number is used as the initial value. For Date, Text, BigText, and URL fields, the initial value is blank (no value). For integer and float fields, it is zero. For YesNo fields, it is "No".

Fields that are removed from the data record are no longer displayed, but they actually remain in the database. Additionally, when a field is removed, any references to the field (in Saved Queries, Report Layouts, and Task Fields) are removed. Records which are added after you have removed a field do not get a value for the removed (inactive) field.

The fact that the removed field does not get a value when new records are added is important to remember if you wish to re-add this field in the future. If you add a previously removed field, any existing problem records that do not have a value for this field (records which were added when this field was inactive) will be initialized with the default value for the field (see above). Any existing records that already had a value for this field (records which were added when this field was active) will not be initialized (the old value is preserved). Therefore, all records that didn't have a value for the field now have a valid (default) value and records that did have a value are not changed. However, if you add a pulldown menu or release number field, we still recommend that you run Check DB Values in the Option Menus section, to verify that all values for this field in existing records are now valid to ensure consistency in your database (just follow the yellow triangles which will be displayed in the Admin page). If you wish to have all records in the system start with the same value for this newly added field (for example, you have a special value to note that the value wasn't actually set when the record was first created), you can use the Edit Results function to update all records after you Add the field. Click here for more information on the Edit Results function (scroll to the section called "Query Results").

If a field is renamed (the "label" property for the field is changed), there is no impact to existing data. The labels on the various pages (Add, Edit, Task, View, Query, etc.) will change to use the new "label".

Editing Field Attributes

To edit the attributes for a field, click on the "Define Schema" button on the Administrator page. Select the desired field from the list of fields currently in use, and click on the Edit button. A table with options and an Update button appears below the field selection area to allow you to modify the field. When you have completed making your changes, press the Update button to save them.

The following attributes may be specified:

Label
The name displayed for this field.

Record Order
Integer specifying The order that the record should be presented relative to the other fields. For example, a field with a value of 5 will be presented before a field with a value of 100.

Sort Order
Not used.

Required
Specifies whether the field is required to be entered by the user when it appears on an Add or Task page. For Integer, Float, Text, TextArea, or Date types this means that a blank value will not be allowed. For pulldown fields, this means that the user must select a value other than the initial value displayed on the form. You may wish to define the first element of a required pulldown with a value like "Please Select A Value" to indicate to the user they must select a value.

Init for Add & Task
Only valid for Date types. Specifies that the field should be automatically initialized to the current date/time if it appears on an Add or Task page.

Include on Add Page
Specifies whether the field should be presented on the Add record page.

Include on View Page
Specifies whether the field should be presented on the View page.

Include in Email Msg
Specifies whether the field should be included in the record description part of notification email sent by the system.

Include on Inet Page
Specifies whether the field should be presented on the Internet bug reporting page.