Overview
The User-Defined Column Details page allows creating up to 20 report columns based on fields in your events. Each report column can be one of two types. The first non-blank value is drawn from up to three different fields, with a default text label if no value exists. Alternatively, a column can be a combination of multiple columns.
- Click Add New to create a new user-defined column.
- Existing custom columns are listed in a table.
- Click a column to edit it.
- Click the delete control to remove it.
- The custom columns added here are available on the Columns page to add to the report.
Column details and types
A User-Defined Column is constructed from Certain fields or from free-text, or from a combination of multiple fields. A user-defined column can be one of two types:
- The first non-blank value from up to three fields, with a default label if no value exists.
- A combination of multiple fields merged into a single column.
Column Name
Column Name is the name of the column as it should appear in all report screens, up to a maximum of 25 characters.
Column Definition
Column Definition is where the fields used to build the user-defined column are specified. A user-defined column is defined as either a database field or free-text, or multiple columns combined into a single column. This section allows selection from the same fields as those that appear on the Groups page.
Display the first non-blank from
Display the first non-blank from up to three drop-down lists, plus a free-text field.
- Select this option if the custom column is pulling from one or more Certain fields, and will return the first non-blank value for each record in this order.
- If no value exists for the record in the field specified you can enter a label in the free-text field to display in the report (instead of an empty cell) such as "[blank]" or "missing".
Example:
- State/Province
- or: Province/District
- or: City
- or: [blank]
This example column would return:
- State/Province for records that have a value for that field
- Province/District for records that do not have a State/Province
- City for records that have neither State/Province nor Province/District
- the text "[blank]" for records that do not have values for State/Province, Province/District, or City
Combine two or more columns
Use this option to combine two or more Certain columns into a single report column.
- For example: list registrant's full name in a single column.
- You could do this by first selecting Prefix in the drop-down list and clicking Append, then First Name and Append, and again for Last Name, and then for Suffix.
- The field below the Append section will show: "<{Prefix}><{First Name}><{Last Name}><{Suffix}>".
- You can add spaces between fields for proper formatting.
Note:
- A user-defined column must have at least one column selected or at least one character entered in the free-text form field.
- Once the user-defined column is created it can be added to the report in the Reports > Columns section.
User-Defined Column (continued)
- Column Name – The name of the column as it should appear in all report screens, up to a maximum of 25 characters.
- Column Definition – This section is where you specify which Certain field(s) will make up a user-defined column, or create a column that consolidates several columns into a single column in your report output (saving the steps of merging cells in a separate application). Here you can select from the same fields as those that appear on the Groups page. A custom column is defined as either a database field or free-text, or multiple columns combined into a single column.
- Display the first non-blank from (3 drop-down lists, plus a free-text field) – Select this option if the custom column is pulling from one or more Certain fields, and will return the first non-blank value for each record in this order. If no value exists for the record in the field specified you can enter a label in the free-text field to display in the report (instead of an empty cell) such as '[blank]' or 'missing'.
- Example outputs and notes are provided to illustrate behavior.
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