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Create and manage custom member fields

Custom fields let a community collect structured member information beyond the standard profile. For example, you can record a department, area of expertise, membership number, availability, or interests. The field's settings determine whether only admins, the member, or the whole community can see its value.

Visibility and editing​

Treat visibility and editability as separate decisions:

SettingAvailable choices
Who can see this fieldAdmin, Member (self), or Community
Who can edit this fieldAdmin or Member (self)

Member (self) means the value is available to admins and the member whose profile contains it. Community makes the value visible to other members where custom profile fields are shown. A field does not become publicly visible to signed-out visitors through these settings.

Create a custom field​

  1. Select Manage > Community > Custom fields.
  2. Select Add.
  3. Enter the member-facing Name.
  4. Review the Internal field identifier (not visible). coapp starts it with cf_ and generates it from the name; you can adjust it before saving.
  5. Select a Field Type: text, number, date, yes/no, select, multi select, or link.
  6. For select or multi select, enter the available values separated by commas.
  7. Choose who can see and edit the field.
  8. Optionally enable Use for matching so its data can contribute to member matching.
  9. Enter the Position to control its ordering.
  10. Select Save.

The number of custom fields can be limited by the community's plan. When the limit is reached, Add opens the plan prompt instead of the creation form.

Edit a custom field​

  1. Open Manage > Community > Custom fields.
  2. Select the field's row.
  3. Update its name, select options, visibility, editability, matching use, or position.
  4. Select Save.

The internal identifier and field type are read-only after creation. If the stored data needs a different type, create a new field and plan how to move the information before deleting the old one.

Delete a custom field​

  1. Select the field's row.
  2. Select Delete.
  3. Confirm the warning.

Deleting a custom field also deletes its values from member profiles and cannot be undone. Export or otherwise preserve information you still need before confirming.

How members encounter custom fields​

Admins can see applicable custom fields in the member account and use them as columns or filters in the member list. Members see or edit a field only when its visibility and editability permit it. The current custom-field management form does not add a field to the registration form.