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:
| Setting | Available choices |
|---|---|
| Who can see this field | Admin, Member (self), or Community |
| Who can edit this field | Admin 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.
Choose the two settings for the outcome you need:
| If you want to… | Who can see this field | Who can edit this field |
|---|---|---|
| Keep an internal note or membership detail for admins | Admin | Admin |
| Let members maintain information that only they and admins can see | Member (self) | Member (self) |
| Show a member-provided detail, such as an area of expertise, to other members | Community | Member (self) |
Admins can update field values in member accounts. Selecting Member (self) for editing lets members update their own value; it does not decide who else can see that value. Selecting Community for visibility does not let other members edit it.
Create a custom field
- Select Manage > Community > Custom fields.
- Select Add.
- Enter the member-facing Name.
- Review the Internal field identifier (not visible). coapp starts it with
cf_and generates it from the name; you can adjust it before saving. - Select a Field Type: text, number, date, yes/no, select, multi select, or link.
- For select or multi select, enter the available values separated by commas.
- Choose who can see and edit the field.
- Optionally enable Use for matching so its data can contribute to member matching. This does not change who can see or edit the field.
- Enter the Position to control its ordering.
- Select Save.
Free includes three profile fields. Starter, Professional, and Business include unlimited profile fields. When the limit is reached, Add opens the plan prompt instead of the creation form.
Edit a custom field
- Open Manage > Community > Custom fields.
- Select the field's row.
- Update its name, select options, visibility, editability, matching use, or position.
- 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
- Select the field's row.
- Select Delete.
- 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
Members encounter custom fields in profiles, not in a separate custom-fields area. On their own profile, a member selects Edit profile to view the fields available to them and, where permitted, enter or update a value. The field's visibility label also appears beneath the field in the editor.
When members open another member's profile, custom fields with Community visibility appear with the profile details. Fields with Member (self) visibility appear only to the member whose profile contains the value and to admins. Fields with Admin visibility do not appear to members.
A member can update their own value only when Who can edit this field is set to Member (self). Community visibility lets other members view the value; it does not let them change it. Admins can see applicable custom fields in the member account and use them as columns or filters in the member list.
The current custom-field management form does not add a field to the registration form.