Defining user-defined fields

Training course

The user-defined fields (UDFs) found in RiSE are primarily useful as a way to capture additional properties of the content in content records, and to provide a controlled list of search criteria for use in RiSE only. These RiSE UDFs can be used in the following ways:

  • As a value added to the keywords <Meta> element of the rendered page for the content record, which enables the RiSE search engine to locate the content record by searching for the defined value. This function does not typically apply to web-based search engines, such as Google. This behavior is controlled by the Use in Search? property of an RiSE UDF.
  • As a search filter in AdvancedSearch content items, applied to the initial result set based on the tags and keywords specified in the search.
  • As both filtering criteria and sorting criteria in Content Tagged List content items. A date-oriented UDF can be used to filter the initial result set based on the chosen tags, and a different UDF of any type can be used to sort the the final result set.

Every UDF defined in RiSE is added as a new custom property to every content record, and can be displayed in a wide variety of formats, from a simple text field to a drop-down list, to a calendar control, to a set of radio buttons, and so on. In the advanced search panel rendered from an AdvancedSearch content item, the user-defined field appears exactly the same way that it does in content records. This enables RiSE website users to specify UDF values for advanced searches in the same manner that the UDF values are chosen when authoring content. For example, a date-oriented UDF will have a calendar control that makes it easy to select a date.

Creating new UDFs

Do the following to define user-defined fields:

  1. Go to RiSE > Maintenance > User defined fields.
  2. Select Add new field.
  3. Enter a User Defined Field Name.
  4. If the Use in Search? checkbox is selected, the value for the associated user-defined field is added to the <Meta> elements' keywords attribute of the rendered web page’s source code for a content record. Searches performed using the RiSE search engine can then locate the content record associated with the defined keywords, even though the keywords are not visible on the page (rendered content). This function does not apply to web-based search engines, such as Google.

    5. Note: Because this value is added to the keywords <Meta> element, the relevancy weighting of search results is affected by the SE.SearchKeywordHint field (Settings > RiSE > Search Configuration).

  5. Enter a numerical value for Sort Order. The Sort Order specifies the order in which this UDF appears in the total set of UDFs in the Properties section of content records. The value you specify must be in the range 1 to n, where n is the total number of UDFs defined in the system.

    6. If you delete a UDF or change this value for any UDF, the system automatically recalculates this value on all other UDFs to ensure that this value in all UDFs stay within the range 1 to n. Therefore, it's generally a good idea to double-check this value on all UDFs when you make these types of changes, because the automatic recalculation might change the original order.

  6. Select a Data Type. A drop-down of available data types for the property. This option yields the data type of the property on the object and in the database if the property is to be stored in the database. The drop-down is only available when creating a new object.
  7. Enter a numerical value for Length. This value is the maximum length of the data allowed in the property. It is the length of the data in the column in the database if the property is to be stored in the database. It is also the maximum length of the data input field for properties that display in the UI and have a maximum length as a parameter.
  8. If Is Required? is enabled, then all content records that are defined after this UDF definition is saved will require a non-blank value to be specified in the corresponding UDF in the content record. When cleared, the corresponding UDF in content records will be an optional field.
  9. Enter a Label that appears for this UDF in all content records.
  10. Select a Display Control. This drop-down specifies what data entry control should be used for this property. The choices available are not limited based on the data type of the property or whether the property references another object. Select an appropriate control for the data type.
  11. Enter a numerical value for Display Width (pixels). This value specifies the unit measurement, in pixels, of the width allotted to variable-entry Display Controls such as Text Field or Text Area.
  12. Enter a numerical value for Display Height (pixels). This value specifies the unit measurement, in pixels, of the height allotted to variable-entry Display Controls such as Text Field or Text Area.
  13. Enable Allow Multiple Selection? to specify that items in a list-based Display Control can be multi-selected. When cleared, only one list item can be selected at a time. This checkbox does not become active until after you select a list-based Display Control and click Save.
  14. The Display Orientation specifies the orientation of certain multiple-object Display Control types, such as Check Box(es) or Radio Buttons:
    • Horizontal – Arranges the display controls in left-to-right order.
    • Vertical – Arranges the display controls in a top-to-bottom order.
  15. Enter a numerical value for Display Columns. This specifies how many columns a multiple-object Display Control such as Check Box(es) or Radio Buttons should span if the selected Display Orientation is Horizontal. For example, if the Values section creates four checkboxes and the Display Columns value is 2, the UDF will be rendered with two rows of checkboxes, with two in each row.
  16. The Reference Object specifies the name of the iMIS business object that has the source properties used to populate the values for list-oriented Display Control types, such as Drop Down List or Radio Buttons. Use this field only in conjunction with the Value List option in the Values Come From area.
  17. The Default Value specifies a value that should be pre-filled or pre-selected in this UDF when a new content record is created.
  18. The Values come from specifies the source of the values for the UDF. The available choices depend on the type of Display Control.
    • Freeform data entry – Requires users to enter the value manually, such as for a Text Field or Text Area.
    • Query Object – Produces a discrete list of possible values for the UDF in a content record, based on the results of the IQA query that you select here. This choice is available only if the Display Control allows for list-oriented data entry, such as Drop Down List or Radio Buttons.
    • Value List – Produces a discrete list of possible values based on the contents of the Designer tab of the business object specified in References Object. This choice is available only if the Display Control allows for list-oriented data entry, such as Drop Down List or Radio Buttons.
      • Data Value – Specifies which property/field of the Query Object is stored when you make a selection.
      • Display Value – Specifies which property/field of the Query Object appears as the list-oriented labels in the user-defined field in content records.
  19. Click Save.

Using UDFs

Verify an iMIS RiSE user-defined field's appearance and behavior by doing the following:

  1. Go to RiSE > Page Builder > Manage content.
  2. Locate a content record and open it for edit.
  3. Click the Properties tab.
  4. The new UDF appears towards the bottom of the tab.

Note: When you add, change, or delete a UDF, existing content records and their rendered .aspx files do not reflect the changes until you edit the content record, specify the desired value for the user-defined field, then republish the content record.