phorge-phorge/src/docs/user/configuration/custom_fields.diviner

@title Configuring Custom Fields
@group config

How to add custom fields to applications which support them.

= Overview =

Several Phabricator applications allow the configuration of custom fields. These
fields allow you to add more information to objects, and in some cases reorder
or remove builtin fields.

For example, you could use custom fields to add an "Estimated Hours" field to
tasks, a "Lead" field to projects, or a "T-Shirt Size" field to users.

These applications currently support custom fields:

| Application | Support |
|-------------|---------|
| Differential | Partial Support |
| Diffusion | Limited Support |
| Maniphest | Full Support |
| Owners | Full Support |
| People | Full Support |
| Projects | Full Support |

Custom fields can appear in many interfaces and support search, editing, and
other features.

= Basic Custom Fields =

To get started with custom fields, you can use configuration to select and
reorder fields and to add new simple fields.

If you don't need complicated display controls or sophisticated validation,
these simple fields should cover most use cases. They allow you to attach
things like strings, numbers, and dropdown menus to objects.

The relevant configuration settings are:

| Application | Add Fields | Select Fields |
|-------------|------------|---------------|
| Differential | Planned | `differential.fields` |
| Diffusion | Planned | Planned |
| Maniphest | `maniphest.custom-field-definitions` | `maniphest.fields` |
| Owners | `owners.custom-field-definitions` | `owners.fields` |
| People | `user.custom-field-definitions` | `user.fields` |
| Projects | `projects.custom-field-definitions` | `projects.fields` |

When adding fields, you'll specify a JSON blob like this (for example, as the
value of `maniphest.custom-field-definitions`):

  {
    "mycompany:estimated-hours": {
      "name": "Estimated Hours",
      "type": "int",
      "caption": "Estimated number of hours this will take.",
      "required": true
    },
    "mycompany:actual-hours": {
      "name": "Actual Hours",
      "type": "int",
      "caption": "Actual number of hours this took."
    },
    "mycompany:company-jobs": {
      "name": "Job Role",
      "type": "select",
      "options": {
        "mycompany:engineer": "Engineer",
        "mycompany:nonengineer": "Other"
      }
    },
    "mycompany:favorite-dinosaur": {
      "name": "Favorite Dinosaur",
      "type": "text"
    }
  }

The fields will then appear in the other config option for the application
(for example, in `maniphest.fields`) and you can enable, disable, or reorder
them.

For details on how to define a field, see the next section.

= Custom Field Configuration =

When defining custom fields using a configuration option like
`maniphest.custom-field-definitions`, these options are available:

  - **name**: Display label for the field on the edit and detail interfaces.
  - **description**: Optional text shown when managing the field.
  - **type**: Field type. The supported field types are:
    - **int**: An integer, rendered as a text field.
    - **text**: A string, rendered as a text field.
    - **bool**: A boolean value, rendered as a checkbox.
    - **select**: Allows the user to select from several options as defined
      by **options**, rendered as a dropdown.
    - **remarkup**: A text area which allows the user to enter markup.
    - **users**: A typeahead which allows multiple users to be input.
    - **date**: A date/time picker.
    - **header**: Renders a visual divider which you can use to group fields.
    - **link**: A text field which allows the user to enter a link.
  - **edit**: Show this field on the application's edit interface (this
    defaults to `true`).
  - **view**: Show this field on the application's view interface (this
    defaults to `true`). (Note: Empty fields are not shown.)
  - **search**: Show this field on the application's search interface, allowing
    users to filter objects by the field value.
  - **fulltext**: Index the text in this field as part of the object's global
    full-text index. This allows users to find the object by searching for
    the field's contents using global search.
  - **caption**: A caption to display underneath the field (optional).
  - **required**: True if the user should be required to provide a value.
  - **options**: If type is set to **select**, provide options for the dropdown
    as a dictionary.
  - **default**: Default field value.
  - **strings**: Allows you to override specific strings based on the field
    type. See below.
  - **instructions**: Optional block of remarkup text which will appear
    above the control when rendered on the edit view.
  - **placeholder**: A placeholder text that appears on text boxes. Only
    supported in text, int and remarkup fields (optional).
  - **copy**: If true, this field's value will be copied when an object is
    created using another object as a template.

The `strings` value supports different strings per control type. They are:

  - **bool**
    - **edit.checkbox** Text for the edit interface, no default.
    - **view.yes** Text for the view interface, defaults to "Yes".
    - **search.default** Text for the search interface, defaults to "(Any)".
    - **search.require** Text for the search interface, defaults to "Require".

Internally, Phabricator implements some additional custom field types and
options. These are not intended for general use and are subject to abrupt
change, but are documented here for completeness:

  - **Credentials**: Controls with type `credential` allow selection of a
    Passphrase credential which provides `credential.provides`, and creation
    of credentials of `credential.type`.
  - **Datasource**: Controls with type `datasource` allow selection of tokens
    from an arbitrary datasource, controlled with `datasource.class` and
    `datasource.parameters`.

= Advanced Custom Fields =

If you want custom fields to have advanced behaviors (sophisticated rendering,
advanced validation, complicated controls, interaction with other systems, etc),
you can write a custom field as an extension and add it to Phabricator.

NOTE: This API is somewhat new and fairly large. You should expect that there
will be occasional changes to the API requiring minor updates in your code.

To do this, extend the appropriate `CustomField` class for the application you
want to add a field to:

| Application | Extend  |
|-------------|---------|
| Differential | @{class:DifferentialCustomField} |
| Diffusion | @{class:PhabricatorCommitCustomField} |
| Maniphest | @{class:ManiphestCustomField} |
| Owners | @{class:PhabricatorOwnersCustomField} |
| People | @{class:PhabricatorUserCustomField} |
| Projects | @{class:PhabricatorProjectCustomField} |

The easiest way to get started is to drop your subclass into
`phabricator/src/extensions/`. If Phabricator is configured in development
mode, the class should immediately be available in the UI. If not, you can
restart Phabricator (for help, see @{article:Restarting Phabricator}).

For example, this is a simple template which adds a custom field to Maniphest:

  name=ExampleManiphestCustomField.php
  <?php

  final class ExampleCustomField extends ManiphestCustomField {

    public function getFieldKey() {
      return 'example:test';
    }

    public function shouldAppearInPropertyView() {
      return true;
    }

    public function renderPropertyViewLabel() {
      return pht('Example Custom Field');
    }

    public function renderPropertyViewValue(array $handles) {
      return phutil_tag(
        'h1',
        array(
          'style' => 'color: #ff00ff',
        ),
        pht('It worked!'));
    }

  }

Broadly, you can then add features by overriding more methods and implementing
them. Many of the native fields are implemented on the custom field
architecture, and it may be useful to look at them. For details on available
integrations, see the base class for your application and
@{class:PhabricatorCustomField}.

= Next Steps =

Continue by:

  - learning more about extending Phabricator with custom code in
    @{article@phabcontrib:Adding New Classes};
  - or returning to the @{article: Configuration Guide}.