Create a Custom Object

Contents

• Overview
• Prerequisites
• Create a Custom Object
  • Enter Basic Information
  • Configure Numbering
  • Add Custom Fields
    • Field Information
    • Field Types
    • Reference Fields
    • Make a Field Required
    • Configure Field Visibility
• Save the Custom Object
• Manage Custom Object Fields
  • Edit a Custom Object Field
  • Delete a Custom Object Field
• Notes
• Related Topics

Overview

Custom Objects allow you to define data structures for business information that does not fit into Ordway's standard objects.

You can create a Custom Object by defining its basic information, configuring numbering, and adding custom fields. After you save the Custom Object, you can view and manage its configuration and fields.

Each Custom Object also includes system-managed fields that track record identification and audit information.

Prerequisites

Before creating a Custom Object:

• The Custom Objects feature must be enabled for your account.
• You must have access to Settings > Custom Objects.
• Determine the business information you want the Custom Object to store.
• Determine the fields required for the Custom Object.
• If the Custom Object will reference an existing Ordway object, identify the object to reference.

Create a Custom Object

1. Navigate to Setup > Custom Objects. The Custom Objects page is displayed.
    
2. Click ADD to create a custom object. The Add Custom Object page is displayed.
   
3. Enter the required information in the Basic Information section.
4. Configure the numbering settings.
5. Add custom fields.
6. Click SAVE. The Custom Object is created and its detail page is displayed.
   

Enter Basic Information

The Basic Information section defines the identity and configuration of the Custom Object.

Display Name

Enter a name that clearly identifies the purpose of the Custom Object. Example: Customer Onboarding

API Name

Enter the API name used to identify the Custom Object programmatically.

The API name:

• Must be unique.
• Can contain letters, numbers, and underscores.
• Must start with a letter.
• Cannot end with an underscore.
• Can contain a maximum of 50 characters.

Example: customer_onboarding

Description

Enter a description that explains what information the Custom Object is intended to store.

Example: Tracks customer onboarding and implementation information.

Menu Group

Select the menu group where the Custom Object should appear.

Available menu groups include:

• Products & Plans
• Contracts & Orders
• Operations
• Finance
• Platform
• Setup

Select the group that best matches the purpose of the Custom Object.

Example: For a Custom Object used to track customer onboarding activities, select Operations.

Active

The Active toggle determines whether the Custom Object is active.

For a new Custom Object that you want to use immediately, leave Active enabled.

Enabled for Reports

Enable Enabled for Reports if the Custom Object needs to be available for reporting.

Configure Numbering

Custom Object records can use automatic or manual numbering.

Use Numbering Type to select how records are numbered.

Available options:

• Auto
• Manual

Automatic Numbering

Select Auto to have Ordway automatically generate record numbers.

You can specify the Numbering Format used for generated record numbers.

Example

Manual Numbering

Select Manual when record numbers are provided manually.

When manual document numbering is used, the record name and ID are provided according to the configured numbering behavior.

Add Custom Fields

Custom fields define the business information stored in each Custom Object record.

To add a field:

1. In the Fields section, click ADD.
   
2. The Add Field dialog box is displayed.
   
3. Enter the field's basic information.
4. Configure the field settings. For more information, see [Field Information]. 
5. Click SAVE.
6. Repeat these steps to add additional fields.

Field Information

The Add Field dialog contains the following settings.

Field Types

The available Custom Object field types are:

Reference Fields

Use a Reference field when a Custom Object field needs to be associated with an existing Ordway object.

After selecting Reference as the field type, select the Reference Object.

Available reference objects include standard objects such as:

• Customers
• Subscriptions
• Quotes
• Chart of Accounts
• Usages
• Products
• Plans
• Billing Runs
• Invoices
• Payments
• Credits
• Refunds
• Financial Periods
• Orders

The available reference objects are determined by the Custom Object configuration.

Example

For a Custom Object called Customer Onboarding, create a reference field as follows:

This allows the onboarding record to reference an existing Customer rather than storing the customer as plain text.

Make a Field Required

To require users to provide a value for a field:

1. Open the Add Field dialog.
2. Configure the field.
3. Enable Required.
4. Save the field.

Required fields are identified in the Custom Object field configuration.

Configure Field Visibility

You can configure whether a field is displayed in the relevant table or associated views using the available visibility option.

For fields that support it:

• Enable Show in Table to display the field in the Custom Object table.
• For Reference fields, configure Show in Associated Tabs when you want the field available in associated views.

Save the Custom Object

After configuring the Custom Object:

1. Verify the required fields.
2. Verify the API name.
3. Verify the Menu Group.
4. Verify the numbering configuration.
5. Verify the fields and their types.
6. Click SAVE.

After the Custom Object is successfully created, Ordway displays the Custom Object detail page.

The detail page displays:
 

• Custom Object ID
• Display Name
• API Name
• Description
• Menu Group
• Status
• Enabled for Reports
• Numbering Type
• Numbering Format
• Custom Object fields

Result

After you save the Custom Object:

1. The Custom Object is created.
2. Ordway assigns a Custom Object ID.
3. The Custom Object appears in the selected Menu Group.
4. The configured fields are displayed on the Custom Object detail page.
5. System-generated fields are automatically available for the Custom Object.
6. The Custom Object is available for use according to its configuration, including reporting when Enabled for Reports is enabled.

Manage an Existing Custom Object

After creating a Custom Object, you can open it from the Custom Objects page to review or modify its configuration.

From the Custom Object detail page, you can use EDIT to modify the available configuration.

You can also add additional fields using ADD in the Fields section.

Edit a Custom Object Field

You can edit customer-created fields after they have been added to a Custom Object.

1. Open the required Custom Object.
2. In the Fields section, locate the field you want to modify.
   
3. Click the Actions menu for the field.
4. Select Edit.
5. Update the available field properties.
6. Click SAVE. A confirmation message indicates that the changes were saved successfully. 
   The updated field configuration is displayed in the Fields list.

Delete a Custom Object Field

You can delete customer-created fields that are no longer required.

1. Open the required Custom Object.
2. In the Fields section, locate the field you want to remove.
   
3. Click the Actions menu for the field.
4. Select Delete.
5. Confirm the deletion, if prompted. The field is removed from the Custom Object.

Notes

• Custom Objects are customer-defined and can be configured for business-specific requirements.
• A Custom Object can contain a maximum of 20 customer-defined fields, in addition to the system-generated fields automatically created by Ordway. 
• Custom Object API names must be unique.
• API names can contain letters, numbers, and underscores.
• API names must start with a letter and cannot end with an underscore.
• API names can contain a maximum of 50 characters.
• Reference fields can associate Custom Object data with existing Ordway objects.
• Ordway automatically creates system fields for record identification and audit information.
• System-generated fields cannot be edited or deleted.

Related Topics

• Custom Objects Overview