Autovella is customized in Settings, Customization. Custom Fields add your own data to records, Record Types (in the Object Manager) separate different kinds of tasks, projects, deals, contacts or accounts, and Page Layouts decide which fields appear and which are required for each record type. You need Settings permissions to change any of this.
In this guide
Where customization livesHow to add a custom fieldCustomizing statuses, categories and typesHow to create a record typeHow to build a page layoutBest practices and troubleshootingFrequently asked questions
Where customization lives
Open Settings and look at the Customization group. It contains:
- Custom Fields: statuses, categories and extra fields per record type.
- Dashboards: which dashboard widgets each role sees, see Analytics and reports.
- Object Manager: record types and page layouts. This tab is visible to admins only.
- API Keys and, when enabled, Integrations.
Anyone with the Settings update permission can edit custom fields, statuses and the Settings configuration shown there. Creating and editing record types and page layouts also requires Settings update, and the Object Manager tab itself is shown to admins.
How to add a custom field
- Go to Settings, Customization, Custom Fields.
- Scroll to the section for the record you want to extend: Task Custom Fields, Project Custom Fields, Account Custom Fields, Contact Custom Fields, Invoice Custom Fields or Deal Custom Fields.
- Click Add Field.
- Type a Field name and choose a Type: Text, Text Area, Number, Date, Dropdown, Checkbox or Lookup.
- For a Dropdown, enter the choices in Dropdown options (comma-separated), for example Low, Medium, High. For a Lookup, pick the Lookup record type it should point to.
- Choose Who can see it: Everyone, Admins only or Admins + roles (then select the roles).
- Tick Required if users must fill it in.
- Click the section's save button, or the sticky Save All Changes bar to save every section at once.
Invoice custom fields can be referenced in your invoice templates, see Invoice and quote templates. Custom fields also appear as options in automation conditions, see Setting up automation rules.
Plan the name before you save. After a field is saved its name is locked, because stored values and access rules are tied to it. To rename, remove the field and add it again; values already stored stay on the records under the old name.
Limit: each record type can have up to 50 custom fields. A counter such as 12 / 50 shows how many you have used, and the button changes to Limit reached when you hit the maximum.
Customizing statuses, categories and types
The same Custom Fields tab holds list-style settings that most teams adjust first:
- Task Statuses and Project Statuses: click Add Status, name it, choose a colour, drag to reorder, mark one as Default (given to new records) and any as Completed (counted as done in reports and progress). Save with Save Task Statuses or Save Project Statuses.
- Expense Categories and Time Off Types: add or rename the options people pick when logging expenses or requesting leave.
Remember that automation rules and reports refer to status values, so review them after renaming a status.
Make Autovella fit your process
We can help you design fields, record types and layouts for your teams.
How to create a record type
A record type lets you treat different kinds of the same object differently, for example Bug, Feature and Story tasks, or Customer and Partner accounts. Record types are available for Task, Project, Deal, Contact and Account.
- Go to Settings, Customization, Object Manager (admin only).
- Choose the object in the Objects list on the left.
- Stay on the Record Types sub-tab and click + New Record Type.
- Enter a Name (required). The Developer Name is generated for you and must be unique per object, using letters, numbers and underscores.
- Add a Description, and choose a Page Layout or leave None (uses org default).
- Tick Set as default if new records should use it, and keep Active ticked, then save.
Autovella keeps a system record type called Master for each object. The list shows each type's page layout, status and which one is the default.
Where record types show up
- When you create an account, contact or deal and more than one active record type exists, a Select Record Type window lets you choose. With one or none it is skipped.
- On a record's detail page the Record Type row has a Change button.
- List views offer a Record Type filter.
You cannot delete a record type that records still use. The error names how many tasks, projects, accounts, contacts or deals depend on it, so reassign them first.
How to build a page layout
A page layout controls what a form looks like for a record type.
- In Object Manager, pick the object and open the Page Layouts sub-tab.
- Click + New Page Layout.
- Enter a Layout Name such as "Engineering Layout", an optional Description and review the generated Developer Name.
- Under Sections, tick Visible for the sections you want to show.
- Under Standard Fields, tick Visible and Required per field.
- Under Custom Fields, do the same for your custom fields. If the list is empty, add fields first in Settings, Customization, Custom Fields.
- Tick Set as org default layout to make it the default for that object, then save.
To use a layout, open a record type and choose it in Page Layout. Records of that type then follow its visible and required settings. A layout cannot be deleted while record types use it; reassign those record types first. Editing a layout opens as Edit Layout, and standard fields added to the platform after you last saved are merged in so they are not lost.
Best practices and troubleshooting
- Start small. Add only fields people will fill in, and mark fewer fields Required so forms stay quick.
- Use dropdowns over free text for anything you will filter or report on.
- A field is not showing? Check the page layout's Visible box, the field's Who can see it setting and the viewer's role. Field restrictions set on the field override role and permission set rules, see Roles, permissions and team sharing.
- Cannot add another field? You have reached 50 for that object; remove one you no longer use.
- Need to move many records into a new field? See Importing data into Autovella.
- Name your layouts and record types by audience (for example by team or customer type) so admins can tell them apart later.
Frequently asked questions
Go to Settings, Customization, Custom Fields. There are separate sections for tasks, projects, accounts, contacts, invoices and deals. Click Add Field, choose a type and save.
Up to 50 custom fields per record type, for example 50 on tasks and 50 on projects. A counter next to each section shows how many you have used.
No, a saved field's name is locked because stored values and access rules depend on it. Remove the field and add it again with the new name; existing values stay on records under the old name.
A record type classifies a record, such as a Bug task or a Partner account. A page layout decides which sections and fields are visible and required. Each record type points to one page layout.
The Object Manager tab under Settings, Customization is shown to admins, and creating or editing record types and layouts requires Settings update permission. It covers Task, Project, Deal, Contact and Account.
A record type cannot be deleted while tasks, projects, accounts, contacts or deals still use it, and a page layout cannot be deleted while any record type uses it. Reassign them first.