Design descriptions, groups, and conditions
Define a question owner and meaning once. Use Description, Field Group, Forms, and Show When to create a clear form.
A good form has clear value ownership. It does not need many questions. Define each question once in Custom fields. Connect it to the forms that need it.
Read the video steps
- Open the customer field Consultation goal.
- Review its Description, Field Group, and Forms scope.
- Open the reservation field Consultation type.
- Check that its saved option gates a follow-up in the same group.
1. Select the value owner
Choose Target by how long the value lasts, not by where it appears.
| Question | Target | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation goal, language, or interests | Customers | Keep the value for later visits. |
| Consultation type, visit reason, or party size | Reservations | The value can change for every request. |
| Conversation category or agent note | Conversations | The value belongs to one conversation. |
Do not create the same question for Customers and Reservations.
2. Separate Key and Label
Key is the stable name used by storage, table filters, and workflows. Use a clear key such as
consultation_goal. Label is the readable name. You can improve a label later. Keep a used key
stable while it has the same meaning.
Do not create customer custom fields that duplicate the name, email, or phone basic fields.
3. Let Kind set the input, validation, and filter
| Value | Kind | Shared behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Short string | Text | String validation and text search |
| Long answer | Text Area | Multiline input and text search |
| Structured long context | Markdown | The same Markdown editor and display in public and dashboard forms |
| One limited value | Select | Option validation, table filter, and condition gate |
| Several limited values | Multi Select | Multiple selection, contains filter, and array validation |
| Date | Date | Date input and exact filter |
| Yes or no | Switch | Boolean input, filter, and condition gate |
| Number | Number | Number validation and exact filter |
| File | File | The same upload and link display in public and dashboard forms |
Email and phone use the provided customer basic fields. Internal reference kinds such as Member, Entity, and Organization never appear in a customer form. File stores a public URL. Do not use it for sensitive identity or medical documents.
4. Write a useful Description
Do not repeat the label. Explain why you need the value, what to include, whether several values are allowed, or how the team will use it.
Good: Describe what you want to decide or resolve during this consultation.
Weak: Enter your consultation goal.
5. Group one thought at a time
Use the exact same Field Group name for related questions. Two or three clear groups are usually enough. A separate group for every field creates more headings than questions.
Profile Then Insert combines customer basic fields and customer custom fields under Contact
details. Reservation basic fields use the Reservation section. The configured reservation custom
fields use the Consultation details group.
6. Set the Forms scope
| Forms value | Customer-form scope | Other surfaces |
|---|---|---|
| Empty | All named forms and base landing input | Also available to general AI, tables, and workflows |
| One or more forms | Only the selected forms | Still available to tables and workflows |
Use an empty scope only when the field has one meaning across channels. For a campaign or one intake flow, search and select real forms. Free text cannot create an unknown form.
7. Add one condition level
Use a Select or Switch as the gate. Set gate_key=value on the follow-up.
consultation_type: select [Career, Study, Other]
other_topic: textarea
show_when: consultation_type=Other
required: trueKeep the gate and follow-up in the same Target, Form, and Field Group. Do not condition the gate or nest conditions. A hidden follow-up does not run required validation and is not saved.
Check the result
- Reopen the field. Check its Description, Field Group, Forms chips, and condition.
- Check its label, helper text, group, and condition in the public form.
- Show and filter the custom-field column in Customers or Reservations.
- Use
custom.<key>with synthetic data in Workflows.
The definition is complete when all four surfaces use the same meaning and options.