In part 2 of this series, we explored User-Defined Fields that were introduced in Acumatica 2018 R2. UDF, in short, allows custom information to be captured on the data entry form. This feature was enhanced in 2020 R2 for each form that has UDF configured, allowing users to specify whether each attribute is required or hidden based on document type.
In Edit mode, Acumatica groups added attributes into the User Defined Fields tab. A second tab called Visibility provides options to make individual attribute required or hidden in relations to document type of the UFD-enabled form. For instance, there are 5 document types associated with Invoices and Memos. Attributes can be hidden except for specific document type. The Required option can also be selected if the attribute should be mandatory.
Every new feature will have some constraints, UDF is no exception. Listed below are a few that we found:
1. Manage UDF’s screen is not customizable. Users can only add and position fields but cannot change caption or add new label section (more complex changes in Customization Editors).
2. These fields are added to the header level of a form but not exposed in Notifications. This means they cannot add any notification emails.
3. Attributes are not custom fields. The latter is managed through Customization Editors.
To recap, Acumatica Attributes can be assigned to classes for some entities or directly to UDF-enabled forms for other entities. For a complete list of entity classes and forms, search for Managing Attributes and User-Defined Fields in Acumatica’s Educational Resources.
Eric.