Modifying, Merging, or Deleting Fields

After a field has been created, you may want to modify how the field has been configured. This can be performed from the Field Properties dialog box on the Field Properties page.

Note:  If you modify the properties of a field that is used in a client-side application, such as Outlook Options in the Windows client, or an integration or customization, you may encounter problems when the application or integration attempts to access that field.

You will need the Modify Templates and Fields privilege or the Modify Field field access right for that field.

To modify a field

  1. Start the Laserfiche Administration Console.
  2. In the console tree, expand the desired Laserfiche Server.
  3. Select the desired Laserfiche repository.
  4. If security has been enabled on that repository, log in as any user who has been granted the Modify Templates and Fields privilege or the Modify Field field access right.
  5. Expand the Metadata Management node.
  6. Select the Fields node.

  7. Double-click the field to modify. The Field Properties dialog box will appear.
  8. Select the property to change and make the change.
  9. Repeat step 8 as desired.
  10. Click OK to modify the field.

To modify a field 

  1. Open the web client management page. Sign in as any user who has been granted the Modify Templates and Fields privilege or the Modify Field field access right.
  2. Under Metadata, select Fields.
  3. Click on the field name for the field you want to modify.
  4. Select the property to change and make the change.
  5. Repeat step 4 as desired.
  6. Click Save to modify the field.

Merging fields

You can merge multiple fields into a single field after they have been created. This is useful if you have created fields in more than one template, realize that they store the same or similar information, and want to streamline them. When you merge fields, Laserfiche will create a new field and migrate all values from the merged fields into the new field. Laserfiche will then delete the original fields, leaving the repository with a single new field containing all original field values, allowing users to search and select fields more efficiently.

For instance, you might create two templates, one with a Client Phone Number field and one with a Customer Phone Number field.  You might also independently create a Phone Number field and later decide to streamline your repository by merging these fields into a single Phone Number field. You could do so with field merging. The process will preserve the original values in the three fields, but consolidate them into a single field, making it easier to search and to select fields from a list.

You will need the Modify Templates and Fields privilege to merge fields.

To merge fields

  1. Start the Laserfiche Administration Console.
  2. In the console tree, expand the desired Laserfiche Server.
  3. Select the desired Laserfiche repository.
  4. If security has been enabled on that repository, log in as any user who has been granted the Modify Templates and Fields privilege.
  5. Expand the Metadata Management node.
  6. Select the Fields node.



  7. Select the fields to merge. Use the CTRL key to select multiple fields.
  8. From the Action menu, select All Tasks and Merge Fields. This will open the Merge Fields dialog box. ClosedClick to view screenshot.

  9. Under Name, type the name of the new, merged field.
  10. Under Type, select the type of the field. The type you select should be compatible with all of the fields to be merged. For instance, if you are merging a Number and Long Integer field, you should select Number, as it will be able to handle both types of fields.
    • If you have selected the List type, you can click the Edit List button to modify the list options. The new list will contain all list items from the previous fields.
  11. Optional: You can set a default value under Default value. Any existing default values for the selected fields will be automatically listed.
  12. Select Allow multiple values to create the new field as a multi-value field. This will also allow you to store more than one existing value in the repository in the new, merged field.
  13. Select Required to create the field as a required field.
  14. Click the Constraint button to set a field constraint. See Restricting Field Data to a Particular Format for more information.
  15. If a single entry has more than one of the fields to be merged, choose how to handle them. Under Conflict Resolution, choose how to handle this conflict.
    • To save all existing values as a multi-value field, ensure that the Allow multiple values option has been selected and choose Retain both values.
    • To cancel the merge process if a conflict is encountered, select Cancel merge and display error.
    • To use one field's value and discard the other, select Use field Field value, where Field is the name of the field whose value you want to retain.
  16. Click OK to merge the fields.

To merge fields

  1. Open the web client management page and sign in as any user who has been granted the Modify Templates and Fields privilege.
  2. Under Metadata, select Fields.
  3. Select the fields to merge.
  4. Click the Merge Fields button. This will open the Merge Fields dialog box.If you do not see the Merge Fields button, click the More Actions button to see more toolbar buttons.
  5. Under Name, type the name of the new, merged field. ClosedClick to view screenshot.
  6. Optional: Type a description of the field under Description.
  7. Under Type, select the type of the field. The type you select should be compatible with all of the fields to be merged. For instance, if you are merging a Number and Long Integer field, you should select Number, as it will be able to handle both types of fields.
    • If you have selected the List type, you can modify the list options. The new list will contain all list items from the previous fields.
  8. Optional: You can set a default value under Default value. Any existing default values for the selected fields will be automatically listed.
  9. Select Allow multiple values to create the new field as a multi-value field. This will also allow you to store more than one existing value in the repository in the new, merged field.
  10. Select Required for all templates to make the field required when it is part of a template.
  11. If a single entry has more than one of the fields to be merged, choose how to handle them. Under Conflict Resolution, choose how to handle this conflict.
    • To save all existing values as a multi-value field, ensure that the Allow multiple values option has been selected and choose Retain all values.
    • To cancel the merge process if a conflict is encountered, select Cancel merge and display error.
    • To use one field's value and discard the other, select Use "Field"'s value, where Field is the name of the field whose value you want to retain.
  12. Click OK to merge the fields.

Deleting fields

You can delete a field when it is no longer needed, and it will be removed from all templates and documents to which it has been applied. Be aware that this will also delete all values stored in those fields.

To delete a field

  1. Start the Laserfiche Administration Console.
  2. In the console tree, expand the desired Laserfiche Server.
  3. Select the desired Laserfiche repository.
  4. If security has been enabled on that repository, log in as any user who has been granted the Delete Field field right for the field to delete, or the Manage Templates and Fields privilege for the specified repository.
  5. Expand the Metadata Management node.
  6. Select the Fields node.
  7. Select the field to delete.
  8. Do one of the following:
    • Press the DELETE key.
    • From the Action menu, select Delete.
  1. When prompted, confirm the deletion of the selected field.

To delete a field

  1. Open the web client management page. Sign in as any user who has been granted the Manage Templates and Fields privilege for the specified repository.
  2. Under Metadata, select Fields.
  3. Select one or more fields to delete.
  4. Click the Delete button.
  5. When prompted, confirm the deletion of the selected field.