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Field Menu

The field menu allows you customise specific fields in your record types in Calm and create your own fields. All the fields available for each record type in the database you have opened in the Admin program are shown under the field menu options, not just those fields that appear in your record type at the present time. The following options are available from the field drop down menu in Admin.

Before using the options under the field menu ensure that the database you wish to customise or create fields for is the one you currently have open in Admin. You may open the correct database using the Open option from the File drop down menu in Admin.

Define Types

This option allows you to create your own fields.

Axiell strongly advise you to use this option with care, as there are routines in Calm that use specific fields, for example for reports, OAI or data extraction. Please also bear in mind, if you export your data, other Calm users will not have the fields you have created. Before creating new fields it is advisable to check the list of fields already available.

To create a new field:

  • Select Define Types from the Field drop down menu,
    • the following dialogue box is shown:

  • Click the Add... button

  • Enter the name of your new field, choose its type (see the field type pages for details) and press OK.

This field can now be used in the same way as any other in Calm, including being added to a record type.

Order/Group

The Field Order/Group option allows you to change the order of fields in a database. You may have noticed that whenever a field is added to a record, it always goes in the same location relative to other fields. This option allows you to control that order. For example, if you believe that NormalLocation is important information that belongs at the top of the record, you can move it up in this dialogue box, perhaps close to the ObjectNumber or RefNo fields.

Changing the field order will affect every record and record type in the database. The field's order will be changed on both existing records and new records.

The way that Calm keeps track of the field order is by assigning each field a number. For example, Title may be 120.10 and Artist may be 118.20, which would mean that Title would be displayed below Artist on a record. In the Field Order/Group dialogue box, each field is grouped by 10s (so every field in the 120s is shown together). The Expand All and Collapse All buttons open and close every single group, respectively. You will probably find it most useful to click the Expand All button (if the groups are not already expanded) and work with all groups at once.

There are two ways to find a field you are interested in moving. Before doing this, be sure you have clicked Expand All to view all fields:

  • Click and drag the scroll bar to find the field.

  • Click any field in the list (it doesn't matter which one) and then begin typing the name of the field you would like to find. You will be jumped to the location of the field in the list.

Once you have found the field you wish to move, there are two ways to change the field order:

  • Click a field to select it in the list, then click the Move Up or Move Down buttons to change its position. Please note: This can only change the position of a field within a group. The field cannot be moved up or down into other groups (e.g. if Title is in the 120s, it cannot be moved into the 110s this way).

  • Click the field you wish to move and then, still holding down the mouse button, drag it to where in the list of fields you would like it to go.

Make a Group of Fields

To make your own group, click the Make Group button. A new group will be added at the bottom of the Order/Group dialogue box. Groups can be clicked and dragged just like fields, so you can scroll to the bottom of the Order/Group dialogue box and then drag the new group to the position you would like it, then add fields to it by clicking and dragging.

Widths

If you find that the width of the fields in your Calm records are inappropriate, either the field is too large or too small for the data you wish to enter, you may alter the field width using this option. This option controls the visible width of the fields, without affecting the data that is stored:

  • Select the field that you wish to change the width for in the Fields list

  • Use the Radio buttons to alter the field width, choose Full for a full screen width or one of the other buttons such as Half or Third for a fraction of a full screen width

  • To set a specific field width in Pixels use the Fixed Width option and type the number of pixels required into the box available

  • Click OK to set the new field widths

Hide/Show in OPAC

Currently, this option affects which fields are searched on CalmView's any text field search. Fields set as 'Visible' are searched, and fields set as 'Hidden' are not searched. More information is available in the CalmView manual. If you are not using CalmView or any other Axiell web server module, you can ignore this option.

The Hide/Show in OPAC option consists of a column of Visible and a column of Hidden fields. To change the lists of visible and hidden fields:

  • Highlight the field you wish to move in the Visible or Hidden column

  • Use the Show and Hide buttons to move the fields between the two columns as appropriate

  • Click OK to confirm the new settings

Previously, Calm incorporated a public view facility called OPAC which was used to allow the general public to access the system and look at selected data, if required. There was also a customisable Internet/Intranet front end for Calm called DServe. If you are using either of these systems the Hide/Show in OPAC option allows you to define which fields are Visible and Hidden when members of the public view your records. Please note however that if you are using DServe it is also possible to set a DServe parameter which will define which fields are publicly available.

Comment

Field comments may be set as a guide to those filling in the fields in Calm. They may contain examples or guidelines to help your staff complete the fields. Some comments have already been added, for example sometimes where the field in question has a specific rule from a set of professional standards associated with it, or if the field is a System field (a field required by Calm). You may customise existing comments, remove them or add new comments to fields which do not have them.

To add, remove or change a field comment:

  • Highlight the field you wish to work with in the field list, any comment that exists will be shown in the Comment window, if there is no comment then the Comment window will be blank

  • Place your cursor in the comment window and type as normal to add, delete or edit the comment. Please note that to create a new paragraph using a "Carriage Return" you must hold down the CONTROL key on your keyboard and press the RETURN key. Pressing the RETURN key alone will close the Comment dialogue box and save any changes you have made.

  • Click OK to save your changes

When using Calm, field comments will "pop up" if you hold your mouse over the field in question. You can stop comments from popping up by deselecting Show Field Tips under Options on the View drop down menu in Calm. A static view of the comment may also be displayed by placing your cursor in the field in question and selecting View Comment from the Field drop down menu.

Default Content

The Default Content facility is used to place the same content automatically into a field every time a new record is created in which the field in question appears. It is most frequently used in the Repository field, you may set the Default Content of this field to the name of your organisation to save you from having to type it each time you create a new record. You may find that some fields have been set with a sample default content when you first use Calm. To set or change default content:

  • Select the field you wish to work with in the Fields column

  • Enter the Default Content you require in the Default column

  • Click OK to set your default content

When you next create a new record that includes this field, the default content you have set will automatically be displayed. This will affect all new records you create, but will not replace the content of this field in existing records.

Font

The Font option in the Admin program allows you to change and customise the font for individual fields in your record types. This will affect the content you type into the field, rather than the field label. You may make use of this facility in order to highlight certain important fields in your Calm records by altering the size and colour of the font to make them stand out.

To customise the font of a field:

  • Select the field you wish to work with in the Fields column, the name of the current font is shown in the Font section

  • You may use the Capitalization section to enforce Capitals, Lower Case or Initial Capitals on the text in the selected field if required. Please note that leaving the Capitalization option as Normal will allow you to type capitals and lower case as normal into the selected field.

  • Click the Font button, the Font dialogue box is displayed

  • Use the Font column to select a new font for the field if required

  • Use the Font Style and Font Size options to customise the appearance of your text. Once you have selected a Font, a Style and a Size you will see a sample of your new font in the Sample box

  • Select the Strikeout option to display text with a line through it or the Underscore option to displayed the text with a line under it

  • Use the Colour dropdown list to alter the colour of your font

  • Click OK to set the Options and close the Font box

  • Click OK to confirm the options and close the Field Font dialogue box

The changes you make to the font will affect all new and existing records. If you wish to change the font for all the fields in Calm, or for the field labels, see the View Options.

Label

The label is the name of the field that is displayed on the record screen in Calm, it is also used when searching on fields in Calm and for all fields in DServe. It is possible to change the label for any field in Calm, however this feature is most often used to change the labels of UserDefinable fields which have been added into the Calm record types. Although changing a field label will change the label you see in Calm and DServe, the Admin program will always use the "real" field name, therefore it is very important to make a note of any changes you make to field labels.

There are now three forms of the field name in Calm. Note the practical difference for customers here is only significant if you are running Calm in non-default (English) language mode. The system field name, which is defined in the .DEF file; required for DScribe Natural Imports and Exports; required for CalmView; can be used in Formatted exports; appears in Admin The localised field name, which appears in the .lang files and is updated by the translation manager. This allows field names to be translated into any language supported by the Calm translation manager. The customer-defined field label, which is stored in the database.UDF file; this is applied by customers using Admin; it can be used in Formatted reports. The label which appears in Calm itself is based on the reverse order above i.e. a field name defined in the Admin Field options takes precedence over a field name set in the translation option and which takes precedence over the system field.

To change the label of a field:

  • Select the field you wish to work with in the Fields column

  • Type a new label for the field in the Label section. Please note that you must not use punctuation in field labels in Calm. If you use spaces in field labels, they will automatically be replaced by underscores. Spaces OR underscores will display in labels on record screens and the query by form search dialogue box in Calm and in all field labels in DServe, depending on the option you have set in View Options.

  • Click OK to save the changes

Once you have re-labelled a field, the original name will appear in brackets after the new field label in the status bar in Calm i.e. Label(fieldname) when you have the cursor in the field.

Picklist

Picklists are lists of valid contents for particular fields in a Calm database. They enable you to improve consistency and make searching more efficient by encouraging and enforcing the use of valid terms only in fields for which picklists have been set. Picklists may be set to appear as "pop-up" or "drop-down" lists in Calm. Drop down picklist fields are displayed with a drop down arrow which is clicked to display the picklist, whereas pop-up picklist fields must be typed into or double clicked in to display the picklist.  It is impossible to type into a drop down picklist field, whereas pop up picklists allow users to type into the picklist field.

Image of a picklist popping up in the AccessStatus field Image of picklist dropping down in the Accessioned field
A pop-up picklist A drop-down picklist

For example the UserType field in the Users database might have valid entries of Staff, Guest, or Temp. These can be added to a picklist. If you type any other word in the UserType field (or misspell one of the permitted names), the following warning message will appear:

Image of picklist contents not found dialogue box

  • If you click Yes, you are returned to the record and you can correct the invalid field.

  • If you click No, the record is stored with the invalid field entry. You will be warned about this entry each time you edit this record, unless you add it to the Picklist.

  • If you click No to all, Calm will save the record without validating it further. 

Please Note: This checking will only take place if you have set Picklist in the Validation options.

Picklists may be added, removed or edited using the Admin program.

To edit a picklist in Admin:

  • Select the field you wish to work with in the Fields column, the picklist for the field is displayed in the Picklist column

  • To edit the picklist place your cursor in the Picklist column and edit, type or delete the picklist entries as required. You must type one picklist entry per line. Terms in the picklist in Calm are displayed in the order that they are entered into the picklist. Previously they were forced into alphabetical order.

  • Select the Pop-up or Drop-Down radio button to have the picklist display as either a pop-up or drop down list

  • Click OK to save the changes

To add a new picklist to a field that does not already have one:

  • Click the Add button in the Picklist dialogue box, the Choose field dialogue box is displayed

  • Select the field you wish to add a picklist to and click OK

  • You will be returned to the picklist dialogue box, the field you selected has now been added to the list of Picklist fields

  • With the field you wish to add the picklist to highlighted in the field column, place your cursor in the picklist column

  • Type one picklist entry per line.

  • Select the Pop-up or Drop-Down radio button to have the picklist display as either a pop-up or drop down list

  • Click OK to save the changes

To stop a field from having a picklist and make it into a "free text" field:

  • Select the field you wish to work with in the Fields column, the picklist for the field is displayed in the Picklist column

  • Click the Delete button in the Picklist dialogue box

  • Calm will display a message asking you if you are sure you want to stop the field from having a picklist, to delete the picklist, click Yes, the field will be removed from the list of Picklist fields.

Please note that this does not delete the field from your Calm records, but simply stops the field from being a picklist field. Any data already in that field on records in your database will remain on those records.

To add an entry to a picklist:

  • Run the Admin program

  • First, open the database that contains the field you wish to change the picklist for. Click on the File drop-down menu, then Open. Click on the database in the list shown, then click OK.

  • The Picklist option is found on the Field drop-down menu. Click Field, then Pick List...

  • A dialogue box appears.

  • In the left hand box highlight the field which you wish to amend the picklist for, by clicking on it.

  • In the right hand box, enter or change the data (of the picklist).

  • To finish, press OK.

More information on using Picklist fields is found in the Fields section of this guide.

Serial Number

A Serial Number field is a field with an incremental, unique content which is assigned to the field by Calm. Serial numbers are either added automatically by Calm when a new record is created, as in the NameCode field in the Names database, or inserted by users where required as with the AccNo field in Archive Accession records.

You can assign a prefix, rolling serial number and suffix to any field which has been predefined as a Serial Number field. It is not possible to make a field into a Serial Number field if is is not one already. Only existing serial number fields will be shown in the list of fields in the Serial Number dialogue box.

To edit a serial number field:

  • Select the field you wish to work with in the Field column; the Prefix, Next Number and Suffix for the field is displayed in the Picklist column. Please note that in some cases there may be no prefix or suffix set.

  • You may type into the Prefix, Suffix and Next Number sections to alter the Serial Number. Please note that Serial Numbers must be unique. You must avoid setting a Serial Number which will duplicate those of existing records.

  • Click OK to set the serial number

Whenever a new record is created in which the field is present Calm will assign the next number you have set here and increment it by one. Please Note that some Serial Number fields, such as AccNo in Archive Accession records and EntryNumber in Museum Entry Records, are not automatically completed by Calm. In these fields you may insert the number by placing your cursor in the field in question and clicking the INSERT key on your keyboard; however you may also type a unique entry manually into these fields.

Please Note: The only way to change which number is assigned to the next new record is to alter the serial number system from this option on the Field drop down menu in the Admin program.

More information on Serial Number fields and other Numerical Fields is found in the Fields section of this guide.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary lists are similar to picklists and are added, edited and removed in the same way. However when a Vocabulary field is used in Calm, you may choose to enter more than one item from the Vocabulary list into a single field, unlike a picklist field into which you may enter only one item from the picklist.

For example, you may wish to set a Vocabulary list for the field Materials in the Catalogue database if items in your collection are likely to be made of more than one material. A Vocabulary list for the Materials field might contain the words: Wood, Leather, Vellum, Glass, Parchment and Paper. If you catalogue an item made of leather and parchment, you would be able to choose both items to complete the field, not just one.

More information on using Vocabulary fields is found in the Fields section of this guide.

Authority

An Authority field in Calm is a field which, when you type into it, has a "pop-up" list which is displayed to prompt you with possible entries for the field in question. Usually this Authority list is taken from previous entries in the field in question itself, however another field may also be used as the source for the Authority list.

Several fields are defined as Authority fields by default, however you may make an existing Authority field into a free text field, change the field from which an Authority is taken, or make a free text field into an Authority field using this option in the Admin program.

To change an Authority field into a free text field:

  • Select the field you wish to work with in the Authority column, in the Authority Fields dialogue box

  • Click the button with the right-facing chevrons to move the field from the Authority Column into the Free Text column

  • Click OK, the field will no longer be displayed as an Authority field in Calm.

To make a Free Text field into an Authority Field:

  • Select the field you wish to work with in the Free Text column, in the Authority Fields dialogue box

  • Click the button with the left-facing chevrons to move the field from the Free text Column into the Authority column

  • Click on the drop down arrow at the Authority From Field section, select the field from which you want your new Authority field to take its "pop-up" Authority list. Please note that this will usually be from the field itself as with the Language field in the Catalogue database, but you may select a different field, as with the Artist field in the Catalogue database.

  • Click OK, the field will now be displayed as an Authority field in Calm.

To change the field an Authority field takes its Authority from:

  • Select the field you wish to work with in the Authority column, in the Authority Fields dialogue box

  • Click on the drop down arrow at the Authority From Field section, select the field from which you want your Authority field to take its "pop-up" Authority list. Please note that this will usually be from the field itself as with the Language field in the Catalogue database, but you may select a different field, as with the Artist field in the Catalogue database.

  • Click OK

More information on using Authority fields is found in the Fields section of this guide.

Synonyms

The Synonyms facility in the Admin program relates to searching on fields in Calm. It allows you to tell Calm to search additional fields when a user elects to search on one specific field. For example, you may use the RefNo or ObjectNumber field in the Catalogue database for your unique reference numbers, however your collection may also have some old reference numbers which you have recorded in the field called AltRefNo (Alternative Reference Number). While searching you may wish Calm to search in AltRefNo as well as in RefNo or ObjectNumber for the number searched for, to ensure that any possible occurrence of the number is found. To set up Field Synonyms for Searching:

  • Select the field you wish to search on in the first "Field" column, for example RefNo

  • Select the additional field you may wish to search on in the third "Fields" column, for example AltRefNo

  • Click the button with the left facing chevrons to move the field from the last column into the middle, "Also Search", column

  • Click OK

In the example above, the next time you search for a number in the RefNo field, Calm will also search the AltRefNo field for the same content. These settings will remain for all searches until you change them again.

Properties

The Field Properties section of the Admin program allows you to alter or add certain field attributes. This is best to use if you are working with only a few fields, especially if you want to change multiple properties for them. If you need to add or remove a given property from many fields at once, it is best to use the Property Editors option, below. Properties uses the Field Properties dialogue box, as shown:

The field properties dialogue box, which has a list of all fields in the program and tickboxes for each attribute listed below.

Please note: System fields, required by Calm, cannot have some of their attributes altered. In these cases the options will be disabled.

Mandatory (Suggested)

If you try to save or move away from a record without completing a Mandatory (Suggested) field, Calm will display an error message. It is possible to ignore the error message, however. It is also possible to stop Calm checking if a suggested field has been filled in by turning off the field validation options. For a stricter form of mandatory field, see the Mandatory (Required) attribute, below.

To make a field suggested:

  • Select the field you wish to work with in the first Field column

  • Click the box to the left of Mandatory (Suggested) to place a "tick" in it

  • Click OK

Please Note: Certain fields in Calm are given the 'Mandatory' attribute by default as this is required by the application. On these fields, the tickbox next to 'Mandatory' will be greyed out so it cannot be changed.

Indexed

By default most fields are given the ‘indexed’ attribute which means that the field can be searched. For fields with large volumes of data you may wish to remove the indexed attribute. This would mean the contents cannot be searched for, but it would save time on searches, saving records, and re-indexing.

Pickable

If a field has a ‘Pickable’ attribute it will be displayed in the list on the ‘Choose Field’ dialogue box. Examples of where this dialogue box appears are: the Insert or Append options from the Field drop-down menu and when you right-click on an Overview column to add another column. A field with a ‘Pickable’ attribute will also appear in the list of fields to sort on in the Sort Hit List dialogue box. Some users find these lists too long and prefer to only show particular fields relevant to them, this can be achieved by removing the ‘Pickable’ attribute.

Mandatory (Required)

If you try to save or move away from a record without completing a Mandatory (Required) field, Calm will display an error message. It is not possible to ignore the error message: a user cannot leave this record without filling all required fields. For a less strict form of mandatory field, see the Mandatory (Suggested) attribute, above.

Admin

Fields with an 'Admin' attribute can only be seen by an Administrator. This means someone who has Administrator rights set in the Admin program security. This feature may be used as a type of selected filtering of records. Fields with this attribute set will not be shown on a record screen, or in any lists of fields to choose from, for example, when inserting fields into a record, unless the logged in user is an Administrator.

Unique

Making a field 'unique' means that it must contain data that is not duplicated in the same field in another record in the database. Calm will produce an error message if you try to save a record containing a unique field in which the data is not unique (if the validation options are set in Record drop down menu). You may not insert more than one version of a unique field into a record. This is generally used in fields like RefNo or ObjectNumber that uniquely identify records.

Autocreate

Auto create can be used with date (but not period) and serial number fields. Choosing this option for a field means that when a new record is created, the field will automatically be completed. Date fields will be automatically complete with today's date and serial number fields with the next available serial number (determined by the Serial Number option, as described above).

Bib1 and MARC tags

Bib1 and MARC tags can be associated with fields in Calm and used for searching Calm with the Z39.50 protocol. Some MARC and Bib 1 tags have been associated with Calm fields by default. It is possible to change these attributes or to add tags to fields which do not yet have them. To give a field a Bib1 or MARC tag attribute:

  • Select the field you wish to work with in the first Field column

  • Type the MARC or Bib 1 attribute into the appropriate box in the Field Properties dialogue box

  • Click OK

Property Editors

The Property Editors section of the Admin program allows you to alter or add certain field attributes. This is best to use if you are changing an attribute for manu fields at once (for example, if you wish to make most of the fields in Calm unpickable). If you need to see all of the properties a single field has or change multiple properties for that field, it is best to use the Properties option, above.

The properties you can edit are:

All Property Editors work in a similar way.

  • Hover over the 'Property Editors' option on the Field menu and a list of all available properties will appear

  • Click the property you wish to edit. A dialogue box will appear. All fields on the right do not have the property and all fields on the left do have the property.

  • To add a property to a field, click that field on the right and click 'Add'

  • To remove a property from a field, click that field on the left and click 'Remove'

Please Note: Certain fields in Calm must have a certain property (for example, LocationReference in the Locations database must be mandatory). If that is the case, the field will not appear in the property editor dialogue box for that property.