Use this link to share with your colleagues:
How to Add Custom Fields to Your PTS (and/or PMBO): https://help.pm.leapevent.tech/a/1259736
Do you need to get an additional piece of information from your patrons while they purchase tickets? Do you need to require them to agree to your Terms of Service? You've come to the right place!
In this article, we'll show you how to add custom fields from the Ticket Order object to the checkout page online, and/or to the "Other Information" section in PatronManager Box Office.
- Is this the first time you've added custom fields to your PTS and/or PMBO? If so, you've got a bit of prep work to do - click here.
- The next time you add custom fields to your PTS and/or PMBO, your prep work will already be done - you can click here.
We'll also cover some FAQs at the bottom of the article, so don't miss out!
To help set you up for success, we’ve put guidelines together to help you avoid interfering with PatronManager functionality, corrupting your data, and to prevent negative impacts to your customizations due to PatronManager product upgrades.
Heads up!
This level of customization is best suited for your PatronManager Certified Admin as it can get a bit complex.
If this is your first time adding custom fields to the PTS/PMBO, start here
To use your custom fields, they need to live in something called "Field Sets". We're going to set up two field sets - one so your fields can show up on the PTS (Public Ticketing Site), and one so they show up for your staff in PMBO (PatronManager Box Office).
While we're there, we'll also make sure that your organization will be able to use custom fields in PatronPortal if that's a feature you use.
4. Make sure the "Available for Customer Portal" checkbox if checked if present, then Save
If the box is already checked, great! Save without changes and move on to the next step.
Don't see the "Available for Customer Portal" checkbox? No problem - that means your organization doesn't use PatronPortal, and you can move on to the next step.
5. Click Field Sets
6. Check to see if you already have custom PTS and PMBO field sets set up
In the example below, there are no PTS or PMBO field sets. If your screen looks like this, or if you only have one of the two versions, just keep following along with step 5 below.
Even if you're currently planning to add custom fields to just one of the two locations - PTS vs PMBO - make sure you set up both field sets now to avoid confusion later on.
If you do have some field sets - called things like "Custom PTS Set", "Custom PBMO Set", "Custom Public Questions", "Custom Private Questions", etc. - you may have already created the necessary field sets.
Check to make sure you have both:
- A clearly labeled field set to use for public-facing custom fields. Fields in this set will be used on your Public Ticketing Site (PTS).
- A clearly labeled field set to use for internal-facing custom fields. Fields in this set will be used in PatronManager Box Office (PMBO).
Once you're sure you have the field sets and they're named how you want, you can skip down to step 10 to make sure the field sets are assigned correctly in PatronTicket Settings.
If you're not sure, just continue following the steps below.
8. Fill out the form to create the field set for the Public Ticketing Site
- Field Set Label: Custom PTS Fields
- Field Set Name: Custom_PTS_Fields (auto-fills)
- Where is this used?: A set of Ticket Order fields to display on the Public Ticketing Site.
- Click Save
11. Now create the field set for your colleagues to see in the PatronManager Box Office
- Field Set Label: Custom PMBO Fields
- Field Set Name: Custom_PMBO_Fields (auto-fills)
- Where is this used?: A set of Ticket Order fields to display in PatronManager Box Office.
- Click Save
15. Scroll down to the Public Site Settings, then scroll down to find "Ticket Order Public Field Set"; set it to the "Custom PTS Fields" you just created
16. Now set the "Ticket Order Back Office Field Set" to the "Custom PMBO Fields" you just created"
19. Done! Now you can create custom fields and add them to your PTS, PMBO, or both!
Move on to the next section to see how. You won't need to complete these prerequisite steps again.
If you've added custom fields to your PTS/PMBO before, start here
With your prep work is out of the way, you can get down to business! This a three step process, and should take about 30-45 minutes per field.
In our example below, we're giving our patrons the opportunity to enter a raffle with every ticket they buy - a raffle that could win them subscription tickets to our next season! To do so, we're adding two fields:
- A checkbox so patrons can say "yes I want to enter the raffle"
- One text block to explain what the raffle is
Cool? Cool. Let's go!
1. Create the custom field
Before you can add any field to your PTS/PMBO, you need to create it first! Only custom fields on the Ticket Order object can get added to the PTS or PMBO, so that's where we'll go.
Note: if you're planning to add some instructional/explanatory text as your custom field (i.e. your patrons won't fill a field out, they'll just read your written text), your steps are slightly different - see the appropriate section below.
3. Click Fields & Relationships
5. Choose the field type you want and click Next
In our example, we just need a simple checkbox.
Only the following field types will work on the PTS:
- Text
- Text area
- Text area (long)
- Date
- Percent
- Number
- Checkbox
- Picklist
- Multi-select picklist
- Phone
- URL
Other field types, like Lookup and Date/Time, will not work on the PTS.
6. Fill out your field details and click Next
- Field Label: this is what your patrons/staff will see!
- Field Name: (auto-fills)
- Description: enter details to remind your co-workers what this is for. Your patrons will not see this.
- Help Text: copy over your Description text. Your patrons will not see this.
- Click Next
Warning!
Do not set your field as "required" in the field's settings. This will break your PTS!
9. Done!
If you need to add more explanatory text for your patrons, we recommend adding a custom plain-text field. Expand the section just below to do so.
If you don't need to add any plain-text, skip down to step 2.
3. Click Fields & Relationships
6. Choose text, name your field, and click Next
- Formula Type: Text
- Field Label: this is what your patrons/staff will see!
- Field Name: (auto-fills)
- Click Next
7. Enter your text message - with quotations around it - in the formula box, then click Next
This is the message your patrons/staff will see on the PTS and PMBO!
Quotations are key here - otherwise it won't work.
10. Done - head to step 2
2. If you're adding your field to the PTS, give your patrons access to the field
Hard for your patrons to fill in a field they can't see or edit! Let's go give them access to your custom field.
Find each of your custom fields in the "Field Permissions" section, check the "Read Access" and "Edit Access" boxes for each one, then save
If you added an instructional text block (i.e. formula text field), you'll only be able to check the left box - no worries, that's as intended.
Save
Save your work, then move on to step 3 (adding your custom fields to the appropriate Field Sets)
8. Find your custom field and check both boxes
If you added an instructional text block (i.e. formula text field), you'll only be able to check the left box - no worries, that's as intended.
10. If you use PatronPortal, repeat the above steps for your Portal users' Profile
Click on the Authenticated Website Profile
In rare cases, your organization's Portal users might use a different Profile. In that case, click the appropriate one in the list.
If you're not sure, check your user list to see which external Profile is in use.
Repeat the above steps to grant field access for your new field(s) to this Profile
Refer back to step 5.
3. Add your field to the necessary field set(s)
To use your custom fields, they need to live in something called "Field Sets". You've got one field set that makes custom fields show up on your Public Ticketing Site (PTS), and another that lets them show up for your box office staff in the PatronManager Box Office (PMBO).
This is the last step - let's go!
3. Click Field Sets
4. Time to add your field to the appropriate field sets
Who needs to fill this field out?
- If only your patrons need to fill this field out when they're buying a ticket online, add your field to the Public Ticketing Site (PTS)
- If only your staff needs to fill this field out when they're selling a ticket, add your field to the PatronManager Box Office (PMBO)
- If both your patrons and staff need to fill this field out, add your field to both PTS and PMBO
5. Go test out your custom field
Head to your PTS (and/or PMBO) and buy a ticket. Check the resulting ticket order and make sure everything worked, then refund your ticket.
Here's our handiwork on the PTS:
And in PMBO:
6. That's it - congrats on a job well done!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This is especially helpful for checkbox fields like "I agree to [YOUR ORG] terms and conditions."
You'll mark it as required via the Field Set, rather than the field itself. Once you've created your field, added it to your PTS, and added it to the PTS field set, follow the steps below:
1.4. Mark it as required and click OK
Warning!
Do not set your field as "required" in the field's settings (shown below). This will break your PTS!
The following field types will work on the PTS:
- Text
- Text area
- Text area (long)
- Date
- Percent
- Number
- Checkbox
- Picklist
- Multi-select picklist
- Phone
- URL
Other field types, like Lookup and Date/Time, will not work on the PTS.
Does your custom field live on the Ticket Order object? If it doesn't exist on the Ticket Order, it can't be added to your PTS or to PMBO - meaning fields from your Account, Contact, and Donation objects cannot be added.
Check for these common issues:
- Make sure your field is in the correct field set
- Make sure the PatronTicket Profile has field-level read/edit access for your custom field
- Make sure you've chosen the correct field sets in your PatronTicket Settings
Your custom fields will always live at the bottom of the PTS payment page. However, if you have multiple custom fields, you can change what order they're in by clicking and dragging them in the Custom PTS Fields field set. Just drag and drop them as you see fit.
Not at this time. Please suggest a Product Idea through the Community and let us know you'd want this functionality. It's extra helpful if you let us know how you'd plan to use it!
Not at this time. Please suggest a Product Idea through the Community and let us know you'd want this functionality. It's extra helpful if you let us know how you'd plan to use it!
It's not currently possible to prevent your custom fields from appearing in the Other Information section of your Order Confirmation template. Please suggest a Product Idea through the Community and let us know you'd want this functionality. It's extra helpful if you let us know how you'd plan to use it!
Good question! Head back to the respective field sets, remove the field(s) from the field set(s), then save. That's it - your field (and any existing data it contains) will still be in PatronManager, available for reports and future use, but it'll no longer be visible to patrons.
In the August 2022 Release, we made some updates to PMBO that made custom fields on Ticket Orders not visible unless they are part of a field set assigned to the Ticket Order Back Office Field Set in PatronTicket Settings.
If you'd like to make your custom fields available in PMBO again (or even on the PTS), you'll need to add your custom fields to a specific field set, or build that field set if necessary.