PatronManager Help

How to Add Custom Fields to Your PTS (and/or PMBO)

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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.

Give your custom fields a place to live

1. Head to Setup

2. In the Object Manager tab, search for and click on "Ticket Order"

3. Click Edit

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.

7. You don't have those field sets yet? OK, click New

8. Fill out the form to create the field set for the Public Ticketing Site

  1. Field Set Label: Custom PTS Fields
  2. Field Set Name: Custom_PTS_Fields (auto-fills)
  3. Where is this used?: A set of Ticket Order fields to display on the Public Ticketing Site.
  4. Click Save

9. Click Field Sets again

10. One field set down, one to go - click New again

11. Now create the field set for your colleagues to see in the PatronManager Box Office

  1. Field Set Label: Custom PMBO Fields
  2. Field Set Name: Custom_PMBO_Fields (auto-fills)
  3. Where is this used?: A set of Ticket Order fields to display in PatronManager Box Office.
  4. Click Save

12. Click into the app launcher, then search for and click on the PatronTicket Hub

13. Click into PatronTicket Settings

14. Click Edit

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

Make sure to only select the field set from step 6 or step 8.

Selecting another field set, such as Automated Communication Custom Merge Fields or Additional Fields for Ticket Layouts, will break your PTS!

16. Now set the "Ticket Order Back Office Field Set" to the "Custom PMBO Fields" you just created"

Make sure to only select the field set from step 6 or step 11.

Selecting another field set, such as Automated Communication Custom Merge Fields or Additional Fields for Ticket Layouts, will break your PTS!

17. Time for a double-check: when you're done it should look like this

18. All good? Scroll up to the top of the page and Save

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.

Click here to create most custom fields

1. Head to Setup

2. In Object Manager, search for and click on "Ticket Order"

3. Click Fields & Relationships

4. Click New

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
  • Email
  • 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

  1. Field Label: this is what your patrons/staff will see!
  2. Field Name: (auto-fills)
  3. Description: enter details to remind your co-workers what this is for. Your patrons will not see this.
  4. Help Text: copy over your Description text. Your patrons will not see this.
  5. Click Next

Warning!

Do not set your field as "required" in the field's settings. This will break your PTS!

7. Use the top checkbox to make it visible to everyone, then click Next

8. Leave this screen as-is and click Save

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.

Click here to create custom instructional/explanatory text

1. Head to Setup

2. In Object Manager, search for and click on "Ticket Order"

3. Click Fields & Relationships

4. Click New

5. Choose "Formula" and click Next

6. Choose text, name your field, and click Next

  1. Formula Type: Text
  2. Field Label: this is what your patrons/staff will see!
  3. Field Name: (auto-fills)
  4. 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.

8. Use the top checkbox to make it visible to everyone, then click Next

9. Leave this screen as-is and click Save

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.

Click here to grant read/edit access to your field

1. Head to Setup

2. Search for and click on "Sites"

3. Scroll down and click on "PatronTicket"

4. Click Public Access Settings

5. On the PatronTicket Profile, scroll down to find the "Field-Level Security" section

Help, the Profile page in my account doesn't look like this

If you see a page that looks like the image below, click on "Object Settings"

Then scroll down and click on "Ticket Orders"

Click "Edit"

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.

6. In that section, scroll down a bit to find Ticket Order, then click View next to it

7. Click Edit

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.

9. Scroll up and click Save

10. If you use PatronPortal, repeat the above steps for your Portal users' Profile

Here's where to find that Profile

In setup, search for and click on "Profiles"

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!

Click here to add your field to field sets

1. Head to Setup

2. In Object Manager, search for and click on "Ticket Order"

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
Click here to add your field to the PTS

1. Click Custom PTS Fields

2. In the palette, search for your field in the Quick Find bar, then click and drag it into the field set area

3. When you're done, your field(s) will be "In the Field Set"; click Save

Click here to add your field to the PMBO

1. Click Custom PMBO Fields

2. In the palette, search for your field, then click and drag it into the field set area

3. When you're done, your field(s) will be "In the Field Set"; click Save

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

1. Can I make my custom fields required on the PTS?

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:

1.1. Head to Setup > Object Manager > Ticket Order

1.2. Go to Field Sets, then click your PTS field (probably "Custom PTS Fields")

1.3. Find the field you want to make required, hover over it, then click the wrench

1.4. Mark it as required and click OK

1.5. You'll now see a red star next to the required field; click Save

1.6. Done and done!

Warning!

Do not set your field as "required" in the field's settings (shown below). This will break your PTS!

2. What field types work or don't work with the PTS/PMBO?

The following field types will work on the PTS:

  • Text
  • Text area
  • Text area (long)
  • Date
  • Percent
  • Number
  • Checkbox
  • Picklist
  • Multi-select picklist
  • Email
  • Phone
  • URL

Other field types, like Lookup and Date/Time, will not work on the PTS.

3. Why can't I add my field?

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.

4. I did the steps, but my field isn't showing up on my PTS (or PMBO)! What's going on?

Check for these common issues:

5. Can I reorder the fields on my PTS?

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.

6. Can I make my fields visible only to patrons who are logged in to Portal (or vice versa)?

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!

7. Can I make my fields visible only upon certain conditions? (e.g. only show field A if patron filled out Michigan as Billing State)

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!

8. Can I keep my fields from showing up in my Order Confirmation emails?

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!

9. How do I remove custom fields from my PTS and/or PMBO?

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.

10. Can I add a hidden field, such as a formula field or constant value? I want to use it for reporting.

You bet. Follow the same steps as above, but with the following three adjustments:

  • Do not add your field to either the PTS or PMBO field sets
  • Do not add read/write visibility for your field to the PatronTicket Profile or Authenticated Website Profile
  • When creating your field, do not check "Visible" for the Authenticated Website profile:
11. I had some custom fields in the "Other Information" section of my Buyer Info tab in PMBO, but now there's gone! What gives?

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.

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