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Adding Your Own Fields

You can add your institution’s own custom fields to AlumnIQ Sync objects in Salesforce. To make those fields visible, add them to the object’s page layout and grant users access through a customer-managed permission set.

Use Page Layouts

Page layouts are the only supported and recommended approach for displaying your own fields in AlumnIQ Sync record pages. Starting with version 1.7 all of our Lightning record pages include Salesforce’s standard Record Detail component, which displays the fields and sections from the applicable page layout. Adding a field to that layout makes it available in the standard record details, provided the user has permission to see it. It does not add the field to every AlumnIQ-specific component or overview panel.

Important

We do not recommend creating custom Lightning record pages or changing the default Lightning record page assignments supplied by AlumnIQ Sync. Keep the packaged pages and their assignments so users receive the page features introduced in new package versions. Salesforce still allows you to use its standard customization options. If you choose to create your own Lightning record pages or override the packaged page assignments, those customizations are outside our supported and recommended approach for displaying custom fields. Users may miss features introduced in new AlumnIQ Sync versions because they continue to see your custom page.

1. Create Your Field

  1. Open Setup > Object Manager and select the AlumnIQ object you want to extend, such as IQ Event Participant.
  2. Select Fields & Relationships > New.
  3. Choose the field type and enter a label and any required settings. For example, create a text field named Internal Reference for information maintained by your institution.
  4. Complete the field creation steps and save the field. Use the extension permission set below to grant the intended users access.

2. Add the Field to the Page Layout

  1. In the same object, select Page Layouts.
  2. Use Page Layout Assignment to identify the layout used by the intended users’ profiles and record types, if applicable.
  3. Open that layout, drag your new field into the appropriate section, and click Save. Repeat for any other applicable layouts.

Keep the AlumnIQ Lightning record page assignments in place. You do not need to create or activate a custom Lightning record page to display the new field.

3. Grant Access with a Permission Set

Putting a field on a page layout does not grant access to it. A user also needs field-level access, access to the object, and access to the record.

Create or edit a separate, customer-managed permission set for your own fields. For example, name it AlumnIQ Custom Extension. This is a permission set you create and maintain in your org; it supplements the appropriate packaged permission sets.

  1. In Setup, open Permission Sets and click New, or open your existing extension permission set.
  2. Enter a label such as AlumnIQ Extension, choose a license compatible with the intended users, and click Save.
  3. Under Object Settings, select the object containing your field and click Edit.
  4. Under Field Permissions, enable Read Access for your new field. Enable Edit Access only for users who need to change its value, and save.
  5. Select Manage Assignments > Add Assignments and assign the permission set to the users who need the field.

Important

We do not recommend including AlumnIQ-managed fields in your extension permission set. Managed fields are subject to change as the package evolves. Use AlumnIQ’s packaged permission sets for managed fields, and keep your extension permission set focused on your own custom fields and the minimum additional access they require.

For separate integration-user access requirements, see Customer Managed Permission Sets.

4. Verify Visibility

Open a record in the AlumnIQ app as a user with the intended access. Check the standard record details, such as the Details tab on IQ Event Participant, for your new field. If editing is required, confirm that the user can save a value.

If the field is missing or cannot be edited, check that:

  • The field is on the page layout assigned to that user’s profile and the record’s record type.
  • The extension permission set is assigned to the user and grants the required field access.
  • The user has the necessary object and record access, and the layout does not make the field read-only when editing is needed.
  • The app is using the packaged AlumnIQ Lightning record page, with no custom page assignment overriding it.

Package Upgrades

AlumnIQ Sync package upgrades will not delete your customer-created fields or the data stored in them. When you follow these recommendations, those fields should remain unchanged, along with their placement on page layouts and access granted by your customer-managed permission set. Keeping the packaged Lightning record pages and their default assignments also allows users to receive new AlumnIQ page features while preserving their visibilty to your customer-created fields.

Salesforce Reference

For Salesforce’s explanation of how layouts and field permissions work together, see Set Page Layouts and Field-Level Security. The standard Record Detail component displays fields and sections from the associated page layout.