District Fields
The District Fields screen is used to set up the categories and district fields that display in District Info. Each of the categories set up in the District Fields screen display as a separate tab in District Info. In addition to displaying on the District Info screen, district fields are available to include in letterhead templates, letters and emails, on reports, and for use in queries.
The system fields "District Name," "District Short Name," and "District Logo" are provided by Focus. To enable these fields for viewing and editing in District Info, permissions must be given for these fields in Users > Profiles in the "District Fields" Permission Type.
Each of the categories set up in the District Fields screen display as a separate tab in District Info.
1. In the Setup menu, click District Fields.
The Categories tab is displayed by default.
2. In the blank row at the top of the screen, enter a Title for the category.
3. Select the Schools that will have access to the category. One or multiple can be selected.
To assign the category to all schools, leave the Schools field blank.
4. Select the Default View Profiles and the Default Edit Profiles.
When fields are assigned to the category, the profiles selected in Default View Profiles will have view permissions for those fields by default. The profiles selected in Default Edit Profiles will have edit permissions for those fields by default. You can leave these fields blank, if desired. Profiles who can view or edit fields can be added or changed on a specific field when editing the field in the Fields tab. Please see Adding a Field for more information.
If the category already has fields assigned, selecting Default View Profiles and Default Edit Profiles on the category will only affect fields assigned to the category after the profiles are set, not fields that have previously been assigned to the category.
5. If the category will be used as a form in Focus, select the Form check box.
When a category is designated as a form, this allows users to store multiple, unique instances of information in that tab.
6. In the Sort Order field, use the minus and plus icons to select the sort order. This determines the order the categories will appear when selecting district fields to include on letterhead, letters/emails, and reports.
The list of categories always displays in alphabetical order when viewing District Info.
7. Press Enter to add the new category.
The category is added to the list and is auto-saved.
8. To add an icon or a custom short name that will display in the category list in District Info, click Add Icon next to the category.
If you do not select an icon or enter a custom short name, Focus will by default use the first character of each word in the category title as a short name.
9. In the Change Icon for (category) pop-up window, select the color to use.
10. To display a custom short name instead of an icon, select the Short Name radio button. Enter the short name.
Example of short name in District Info:
12. To display an icon, select the Icons radio button, and click the icon to use.
Example of icon in District Info:
13. Click Save.
The selected icon or short name will display in the Icon column next to the category.
1. In the Setup menu, click District Fields.
2. In the Categories tab, locate the category in the list and make the desired changes. The Title, Schools, Default View Profiles, Default Edit Profiles, Form, Sort Order, and Icon can be edited.
The changes will auto-save.
If there are fields assigned to the category, a warning message will display indicating that the fields in that category must be deleted first before deleting the category.
1. In the Setup menu, click District Fields.
2. In the Categories tab, locate the category in the list and click the red minus sign to the left of the Title.
3. In the confirmation message, click OK.
The category is deleted.
1. In the Setup menu, click District Fields.
2. In the Categories tab, locate the category in the list and click Edit Fields at the right side of the screen.
The Fields tab opens, displaying the fields that are assigned to the category.
6. To view the full list of fields, click the View all fields link at the top of the screen.
1. In the Setup menu, click District Fields.
2. Click the Fields tab.
3. In the blank row at the top of the screen, enter a Title for the field.
4. Select the field Type.
| Field Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Text | Text fields work best for capturing information that has an unlimited number of potential answers. Text fields accommodate short answers, usually less than 50 characters in length, and can include numeric data, like email addresses, street addresses, and zip codes. |
| Long Text | While text fields work well for short entries, long text is best suited to note-like entries. |
| Checkbox | Use check boxes to record information where a single option is going to be selected. This data type stores a "Y" or null and cannot be changed to a different data type once created. |
| Number | Number fields are used for purely numeric data. This data type works best when the combination of numbers is virtually unlimited, rather than strictly limited, like a range of zip codes in a school district. If a number field type is selected, the user will not be able to enter non-numeric characters into the field. |
| Date | Users can type in the date or select the date from the calendar. The date format stored is yyyy-mm-dd. |
| Time | Time fields allow users to enter a time. Users can only enter time in the hh:mm format. |
| Select One | This field type allows the user to select only one option from the pre-defined list. |
| Select Multiple | This field type allows the user to select one or multiple options from the pre-defined list. |
| Logging Field | Logging fields are used when several pieces of data make up a single record of information. Logging fields work best for providing comprehensive records of activity. Unlike the other field types, logging fields can be more extensive, involving a set of fields for entering data. |
| Computed | This field type allows users to define a query that will be executed and the results displayed to the user when viewing the field. |
| Computed Table | This field type allows users to define a query that will be executed and the results displayed in a table. The table can have multiple columns of data. |
| File Upload | The file upload field type allows users to upload a file into Focus. Focus integrates with most commonly used formats, including Word, Excel, and PDF documents, as well as .rtf and .csv file formats. Once uploaded into Focus, users can click the file to download and view it. |
| Signature | The signature field allows users to digitally sign their acknowledgement or consent in Focus. Users can use their mouse to sign. When using a tablet, users can use their finger or stylus to sign. |
| Placeholder | Placeholder fields are used to separate sections on a page. A placeholder can function as a heading, or can include a URL. |
5. Press Enter to add the new field.
The field is added to the list and is auto-saved.
The system will assign an alias to the new field, but the district can edit this field and assign an alias for querying the field.
6. Click Edit Field next to the new field.
The Edit Field pop-up window is displayed. The setup for the field depends on the field type.
1. If this field will be included in a category that has been designated as a form, select Form Categories.
The form categories are now available for selection in the Select Categories pull-down.
2. Use the Select Categories pull-down to select the categories this field will appear on. One or multiple categories can be selected.
When Form Categories is selected, you will only be able to select one form category.
3. In the (Category) Sort Order pull-down, select where the new field should appear within the category. You can select to place it before an existing field, at the end of the category, or unsorted. If multiple categories were selected in the Select Categories field, a Sort Order pull-down will display for each category.
For more information about how sort order works for custom fields, see Sort Order for Fields.
4. Select New District to display this field upon adding a new district.
5. Select Required to make the field required.
If the field is required, it must have a default value.
6. Enter a Help URL if desired.
This will display a link icon next to the field title in the district's record. Clicking the link icon will open the URL in a new tab.
7. Enter a Description if desired.
When the user hovers the mouse over the question mark icon on the field in District Info, the description will display.
8. Select the profiles that will be able to view the field in the Profiles (View Access) pull-down. One or multiple profiles can be selected.
9. Select the profiles that will be able to edit the field in the Profiles (Edit Access) pull-down. One or multiple profiles can be selected.
For logging fields, select the profiles that will have the ability to add records (new rows) to the logging field in the Profiles (Add Record) pull-down and select the profiles that will have the ability to delete records (rows) from the logging field in the Profiles (Delete Record) pull-down. One or multiple profiles can be selected. These do not provide permissions for individual columns, but for adding or deleting log entries (rows).
10. When finished setting up the field, click Save at the bottom of the window.
1. In the Defaults section of the window, select or enter a default Value for New Districts, if applicable. When defined, the selected value will default into the field when adding a new district.
2. Select or enter a State Reporting Fallback Value, if applicable. When defined, the selected value will be included in extracts for state reporting unless the district has a value already selected in the record.
1. (Select One fields only) In the Options, select Display as Radio Buttons to display the select one field as a set of radio buttons rather than as a select box.
This preference is stored in the column “display_as_radio.” If a field is not marked as Required, an N/A option will be included in the set of radio buttons.
2. In the Select Options section of the window, either define the Select Options manually or enter a Select Options Query.
Select Options:
a. In the blank row, enter a Code and Label (what will display for the user) for the option.
b. Enter a Sort Order for the option. This will display the options in the defined order.
c. If desired, enter the Min School Year and Max School Year, which are used to make these options only available for selection within the range of school years. Existing data will be maintained.
d. Press Enter to add the option.
The added row turns yellow. A new, blank row will display where you can add the next option.
e. Select the Inactive check box next to an option to inactivate it. Inactive options will not display for selection when the user opens the pull-down.
f. To delete an option, click the red minus sign to the left of the option and in the confirmation message, click OK.
Select Options Query:
Enter a query that defines the options in the pull-down.
The highlighted area provides instructions and an example query.
In order to search on the select options defined by the query, they must also be added in the Select Options section of the screen.
3. In the Defaults section of the window, select a default Value for New Districts, if applicable. When defined, the selected value will default into the field when adding a new district.
4. Select a State Reporting Fallback Value, if applicable. When defined, the selected value will be included in extracts for state reporting unless the district has a value already selected in their record.
The Value for New Districts and State Reporting Fallback Value pull-downs will be empty until select options are defined.
For file upload fields, you can optionally provide the URL to a blank form for users to access. When the user completes the form, they can upload the form into the file upload field.
For signature fields, select Requires Authentication to require the user to enter a username and password in order to save the signature. When this option is turned off, the user can save the signature without entering a username and password.
For placeholder fields, you may include a URL if desired. When the user clicks the placeholder title in the student's record, the URL will open.
1. In the Options section of the window, enter the Maximum Length of the field. The default maximum length is 255 characters. The length cannot be set to 0 or users will not be able to enter any text into the field.
2. To display suggestions when a user enters text into the field, enter a query in the Suggestions Query section of the screen.
The highlighted area provides instructions and an example query.
1. In the Options section of the window, select Rich Text to provide a rich text editor for the field.
2. Enter the Maximum Length of the field. The length cannot be set to 0 or users will not be able to enter any text into the field.
1. In the Options section of the window, select Show school year to add a School Year column to the logging field.
The "Show school year" option is automatically enabled on the Industry Certifications logging field.
2. In the Columns section of the window, replace the New Column text with the column name.
3. In the column that will be the primary sort, select Ascending or Descending in the Primary Sort pull-down.
4. In the column that will be the secondary sort, select Ascending or Descending in the Secondary Sort pull-down.
Log entries can be sorted in ascending or descending order using one column as the primary sort (entries will be sorted by this column first) and one column as the secondary sort (entries will be sorted by this column second). Only one column can be set as the Primary Sort and only one column can be set as the Secondary Sort.
5. Select the Fixed Left check box to freeze the field in place when the user scrolls over to the right.
6. Select the field Type: checkbox, computed, date, file upload, long text, number, select multiple, select one, text, or time.
7. Click the Edit Field icon to set up or edit the field options, including profiles who can view and edit the specific field.
8. To delete a column, click the red X.
9. To add a column, click the green +.
10. To rearrange the order of the columns, click the left and right arrows.
Hover the mouse over the column name to view the log_field ID.
1. Enter the query for the computed field in the provided area.
The highlighted area provides instructions and an example query. In addition to the listed substitutions that can be used in the query (highlighted in blue), {referral_id} can also be used in the query. When printing a letter from the Referrals screen, the current referral ID is referenced.
2. Either define the Search Options or enter a Filtering Options Query.
By supplying the select options or defining a filtering options query, users will be able to search on the computed field the same way other fields are searched on. If these options are not set up, then users will not be able to use More Search Options on the computed field as they can with other select field types.
Search Options:
a. In the blank row, enter a Code and Label (what will display for the user) for the first option.
b. Enter a Sort Order for the option. This will display the options in the defined order.
c. If desired, enter the Min School Year and Max School Year, which are used to make these options only active within the range of school years.
d. Press Enter to add the option.
The added row turns yellow. A new, blank row will display where you can add the next option.
e. Select the Inactive check box next to an option to inactivate it. Inactive options will not display for selection when the user opens the pull-down.
f. To delete an option, click the red minus sign to the left of the option and in the confirmation message, click OK.
Filtering Options Query:
Enter a query that defines the options in the pull-down.
The highlighted area provides instructions and an example query.
Enter a query for the computed table.
The highlighted area provides instructions and an example query. In addition to the listed substitutions that can be used in the query (highlighted in blue), {referral_id} can also be used in the query. When printing a letter from the Referrals screen, the current referral ID is referenced.
1. In the Setup menu, click District Fields.
2. Click the Fields tab.
3. Locate the field in the list and click Edit Field.
4. Make the desired changes and click Save.
Only Local fields (fields created by the district) can be deleted. System fields cannot be deleted.
1. In the Setup menu, click District Fields.
2. Click the Fields tab.
3. Locate the field in the list and click the red minus sign to the left of the field.
4. In the confirmation message, click OK.
The field is deleted.