Click Contacts » Custom fields from the menu.

You can create an unlimited number of custom fields for contacts if the default Pearl setup does not cover everything you need. You can then search through your contacts using these custom fields, or add them to a website contact page to capture extra information from website visitors.

Custom fields can be of the following types;

1. Freeform text
   any text up to 64 characters
2. Numeric only
   Pearl will make sure that the text entered is only numbers or spaces.
3. Select list
   You must create a number of options, from which the user will select one.
4. Textarea
   Used for text greater than 64 characters
5. Yes/no
   Use this to display a tick box, for confirmation of terms and conditions or similar. There is already a default "newsletter" checkbox field in Pearl which should be used for any opt-in services.

If you set a custom field as "required" then an admin user will not be able to create or edit a contact without entering some information in the field. Don't forget that both suppliers and customers are contacts in Pearl.

Adding tabs to the contact edit screen (the contact card)

If you choose to set a custom field as a tab, then it will not contain data, but it will become an extra tab in the contact edit screen. This can be useful for grouping large amounts of extra custom fields. If you wish to use the tab in customers or suppliers, make sure that you do not set it to be used for orders.

Searching for contacts using custom field data

You can search through your contact database using data you have entered into the custom fields. 

• Open the CRM screen by clicking Contacts->Search for contacts on the main menu
• Open the advanced search box at the top of the CRM screen
• Choose your custom fields and enter data to filter your search results