Knowledge
KnowledgeBase

Customize Your CRM: Add Custom Fields and Configure Module Layouts

Why customise fields?#

AI Engage CRM comes with system fields built into every module — First Name, Email, Lead Status, and others. But every business tracks information specific to its industry, process, or product. A real estate agency tracks Property Type and Listing Price. A SaaS company tracks Plan Name and Renewal Date. An events company tracks Event Date and Venue.

Custom fields let you add exactly those fields — stored in the module, searchable, filterable, and available in reports — without any coding. You can also rearrange how fields appear on the create form, quick-create panel, and detail view.

💡
Only administrators with the Module Customization feature permission can access Modules and Fields. Profile-level users see the forms but cannot change the field structure.

Step 1 — Open Settings#

Click the Settings icon in the left sidebar to open the Settings panel.

Screenshot_1.png

Step 2 — Go to Modules and Fields#

Under the Customization section, click Modules and Fields. This takes you to a list of all your active modules.

Step 2 — Go to Modules and Fields


Step 3 — Select a module to customise#

Click Configure on any module row to open its Module Builder. You can customise fields for built-in modules like Contacts, Leads, and Deals, or any custom module you have created.

Step 3 — Select a module to customise

Step 4 — The Module Builder interface#

The Module Builder opens in a three-panel layout:

  • Left panel — Field Palette: All available field types, organised into categories. Drag a type onto the canvas or click it to add instantly.

    Step 4 — The Module Builder interface
  • Centre panel — Canvas: A live preview of your module's form layout. Fields are grouped into sections. Drag fields to rearrange them.

  • Right panel — Field Config: Configuration options for the selected field — name, required/unique toggles, options, display settings, and validation.

    Step 4 — The Module Builder interface

At the top of the builder, three tabs switch between the layouts you are editing: CREATE (the create record form), QUICK (the quick-create dialog), and DETAIL VIEW (the record detail page).

Step 5 — Add a new field#

There are two ways to add a field:

  • Click: Click any field type in the palette. The field is added to the first section on the canvas and immediately selected.

  • Drag: Drag a field type from the palette and drop it exactly where you want it — between two existing fields or into a different section.

    Step 5 — Add a new field
💡
The Custom Fields Left counter at the bottom of the palette tracks your remaining custom field quota (up to 300 per module).

Field types reference#

Choose the field type that matches how your team will use the data:

Text - Single Line Short text — names, codes, IDs (max 255 chars)

Multi Line - Longer text — notes, descriptions, addresses

Phone - Phone numbers with country dial-code picker

URL - Website links — validated as URL format

Pick List - One choice from a predefined list (e.g., Priority)

Multi-Select - Multiple choices from a predefined list (e.g., Tags)

Date - Calendar date only (e.g., Renewal Date)

Date/Time - Date and time (e.g., Meeting Scheduled At)

Number - Whole numbers (e.g., Employee Count)

Currency - Monetary values with currency code and decimals

Decimal - Numbers with decimal places (e.g., Rating 4.5)

Percent - Percentage values (e.g., Discount, Probability)

AutoNumber - Auto-increments on each new record (e.g., Ticket ID)

Long Integer - Very large whole numbers

Checkbox - True/false toggle (e.g., Newsletter Subscribed)

Formula - Computed from other field values — read-only

Lookup - Links to a record in another module (e.g., Company → Contacts)

User - Links to a CRM user (e.g., Account Manager)

Rollup Summary - Aggregate value from a child module (Sum, Count, Max, Min)

File - Attach documents (PDF, Word, Excel, etc.)

Image Upload - Attach images (JPG, PNG, GIF, etc.)

Country - Country picker with flag State

State/Region - filtered by selected country

Step 6 — Configure the field#

Click any field on the canvas to open its configuration in the right panel. The Basic Settings section has four core controls:

  • Field Name — the label users see on the form. Max 50 characters, letters and numbers only. Renaming a field changes only the display label; the internal API name stays fixed to preserve data integrity.

  • Field API Name — auto-generated from the field name, shown in grey. Used in workflows, filters, reports, and the API. It is locked after creation.

  • Required field — when on, users must fill this field before saving a record.

Step 6 — Configure the field
💡
Do not mark a field Required unless you intend to enforce it on every new record. Required fields block all imports and API creates that do not include a value for that field.

Step 8 — Set display options#

In the Display Settings section of the right panel, you can set three additional properties:

  • Placeholder Text — hint text shown inside the empty field (e.g., "Enter your company name")

  • Help Text — a short sentence displayed below the field to guide users (e.g., "Include country code")

  • Default Value — pre-fills the field when a new record is created. The user can override it.

Step 8 — Set display options

Step 9 — Rearrange fields and sections#

On the canvas, you can drag fields to change their order within a section, or drag them into a different section. The form layout is immediately previewed as you drag.

To add a new section, click the NEW SECTION button at the bottom of the field palette. Give the section a name (e.g., "Contract Details") and start dragging fields into it.

Step 9 — Rearrange fields and sections
💡
The canvas has three layout tabs: CREATE, QUICK, and DETAIL VIEW. Changes on the CREATE tab do not automatically apply to DETAIL VIEW — configure each layout separately to show the right fields in each context.

Step 10 — Save your changes#

Click the Save button in the toolbar at the top of the page. The changes take effect immediately — the next time any user opens the create form or record detail, they will see the updated fields.

Step 10 — Save your changes
💡
Your custom fields are now active. They appear in the create form, detail view, filters, search, reports, and are available for workflow conditions and actions.
💡
Never delete a field that has data in it. Deleting a field permanently removes all values stored in that field across every record. Instead, hide the field from forms — the data is preserved and the field can be reactivated later.
💡
Related: After adding custom fields, use Sharing Rules to control which teams can see records with those fields, or set up Workflows to auto-populate your new fields based on conditions.

Ready to implement this?

OpenAI Engage and apply what you just learned to your own workspace.

Open AI Engage CRM