As well as the Custom Field Types that are available in your practice management software, there is an additional Type of "User" in FYI. This can be selected to add Custom User Roles in FYI. Custom User Roles allow a value for a Custom Field to be selected as one of the active users in FYI user so that customised user roles can be set up. Custom User Roles can be set up for Clients and/or Jobs.
For example, a Custom User Roles can be used to record the user who is assigned for additional categories such as Accountant, Bookkeeper, Team Coordinator, Supervisor, etc.
Custom User Roles can only be added and maintained in FYI.
The Client and Job Custom User Roles definitions are maintained in FYI by an FYI Admin. Refer to Managing Custom Fields.
Editing a custom user role can only be actioned by an FYI Admin, or a user in a User Group that has Permissions enabled for Edit Custom Fields. Refer to Managing User Groups.
Custom User Roles can then be selected in Clients and Jobs and used in lists to sort and filter. They can also be selected in Automations when creating a Task as the Assignee and in the Workflow as the Owner or Approver.
For practices integrated with Xero Practice Manager, any changes to the Custom User Roles will sync to Xero Practice Manager within 15 minutes.
Note: Unlike other Custom Fields, the Sync from PM function will not update any changes made to a Custom User Roles Field in your practice management software.
This article contains the following sections:
- Displaying and Adding Custom Field Definitions in FYI
- Editing a Custom User Role for a Client
- Custom User Roles in the Clients List and Client Workspace
- Custom User Roles in Custom Processes
- Custom User Roles as Merge Fields
Displaying and Adding Custom Field Definitions in FYI
For information on displaying and adding Custom User Role definitions in FYI, refer to Custom User Roles in Managing Custom Fields
Editing a Custom User Role for a Client or Job
For general information on editing a Custom Field in the Client - Custom Fields and Job - Custom Field tabs, refer to Editing Client Custom Fields in Client Custom Fields and Job Custom Fields.
For a Custom User Role, the drop-down displays a list of all the active users in FYI for you to select one. The following is an example of selecting a value for a Custom Field "Accountant" which is a Custom User Role, that is, a Custom Field that has been set up with the Type set as "User".
Custom User Roles in the Clients and Jobs Lists
You can include a Custom User Role that has been set up for Clients (such as for Accountant, Bookkeeper, Team Coordinator, etc) in the Clients or Jobs lists to sort or filter on these.
Refer to:
Using the Clients Lists
Sorting and Filtering Clients Lists
Using the Jobs Lists
Sorting and Filtering Jobs Lists
Custom User Roles in Custom Processes
Custom User Roles can be selected in Automation Processes. They are used in a similar way to selecting the relative Partner or Manager in Process steps. Refer also to Update Client and Update Job in Process Step Details - Updating Clients, Creating and Updating Jobs.
Workflow in Steps
Owner
Where Custom User Roles have been set up, they can be used to set the Owner in the Workflow of a step. This retrieves the user that has been selected for that Custom Field as relevant for the relative Client or Job.
If no user has been assigned to the relevant Client or Job for that Custom User Role, it adds the Owner of the process as the Owner of the document created.
Approver
In the same way as above, a Custom User Role can be used to set the Approver in the Workflow of a step to retrieve the user that has been selected for that Custom User Role as relevant for the relative Client or Job.
If no user has been assigned to the relevant Client or Job for that Custom Field, no Approver is set for the workflow when the document is created.
Task in Steps
Assignee
Where Custom User Roles have been set up, they can be used to set the Assignee in the Task of a step. This retrieves the user that has been selected for that Custom Field as relevant for the relative Client or Job.
If no user has been assigned to the relevant Client or Job for that Custom User Role, no Assignee is set for the Task that is created.
Create Email Step
In a Create Email step in an Automation Process, a Custom User Role can be selected as the Sender or as a Recipient.
- Sender: a Filter must be selected in the automation process to select a Custom Field for a sender.
- Recipients: the only supported custom field types are "Email".
Refer to Create Email - Recipients and Create Email - Send in Process Step Details - Creating Documents and Tasks.
Summary Notification
In a Summary Notification step, a Custom User Role can be selected in the Notify User.
Custom User Roles as Merge Fields
Custom User Roles can be used as Merge Fields in Email, Word and Spreadsheet templates as well as for Email Signatures and Word Stationery.
Custom User Roles as Merge Fields in Email Templates and Signatures
Custom Fields and Custom User Roles that have been added in FYI are included with any other Custom Fields in the Email Editor for the Template or Signature, in the XPM group. Refer to Merge Fields for Custom Fields that are Maintained in FYI in Including Merge Fields in Email Templates and Signatures.
Important note: Currently, when selecting a Merge Field that has been added in FYI, you need to manually change the prefix of "XPM" to "fyi" (lowercase). This will be corrected in the near future.
They need to be added to the Template or Signature as in the following example for the Custom User Roles "Bookkeeper".
{{ fyi_custom_Bookkeeper }}
Merge Fields in Draft FYI Emails
Certain Merge Fields, such as those that relate to the Author, Attachments, or Custom User Roles, are only applied when the final details and sender of the email has been determined. These will only be merged into the email when it is sent or if the email is saved as Draft in Outlook and these do not display when editing the email in the Editor in FYI.
When creating an email using a Template or Signature that includes a Custom User Role, if you have selected Draft in FYI, you can check how the Custom Field will populate in the email when sent using the Preview using the Preview button in the Email Editor. Refer to Previewing the Draft in FYI Email in Creating an Email in FYI.
Custom User Roles as Merge Fields in Word Templates and Stationery
Custom Fields and Custom User Roles that have been added in FYI can be added to Word Templates and Stationery. Refer also to Merge Fields for Custom Fields that are Maintained in FYI in Including Merge Fields in Word Templates and Stationery.
Important note: When adding a Merge Field that has been added in FYI, you need to add the prefix as "fyi" (lowercase).
They need to be added to the Template or Signature as in the following example for the Custom User Role "Bookkeeper".
« fyi_custom_Bookkeeper »
Custom User Roles as Merge Names in Spreadsheet Templates
Custom Fields and Custom User Roles that have been added in FYI can be added as Merge Names in Spreadsheet Templates. Refer also to Adding FYI Custom Fields to Excel Spreadsheets as Merge Names in Including Merge Names in Excel Templates.
Important note: To use Merge Names for Custom Fields that you have added in FYI, to indicate it was added in FYI, in the Name, the "XPM" in the Merge Field needs to be changed to "fyi", so the Merge Name need to be entered as
FYI_fyi_custom_customname
For example, for a Merge Name in a Spreadsheet Template, a Custom User Role "Bookkeeper" is entered as:
FYI_fyi_custom_Bookkeeper