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Custom fields at signup

Short answer: the GrabWP Tenancy Custom Fields add-on lets your signup form ask for extra details, such as a phone number or a company name. You define the fields under Waas > Custom Fields, turn on Ask on signup, and each answer is saved either on the customer profile (asked once) or on the subscription (asked for every new site).

Needs: Pro + WaaS 1.1.25 or later + the GrabWP Tenancy Custom Fields add-on

Install the add-on​

  1. Make sure GrabWP Tenancy WaaS is 1.1.25 or later. With an older WaaS the add-on shows GrabWP Tenancy Custom Fields needs GrabWP Tenancy WaaS %s or newer. Custom fields are off until WaaS is updated.
  2. Install GrabWP Tenancy Custom Fields from Waas > Settings > Add-ons (see Add-ons tab) or upload the ZIP under Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
  3. Activate it. A Custom Fields item appears under the Waas menu.

Add a field​

  1. Go to Waas > Custom Fields and click Add New Field.

  2. Fill in the form:

    FieldWhat it does
    LabelThe name customers see on the signup form. Required. GrabWP makes the field Key from it.
    Help textShown under the input on the signup form.
    TypeText, Phone, Email or Text area.
    Stored onCustomer profile: asked once and saved on the customer profile. Later signups show the saved value read-only. Subscription: asked on every signup and saved with that site subscription.
    PlaceholderGrey hint inside an empty input. It is never submitted or saved.
    Default valuePrefills the input when the customer has no saved value. It is saved only if the customer submits it. Adding or changing a default never changes existing customers or subscriptions.
    OptionsRequired. When you edit a field, also Active.

  3. Click Add Field. The notice Saved. appears and the field is listed with its Label, Key, Type, Stored on, Required and Status.

Type, Stored on and Key cannot change after a field is created. There is no delete button: to stop asking for a field, edit it, clear Active and click Update Field. Inactive fields leave the signup form and keep their stored values.

Turn it on for signups​

Custom fields are off by default. On Waas > Custom Fields, tick Ask on signup and click Save settings. With it off, signup asks for nothing extra and checkouts are not changed, but stored values stay visible to admins and customers.

Where the fields show on the signup form​

The add-on adds a signup step called Additional information (step ID custom_fields). It shows only while Ask on signup is on and at least one field is active.

  • The built-in Default signup flow shows it on the account screen, right after Create your account. A signed-in customer skips the account step, so the fields then form that screen on their own.
  • In your own signup flow preset, drag Additional information to any group. If a saved preset does not place it, it comes just before the review step. See Signup flow.

Required fields and formats are checked before the customer moves on:

MessageCause
Fill in this field.A required field is empty.
Enter a valid phone number, for example +84 90 123 4567.A Phone field does not look like a phone number.
Enter a valid email address.An Email field is not a valid address.
Check these fields: %s.The server check found problems in the listed fields.

Text fields hold up to 255 characters and text areas up to 2000.

How values are saved​

  • A Customer profile value is saved once. A signed-in customer sees it read-only and is not asked again. A signup by a visitor never overwrites the profile values of an existing account.
  • A Subscription value is saved with the new site's subscription.
  • On a paid signup the answers are kept with the checkout and applied once the payment completes. Answers from checkouts that never complete are deleted after 7 days by a daily scheduled task, so make sure a server cron job runs (see Scheduled jobs).

:::note Known limitation A visitor who signs up with the email of an existing account (confirmed by the one-time code) is asked the profile fields again, because the form is built before the code signs them in. Values already on that account are kept and the new answers are ignored. :::

Where you and your customers see the values​

WhoWhere
You (admin)The Custom fields box on the subscription detail screen (Waas > Subscriptions, then a subscription). Edit the values there and click Save custom fields. Profile values are marked From customer profile with an Edit customer profile link.
You (admin)The user's profile screen in wp-admin (Users, then the customer), under Additional information.
Your customerA read-only Your details card on the Overview tab of the customer dashboard.

On these admin screens, a field you made inactive is still shown, with (inactive field) next to its value.

Privacy and removal​

  • The add-on supports the WordPress personal data export and erasure tools (Tools > Export Personal Data and Tools > Erase Personal Data).
  • Deactivating the plugin or a field keeps the stored values. Deleting (uninstalling) the plugin removes all its data.

Check that it works​

  1. Add one required Text field stored on Subscription, and turn on Ask on signup.
  2. Open your signup page in a private window. The Additional information fields appear on the account screen.
  3. Finish a signup, then open the new subscription under Waas > Subscriptions. The Custom fields box shows the answer.