This article describes how to configure Custom Roster Fields in Humanforce Cloud via Admin > System Config > Custom Roster Field Settings.
What are Custom Roster Fields?
Custom Roster Fields are customisable pre-configured entries that provide managers with an alternative to using the comments field to communicate standardised instructions. Each of the three fields available allow an Admin user to configure specific entries.
For example, a Custom Roster Field could be given a label of 'Uniform' and the items configured would be each uniform requirement that might be applied to a specific shift eg 'White shirt, black trousers, black shoes', 'Hardhat', 'Formal uniform', 'Casual', 'Collared shirt' etc.
Where are Custom Roster Fields used?
Custom Roster Fields in an active status will be visible:
- In Roster Manager when creating or viewing a shift (see below)
- In Web when viewing a shift in Employee Rosters
- In the Mobile App when viewing a shift in Rosters
To apply a Custom Roster item to a shift, select the desired option from the dropdown when creating the shift. Each active Custom Roster Field will appear against all shifts, to be used if that shift requires it.
Limits on Custom Roster Fields
Up to three separate Custom Roster Fields can be configured.
Each Custom Roster field can be configured to present multiple items for selection in the dropdown. For example, Uniform, Equipment and Safety Requirements fields could be created, and multiple options made available in each field's drop-down.
Enabling Access
Access to the Custom Roster Fields configuration screens in web, and the permission to Add/Edit are controlled by the following permissions.
To activate Administrator Access to view or edit Custom Roster Fields in Admin > System Config > Custom Roster Field Settings:
- In Humanforce Cloud, go to Admin > Security Config > Access Levels
- For the relevant Access Level row, click Edit
- Click on the Permissions tab
- Search for Roster Data
- Find the permissions under Maintenance Screens
- For access to the Custom Roster configuration page, tick Roster Data (Admin). This permission will display all three Custom Roster Fields, regardless of the status of the other permissions.
- For edit access to update the Name and Status of existing Custom Roster entries, tick Roster Data (Admin) > Allow editing
- For view access to the item details for Custom Roster Field 1, 2 and/or 3, tick the checkbox for Roster Data 1, Roster Data 2, and/or Roster Data 3.
- For edit access, expand the drop-down for Custom Roster Field 1, 2 and/or 3 and tick Allow editing for each as needed.
- After making your selection, click Apply Changes
Why are permissions structured this way?
The reason that the Admin permission is separate from each of the Roster Data 1/2/3 field permissions, rather than them being combined is to allow future development for a manager user to edit the items under a Custom Roster directly via the Roster Manager screen, without requiring direct access to the main configuration screen.
So to allow this, a manager user would just have the Custom Roster Field X > Allow editing permission active and so not require the Roster Data (Admin) permission, which would otherwise grant access to the main configuration screen.
So while an Admin user would potentially have all the above permissions active, a Manager may only have Roster Data 1 > Allow editing, which would (after future development) simply allow them to edit the entries for that Custom Roster entry directly from the Roster Manager shift screen itself.
Viewing and Editing Custom Roster Fields and Items
Access the Custom Roster Field configuration page via Admin > System Config > Custom Roster Field Settings
The main Custom Roster Field page displays all three Custom Roster Fields, regardless of permissions:
- Name field (editable only with Roster Data (Admin) > Allow editing permission)
- Status of Custom Roster Field entry
- Activate/Deactivate function (with Roster Data (Admin) > Allow editing permission)
- View Custom Roster field items (with the appropriate Roster Data permission)
- Edit Custom Roster field items (with the appropriate Roster Data > Allow editing permission)
Editing a Custom Roster Field Name
Users with the Roster Data (Admin) > Allow editing permission are able to directly edit the Name of each Custom Roster field from the main Custom Roster page.
The Name entered appears as the label against the dropdown in Roster Manager, for instance the below screenshot indicates the location of the name label where the Custom Roster Name entered is Uniform.
Deactivating/Activating a Custom Roster Field
A Custom Roster Field will only be visible for use on a shift if it is Active.
The status of each of the three Custom Roster Fields is presented in the main Custom Roster Fields page.
A user with the Roster Data (Admin) > Allow editing permission can change the status of a Custom Roster Field by clicking the kebab icon in the Actions column and selecting Activate or Deactivate Custom Roster Field, depending on its current status.
The Custom Roster Field can be activated even if no Custom Roster Items are configured, but there will be no options presented in the dropdown in Roster Manager.
View only Custom Roster Field Item entries
For users who only have permission to view a particular Custom Roster Field Item (Roster Data 1 permission), click the kebab icon in the Actions column against the record you wish to view then select the View Custom Roster Items option. This will display a read only view of the items in that Custom Roster Field.
Editing or Adding Custom Roster Field Item entries
For users who have permission to edit a particular Custom Roster Field Item (eg Roster Data 1 > Allow editing permission), to edit the field list items:
- Click the three vertical dots (kebab icon) in the Actions column against the record you wish to edit
- Select the Edit Custom Roster Items option. This will display a editable version of the items in that Custom Roster Field.
- Make your edits to existing items or click Add Item to create a new list item.
- When finished editing, click Save.
The Edit Custom Roster Items window displays the following:
- Custom Roster Name field - not editable from this window (edit from the main page)
- Active Items - displays all items that will appear in the dropdown in Roster Manager under this Custom Roster Field name.
- Item Name is mandatory
- Export Code is not mandatory
- The bin (delete) icon will appear against unsaved rows.
- The x (deactivate) icon will appear against saved rows. Any items that are deactivated will be immediately moved into the Inactive Items section.
- Add Item button - allows the user to add additional items. Becomes disabled until the new item's Item Name is populated.
- Show inactive items - click this to show any items that have previously been made inactive. The section will automatically expand where a saved item is deactivated.
Saved items can be renamed or made inactive but they cannot be deleted entirely.
Show inactive items section
- Click the Show inactive items hyperlink to expand the section. The section will also automatically expand when deactivating a saved active record.
- Any items that are in an inactive status will be presented.
- Against each inactive item will display a Reactivate icon, which when clicked will return that item to the Active Items section.
- Items in an inactive status will not appear in the Custom Roster Field dropdown list in the Roster Manager screen.