Custom fields

Administrators can define custom fields to store additional information on each user’s details page. Custom fields can be mandatory or optional, and can also be used when searching for a user in the system.

You can also insert dividers into the list of custom fields to act as separators between groups of similar custom fields, and to act as labels for different groups.

Custom field names cannot be identical to the names of xMatters objects such as device types and groups.

You can manage custom fields on the Custom Fields page in the xMatters web user interface.

View and manage custom fields
  1. From the Admin menu, under Company, click Custom Fields.
  2. If there is more than one company in the system, select the company in which you want to manage the custom fields, and then click Continue.
    1. xMatters displays a list of the custom fields for the company.
  3. In the Custom Fields list, do any of the following:
    1. To modify an existing item, click its name to view its details. For more information about editing items in the Custom Fields table, see Define custom field details.
    2. To remove an item from the list, select the check box next to the custom fields or dividers you want to remove, and then click Remove Selected.
    3. To create a new custom field, click the Add Field link, and specify the details for the new custom field.. Click Save to create the custom field.
    4. To add a new divider between custom fields, click the Add Divider link. On the Add Divider page, specify the Divider Name, and then click Save to create the divider.
    5. To reorder items in the list, click and drag the parallel bars icon (to the left of the item name) for the item you want to move to its new position. You can also use the Move to Top, Move Up, Move Down, and Move to Bottom buttons in the Order column. When you are satisfied with the position of the items in the list, click Save Order.

You can define custom fields on the Custom Fields Details page.

To define custom field details:
  1. On the Custom Fields page, in the Custom Fields list, click the name of the field you want to modify.
  2. On the Custom Fields Details page, enter the following information into the form:
Custom Field Details settings

Setting

Description

Mandatory

When selected, indicates that each user must supply the information required by the field. Clear this check box if you want the custom field to be optional.

Field Name

Name for the custom field, which is displayed on each user’s details page as the label for the field.

Type

Type of custom field:

  • Text: creates a field for entering text. You can use the Min and Max fields to specify the minimum and maximum length for the text (up to 100 characters).
  • Check box: creates a check box with two possible states: selected or cleared. When selected, the Field Name statement is ‘true’. For example, the Field Name beside a check box might be “Available on Weekends”.
  • Decimal: creates a field for entering a numeric value that can include a decimal. You can use the Min and Max fields to specify the minimum and maximum value.
  • Integer: creates a field for entering a numeric value that cannot include a decimal. You can use the Min and Max fields to specify the minimum and maximum value.
  • List: creates a drop-down list from which users can select a value. Select List and click Save to view an Add/Remove List Values area. To add values, type a name in the New List Value field and click Add List Value (values can be up to 100 characters). To remove values, select the values in the List Values box, and click Remove Selected Values.
  • Password: creates a field for entering text that is hidden under an asterisk mask. When displayed on a user’s details page, the field is automatically paired with a second field, prompting the user to re-enter the data to verify it.

Note: You cannot change the Type of a custom field after creating it.

  1. To save the custom field details, click Save.

Password field security considerations

Password fields are intended only to obscure passwords from casual inspection. This means that they will:

  • Be masked on user details pages.
  • Remain encrypted while in transit to and from the integration agent.
  • Not be logged in plaintext log files.

However, through configuration it is possible to:

  • Send passwords out as plaintext.
  • Manually log the contents of a password field.

Technical Context

xMatters users' passwords are stored in the xMatters database and encrypted using a one-way hash. By contrast, password custom field values must be stored using a symmetric cipher so xMatters can submit plaintext passwords to third-party systems and include plaintext passwords in notifications. As a result, a determined attacker could potentially retrieve password values from custom fields.