Creating Custom Template Tabs

On the template page, select the template that you want to add a custom tab to using the template selection dropdown. With the correct template selected, you're ready to add a custom tab to it.

For the sake of this tutorial, we'll be using the default template as an example. Let's get started!

To create a custom template tab, click the add a new tab button. Name your new tab, then press enter on your keyboard to create it.

Custom Fields

Your new custom tab will be empty. You will be populating it with custom fields.

To add a custom field, click the add new field button and you will be presented with a dropdown selection of the currently available custom fields.

Currently, there are 9 custom fields to choose from, but we are continuously adding new ones and refining the older ones.

If you want to see new fields or would like to suggest improvements, you can use the Suggest a Feature / Report a bug button in the footer of the site. We can't wait to hear your suggestions!

Here are the currently available custom fields:

1. Single line text
2. Paragraph text
3. File/Image upload
4. Checkboxes
5. Radio buttons
6. Date
7. Dropdown select
8. Heading
9. Guidelines

Let's explore these fields in more detail.

Heading

The heading field allows you to add a heading text. This is mostly used for organizing your template tab into different sections. Think of it as subheadings on a blog post or article.

Guidelines

The guidelines field allows you to add "global level" guidelines or rules. You can use a combination of headings and guidelines to organize your template tabs, especially if you have a complex template structure.

Single line text field

The single line text field allows you to add a single-line text input field.

The "set recommended length to" lets you to set a recommended limit to the number of characters or words that a user can input in the field.

When a someone's input exceeded the recommended length, a warning will appear, similar to the one shown below.

Keep in mind that submission or approval actions will still go through even if the recommended limit is not met.

When the "required field" option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty.

The "field guidelines" lets you to add a "field level guideline" -- helper text that will appear under this field in the content editor.

Paragraph text field

The paragraph text field adds either a rich text editor or a plain text area input field.

By default, this field adds a rich text editor, but you can check the "plain text" option to add a plain text editor instead.

When the "required field" option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty.

The "field guidelines" lets you to add a "field level guideline" -- helper text that will appear under this field in the content editor.

File/image upload field

The file/image upload field adds a file uploader, similar to the one in the main content tab.

When the "required field" option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty.

The "field guidelines" lets you to add a "field level guideline" -- helper text that will appear under this field in the content editor.

Checkbox field

The checkbox field adds a multiple-choice element.

To add choices, click the Add option link.

When the "required field" option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty.

The "field guidelines" lets you to add a "field level guideline" -- helper text that will appear under this field in the content editor.

Radio Button field

The radio button field adds a radio button element.

To add choices, click the Add option link.

When the "required field" option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty.

The "field guidelines" lets you to add a "field level guideline" -- helper text that will appear under this field in the content editor.

Date field

The date field adds a date picker element.

When the "required field" option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty.

The "field guidelines" lets you to add a "field level guideline" -- helper text that will appear under this field in the content editor.

Select field

The select field adds a dropdown selection element. It works quite similar to the checkboxes field, but the difference is that users will choose items from a dropdown menu and you can limit the number of choices a user can make.

To add choices, click the Add option link.

When the "required field" option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty.

The "field guidelines" lets you to add a "field level guideline" -- helper text that will appear under this field in the content editor.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you've learned how to create a custom template tab and how to add custom fields to it. You've also learned about the different types of custom fields.

By now, you should have a solid understanding of how to create and utilize custom tabs and custom fields for your templates.