Add a configured field and prepare its delivery

C · Configuration / 26R1 reference / Documentation-based walkthrough draft

Create an optional handover reference that a user can save and reopen, then deliver the field and its page placement to a second environment. This uses Entity Configuration, Page Designer, and an Application Configuration Package (ACP).

These IFS steps have not been executed in an environment. Confirm the supported entity, page, and target release before following the walkthrough.

Before you start

You need a nonproduction IFS Cloud environment, permission to maintain Entity Configurations and Page Designer, and an agreed configuration context. Delivery also needs a compatible test environment and an authorized configuration importer. Use a disposable record that your normal test user can update.

Download the target worksheet and acceptance checks. Record the actual page, entity, context, release, and record key. These are working notes, not IFS import files.

Item	Edited in	Delivery artifact
Persistent custom attribute	Entity Configuration	Published entity configuration
Field placement and label	Page Designer	Page configuration in the selected context
Bundle and dependencies	Application Configuration Package	Exported ACP ZIP
Evidence	Acceptance worksheet	Source and target results, roles, record keys

1. Identify the page and requirement

1. Open the target detail page and a disposable record. Check whether a standard field already meets the requirement.
2. From the User Menu, open Debug Console and inspect Page Info. Record the page element and its entity/logical unit. Identify the group or list that displays your record.
3. Check that the entity supports configuration. A read-only or method-based data source does not automatically become writable when an attribute is added.
4. Record the intended configuration context. Coordinate with anyone editing that context so publishing does not deliver their unfinished work.

Use this original requirement:

Requirement	Value
Displayed name	External handover reference
Example value	DEMO-HO-014
Storage	Persistent text
Maximum length	50
Required	No
Allowed changes	Insert, update, and clear by an authorized user

A calculated value may need a read-only attribute instead. The source checkout can help trace the page and projection, but does not contain every environment’s saved configuration contexts.

2. Create the persistent attribute

1. Navigate to Solution Manager → Configuration → Entity Configurations and open the entity from step 1.
2. In Custom Attributes, create a record to start Add Custom Attribute.
3. Enter these properties. If the technical name already exists, inspect the existing definition before choosing another name.

Property	Example setting	Purpose
Name	HANDOVER_REF	Stable technical name, starting with a letter
Prompt	External handover reference	User-facing label
Type	Persistent	Retain the entered value
Data type / format	Text / Unformatted	Preserve the entered text
Maximum length	50	Agreed boundary
Insertable / Updatable	Enabled	Enter and correct a value
Searchable	Enabled	Allow supported searches
Default value	None	Existing records may remain empty

4. Complete the assistant and inspect the definition. Confirm the name and persistent/read-only choice now; do not treat them as interchangeable settings to change later.
5. Keep the value optional. Do not enable an index or public getter solely to make the field visible; those serve separate requirements.
6. Record the actual technical identifier. Do not substitute the modification example’s CExternalReference or guess a generated database/API name.

3. Approve and publish

1. Approve the new attribute and configuration entity as required by their state.
2. Inspect Approved Detail Views if the page uses another supported view of this entity. Include the actual required view, rather than every view.
3. Run Analyze or Analyze with Dependents and resolve reported problems.
4. Use Publish on the entity configuration. Inspect the result and retain the publication evidence.

Checkpoint: publication succeeds and the attribute is available to the intended supported page.

4. Place the field with Page Designer

1. Return to the target page and open User Menu → Open Page Designer.
2. Select the intended configuration context in the toolbar.
3. Under the active page’s Content, follow the linked element that owns the record. Open the group or list where the field belongs.
4. Hover over that element’s Content and select +. In the attribute selector, locate the published custom attribute; custom attributes can appear with a Cf_ prefix. Select the actual identifier shown by the tool.
5. Confirm with the tick mark. Review its prompt and placement, including translations used by your audience.
6. Turn on Preview. Check that the field belongs to the correct record and leaves existing required controls usable.
7. Save, then Publish the page configuration. Saving alone leaves a draft.
8. Exit the designer and reopen the page in normal runtime with the intended user/context.

Checkpoint: the field is visible outside designer preview.

5. Verify persistence, boundaries, and access

1. Enter DEMO-HO-014, save, navigate away, and reopen the same record by its key. Expect the exact value to remain.
2. Change it to DEMO-HO-015, save, and reopen. This tests update separately from initial entry.
3. Clear the field and save. It should remain empty without breaking existing business rules.
4. Enter the 50-character ASCII value below and confirm it survives a reload without truncation.
5. Append X to make 51 characters. The length limit should prevent or reject the additional character. Record the actual UI limit or validation message; silent truncation is a failed check.
6. Repeat with a read-only test user. Adding the field must not grant update rights or reveal records that user cannot otherwise access.

12345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890

A hidden or disabled field is not proof of service authorization. Use approved API tests for the same record and role where the field is exposed through a service.

6. Export the configuration package

1. Open Application Configuration Package and create or use the package assigned to this change.
2. Add the entity configuration, page configuration in the intended context, and dependencies identified by analysis. Synchronize applicable items before export.
3. Inspect the item list. Confirm that it contains the required changes without unrelated drafts. Record the item identifiers.
4. Choose Export, enter a version such as handover-reference-1 and a change comment, and save the ZIP.
5. Retain the ZIP as exported. The worksheet is not a replacement for generated package XML.

Checkpoint: each exported item has an understood purpose and the package corresponds to the version tested above.

7. Validate, import, and publish on the target

1. Retain the current target configuration and identify target-local changes before replacing anything.
2. Open the package in Import Configuration on the compatible test environment. Inspect items classified as new, modified, or identical.
3. Run Validate. Resolve errors and review warnings, missing dependencies, and conflicts.
4. Run Import after reviewing the comparison. Import can overwrite definitions and translations; some item types take effect during import.
5. Publish the imported entity/custom attributes and page configuration through their supported commands. Not every item publishes automatically.
6. Repeat step 5 using the target’s user, context, and test record. Record actual results alongside the package version.

Validation checks compatibility; it does not establish that the delivered behavior works for the intended user.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Investigation and correction
Attribute missing from the selector	Check entity publication, Page Info, and the actual view. Add a required supported view through Approved Detail Views if appropriate.
Visible only in preview	Confirm page publication and the user’s configuration context.
Value disappears after reload	Confirm persistent type, update access, and that you reopened the same record.
Source works but target fails	Compare ACP items, dependencies, publication results, and contexts.
Read-only user can save	Inspect the user’s effective permissions; changing the control’s appearance does not revoke service access.

For a view mismatch, inspect the page fetch call through Debug Console → Server Invokes and identify the queried view. Diagnose that relationship before changing unrelated contexts or clearing all caches.

Exercise and solution

Exercise: change the displayed label to “Partner handover reference” without creating a second stored value. Prove that a previously saved reference remains.

Show the solution

Edit the same field in the same Page Designer context, adjust its supported label/prompt setting and translations, then save and publish. Reopen the original record. The technical attribute and stored value should be unchanged. Export the page configuration in a new ACP version and repeat the target check.

Cleanup and verification status

Remove the training field from the page configuration or restore the reviewed previous configuration. Retain required values before using the supported attribute unpublish/removal workflow: deleting a persistent attribute can remove data. Avoid reverting unrelated shared page changes.

Status: documentation-based 26R1 walkthrough, not executed in IFS. Record release, roles, actual results, and verification date when completing the worksheet.

Sources

• Custom attributes
• Persistent attribute properties
• Page Designer
• Adding attributes to a page
• ACP export
• ACP import lifecycle