Custom Fields
Add custom data fields to any NetSuite record type.
Field Categories
CUSTOM FIELD CATEGORIES
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
NAVIGATION: Customization → Lists, Records, & Fields
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Entity Fields │ Fields on Customer, Vendor, Employee, etc. │
│ Item Fields │ Fields on all item types │
│ CRM Fields │ Fields on Cases, Tasks, Events, Campaigns │
│ Transaction Body │ Header fields on transactions │
│ Transaction Line │ Line-level fields on transactions │
│ Transaction Column │ Sublist columns on transactions │
│ Other Record Fields │ Fields on other standard records │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Field Area Deep Dives
- Entity Fields
- Item Fields
- CRM Fields
- Transaction Body Fields
- Transaction Line Fields
- Other Record Fields
- Other Sublist Fields
Creating a Custom Field
Step-by-Step Process
CUSTOM FIELD CREATION
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Step 1: Navigate to field type
Customization → Lists, Records, & Fields → [Field Type] → New
Step 2: Configure Basic Information
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Label: Project Code │
│ ID: custbody_project_code (auto-prefixed) │
│ Type: Free-Form Text │
│ Description: Reference code for project tracking │
│ │
│ Store Value: ☑ (saves to database) │
│ Show in List: ☐ (appears in list views) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 3: Set Applies To (Transaction Body example)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Transaction Types: │
│ ☑ Sales Order │
│ ☑ Invoice │
│ ☐ Purchase Order │
│ ☐ Bill │
│ ☐ Journal Entry │
│ ☐ All transaction types │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 4: Configure Display
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Subtab: Custom │
│ Display Type: Normal │
│ Display Width: 30 │
│ Display Height: 1 │
│ Help Text: Enter the project code for this transaction │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 5: Set Validation
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ☐ Mandatory │
│ ☐ Check Spelling │
│ ☐ Unique │
│ Max Length: 50 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Field Display Types
DISPLAY TYPE OPTIONS
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
┌────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Normal │ Editable field, standard display │
├────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Hidden │ Not visible on form (scripting use only) │
├────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Inline Text │ Display-only, no edit capability │
├────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Disabled │ Visible but grayed out (cannot edit) │
├────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Locked │ Visible, editable only via script │
└────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Role-Based Display:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Different display type per role: │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Role │ Display Type │ │
│ ├───────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ │
│ │ Administrator │ Normal │ │
│ │ Sales Rep │ Inline Text │ │
│ │ A/R Clerk │ Hidden │ │
│ └───────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Sourcing and Filtering
Sourcing Field Values
Automatically populate field based on related record.
SOURCING CONFIGURATION
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Example: Source customer's email to Sales Order
Field Setup:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Field Label: Customer Email │
│ Type: Email Address │
│ Applies To: Sales Order (Body Field) │
│ │
│ Sourcing Tab: │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Source List: Customer │ │
│ │ Source From: Customer (entity field on SO) │ │
│ │ Source Field: Email │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ When customer is selected, email auto-populates │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
How it works:
1. User selects customer on Sales Order
2. System looks up customer's email
3. Field auto-populates with email value
Filtering Field Options
Limit dropdown selections based on context.
FILTERING CONFIGURATION
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Example: Filter contacts by selected customer
Field Setup:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Field Label: Primary Contact │
│ Type: List/Record (Contact) │
│ Applies To: Sales Order (Body Field) │
│ │
│ Sourcing Tab - Filter By: │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Filter Using: Customer │ │
│ │ Compare Field: Company (on Contact record) │ │
│ │ Compare To: Customer (entity on Sales Order) │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Only contacts linked to selected customer appear in dropdown │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Default Values
DEFAULT VALUE OPTIONS
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Static Default:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Default Value: "Pending Review" │
│ Always starts with this value │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Formula Default:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Default: {today} │
│ Current date when record created │
│ │
│ Available formulas: │
│ • {today} │
│ • {now} │
│ • {user} │
│ • {subsidiary} │
│ • {role} │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Checkbox Default:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Default Checked: ☑ │
│ Checkbox starts as checked │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Accessing Custom Fields
In Scripts
// Read custom field
const projectCode = record.getValue({
fieldId: 'custbody_project_code'
});
// Set custom field
record.setValue({
fieldId: 'custbody_project_code',
value: 'PROJ-001'
});
// Line-level custom field
const lineValue = record.getSublistValue({
sublistId: 'item',
fieldId: 'custcol_delivery_date',
line: 0
});
In SuiteQL
-- Transaction body field
SELECT
t.tranid,
t.custbody_project_code AS project_code
FROM
transaction t
WHERE
t.custbody_project_code IS NOT NULL
-- Entity field
SELECT
c.companyname,
c.custentity_industry AS industry
FROM
customer c
WHERE
c.custentity_industry = 1
-- Transaction line field
SELECT
t.tranid,
tl.item,
tl.custcol_delivery_date AS delivery_date
FROM
transactionline tl
JOIN
transaction t ON tl.transaction = t.id
Field ID Prefixes
FIELD ID NAMING
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
System-assigned prefixes:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ custbody_ │ Transaction body (header) fields │
│ custcol_ │ Transaction column (line) fields │
│ custentity_ │ Entity fields (customer, vendor, employee) │
│ custitem_ │ Item fields │
│ custevent_ │ CRM event fields │
│ custrecord_ │ Custom record fields │
│ custpage_ │ Suitelet page elements │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Example IDs:
custbody_project_code → SO header field
custcol_delivery_instructions → SO line field
custentity_vip_customer → Customer field
custitem_country_origin → Item field
Conditional Mandatory Fields (Required When...)
Make a field required based on another field's value.
Use Case Examples
| Scenario | Condition | Required Field |
|---|---|---|
| Expected Ship Date required when Shipping Method selected | Shipping Method ≠ blank | Expected Ship Date |
| Tax Exempt Reason required when Tax Exempt = Yes | Tax Exempt = checked | Exemption Certificate |
| Rejection Notes required when status = Rejected | Approval Status = "Rejected" | Rejection Notes |
Approach 1: Using Workflow (Recommended for Non-Developers)
WORKFLOW - SET FIELD MANDATORY
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Record Type: Sales Order
Trigger: On Before Record Submit
State: Check Conditional Requirements
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Entry Actions: │
│ │
│ 1. Set Field Mandatory Action: │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Field: Expected Ship Date │ │
│ │ Mandatory: ☑ Yes │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Condition: │ │
│ │ {custbody_shipping_method} is not empty │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ (Only execute when shipping method is selected) │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ Result: If user selects a shipping method but leaves Expected Ship Date │
│ blank, the save will fail with validation error │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Approach 2: Using Client Script (More Flexible)
/**
* Client Script - Conditional Mandatory Field
* Makes Expected Ship Date required when Shipping Method is selected
*
* @NApiVersion 2.1
* @NScriptType ClientScript
*/
define(['N/currentRecord'], function(currentRecord) {
function pageInit(context) {
checkShippingMethodMandatory(context.currentRecord);
}
function fieldChanged(context) {
if (context.fieldId === 'custbody_shipping_method') {
checkShippingMethodMandatory(context.currentRecord);
}
}
function checkShippingMethodMandatory(record) {
var shippingMethod = record.getValue('custbody_shipping_method');
var shipDateField = record.getField('custbody_expected_ship_date');
if (shippingMethod) {
// Shipping method selected - make date required
shipDateField.isMandatory = true;
} else {
// No shipping method - date is optional
shipDateField.isMandatory = false;
}
}
function saveRecord(context) {
var record = context.currentRecord;
var shippingMethod = record.getValue('custbody_shipping_method');
var expectedDate = record.getValue('custbody_expected_ship_date');
if (shippingMethod && !expectedDate) {
alert('Expected Ship Date is required when a Shipping Method is selected.');
return false; // Prevent save
}
return true;
}
return {
pageInit: pageInit,
fieldChanged: fieldChanged,
saveRecord: saveRecord
};
});
Approach 3: Using User Event (Server-Side Validation)
/**
* User Event Script - Server-side conditional mandatory
*
* @NApiVersion 2.1
* @NScriptType UserEventScript
*/
define(['N/error'], function(error) {
function beforeSubmit(context) {
var record = context.newRecord;
var shippingMethod = record.getValue('custbody_shipping_method');
var expectedDate = record.getValue('custbody_expected_ship_date');
if (shippingMethod && !expectedDate) {
throw error.create({
name: 'MISSING_REQUIRED_FIELD',
message: 'Expected Ship Date is required when a Shipping Method is selected.',
notifyOff: false
});
}
}
return {
beforeSubmit: beforeSubmit
};
});
Comparison: Which Approach to Use?
| Approach | Best For | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workflow | Simple conditions, non-developers | No code, UI-based, easy to modify | Limited to workflow-supported conditions |
| Client Script | Real-time UI feedback | Immediate visual feedback, field styling | Only runs in UI (bypassed by API) |
| User Event | Guaranteed validation | Catches all saves (UI, API, import) | No real-time UI feedback |
| Combined | Production systems | Best of both worlds | More code to maintain |
[!TIP] For critical business rules, use both Client Script (for user experience) AND User Event (for data integrity).
Next Steps
| Goal | Go To |
|---|---|
| Form customization | Custom Forms → |
| Return to Suite Builder | Suite Builder → |
| Build workflows | Workflows → |