Content Fields
Every content type has a set of fields, and those fields decide what you fill in each time you add something. Set them up once and Vivreal builds the form for you. No code involved.
What fields do
Fields are the blanks on the form. Each one has a name, a type (text, photo, date, and so on), and a setting for whether it is required. When you add a new item, the form you see is built from exactly these fields.
A "Blog Posts" type might have:
- Title: Short Text (required)
- Body: Structured / Long Text
- Author: Short Text
- Publish Date: Date
- Featured Image: Image
- Category: Custom Choices
Opening the field editor
- Tap Content in the bottom navigation bar.
- Tap the content type you want to change. Its dialog opens.
- Your current fields are listed there. You can add, remove, or reorder them right in that list.
Field types
These are the types you can pick from:
| Type | What it holds | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Short Text | One line of text | Product name, author name |
| Structured / Long Text | Formatted text with headings, bold, and lists | Blog body, product description |
| Whole Number | A number with no decimals | Quantity, stock count |
| Decimal Number | A number with decimals | Price, rating |
| True / False | An on or off switch | Is featured, is published |
| Date | A date picker | Publish date, event date |
| Date & Time | A date and a time | Appointment time, event start |
| Time | A time on its own | Opening hours, schedule |
| Custom Choices | A dropdown you fill with your own options | Category, status, priority |
| Color | A colour picker | Brand colour, accent colour |
| Slug (URL Name) | The short name that appears in the web address | Page address, tidy links |
| Image | A photo upload | Featured image, headshot |
| Video | A video upload | Product demo, hero video |
| File Upload | Any file | PDF attachment, document |
| Gallery | Several photos or videos in one field | Product photos, hero slideshow |
| List of Items | A simple list you type out | Ingredients, features |
| Linked Content Type | A pointer to one item of another content type | Link an author to a post |
| List of Linked Items | Pointers to several items of another content type | Related products, tagged items |
Options like size and colour
Variants are not a field type, so you will not find one in the list above.
They are set up separately, from the Variants button at the top of the content type's own page (on a phone it is Manage Variants in the menu). That is where you define options like Small, Medium and Large, and decide which of your other fields change with the choice, so a large can cost more than a small.
Products that came from Stripe or Square
If your products sync in from a payment provider, their variants are managed on that channel's page instead, because the provider is the source of truth for them. See Connect Stripe or Connect Square.
Adding a field
Click Add Field
In the field list, click Add Field to create a new one.
Name the field
Give the field a name. This is the label you will see on the form every time you add an item, so write it the way you would say it out loud ("Title", "Price", "Featured Image").
Choose the field type
Pick a type from the dropdown. The type decides what kind of box you get on the form: a text box, a date picker, a photo upload, and so on.
Configure options
Depending on the type, you may see extra settings:
- Required: turn this on to make the field mandatory.
- Options: for Custom Choices and Variant fields, click Options to type out the list of allowed values.
- Affects: for Variant fields, click Affects to pick which other fields this one controls.
Save
Click Save. Items you already added are left alone, so a new field shows up empty on older items until you go back and fill it in.
Changing a field's type after you already have items can make them display oddly. If you need a different type, it is safer to add a new field and move the information across yourself.
Variant fields
Variant fields are for anything sold in more than one option, like a shirt in several sizes and colours. They set the options a customer chooses between.
When you add a Variant Field, you type out the possible values ("Small", "Medium", "Large") and pick which other fields it affects ("Price", "SKU"). Then, when you edit an item, each option gets its own box for those affected fields, so a Large can cost more than a Small.
Variant fields are mainly for things you sell. If you are building a blog or a portfolio, you can skip this.
A few tips
- Name fields plainly: "Featured Image" and "Publish Date" beat "img1" and "date2", especially once someone else on your team is filling them in.
- Mark the essentials required: it stops half-finished items getting saved.
- Use Structured / Long Text only where you need it: it is great for a blog body, but plain Short Text is better for names and titles.
- Sketch it out first: changing fields once you have hundreds of items is tedious. Five minutes of planning up front saves a lot later.
Next steps
With your fields set up, you are ready to add and edit items.