"User" type Custom Fields can be used to create and assign Custom User Roles for a Client and/or Job, allowing practices to assign users to roles other than the standard Manager and Partner fields included with FYI. For example, Accountant, Bookkeeper, Team Coordinator, Supervisor etc.
In addition, Custom User Roles can be inserted into documents using Merge Fields.
If a user is assigned to a job's Custom User Role, you can update the practice settings to display the job on the user's Home - My Jobs tab. This function is available to practices using Workflow Jobs, or if FYI is selected as the Practice Management source. Refer to Managing Mappings.
Custom User Roles Overview
Custom User Roles can only be added and maintained in FYI. Refer to Managing Custom Fields.
Users must be either an FYI Admin or a user in a User Group that has Permissions enabled for Edit Custom Fields. Refer to Managing User Groups.
Custom User Roles can be used with:
- Clients
- Jobs
- In Lists to sort and filter
- In Automations when creating a Task as the Assignee, or in the Workflow as the Owner or Approver
For practices integrated with Xero Practice Manager, if a Custom User Role has been created at a Client or Job level, a corresponding field will be created in Xero Practice Manager at the same level.
Any changes to the Custom User Roles in FYI will sync to Xero Practice Manager within 15 minutes.
Note: Unlike other Custom Fields, changes to the Custom User Roles in Xero Practice Manager will not be synchronised back to FYI. These fields should be maintained directly within FYI.
Displaying and Adding Custom Field Definitions in FYI
For information on displaying and adding Custom User Role definitions in FYI, refer to Custom User Roles in Managing Custom Fields
Editing a Custom User Role for a Client or Job
For general information on editing a Custom Field in the Client - Custom Fields and Job - Custom Field tabs, refer to Editing Client Custom Fields in Client Custom Fields and Job Custom Fields.
For a Custom User Role, the drop-down displays a list of all the active users in FYI for you to select one. The following is an example of selecting a value for a Custom Field "Accountant" - a Custom User Role (a Custom Field with the Type "User").
Custom User Roles in the Clients and Jobs Lists
You can include a Custom User Role set up for Clients (such as for Accountant, Bookkeeper, Team Coordinator, etc) in the Clients or Jobs lists for sorting or filtering.
Refer to:
- Using the Clients Lists
- Sorting and Filtering Clients Lists
- Using the Jobs Lists
- Sorting and Filtering Jobs Lists
Custom User Roles when Creating a Job
If the Custom User Role is enabled for both Clients and Jobs, when creating a job using the + Create button, the job will automatically inherit the Custom User Roles selected for the client.
Custom User Roles in Custom Processes
Custom User Roles can be selected in Automation Processes, by clicking the Merge Field icon.
Depending on where the Custom User Role is sourced from, it will be located in the appropriate section. In the example below, a Job Custom User Role called "Administration" is located within the Trigger Job section.
Refer also to Update Client and Update Job in Process Step Details - Updating Clients, Creating and Updating Jobs.
Workflow in Steps
Owner
Custom User Roles can be selected as the Owner in the Workflow of a step. This retrieves the user that has been selected for that Custom Field as relevant for the relative Client or Job.
If no user has been assigned to the relevant Client or Job for that Custom User Role, it adds the Owner of the process as the Owner of the document created.
Approver
In the same way as above, a Custom User Role can be used to set the Approver in the Workflow of a step. This will retrieve the user that has been selected for that Custom User Role as relevant for the relative Client or Job.
If no user has been assigned to the relevant Client or Job for that Custom Field, no Approver is set for the workflow when the document is created.
Task in Steps
Custom User Roles can be selected as the Assignee in the Task of a step. This will automatically assign the task to the user selected for that Custom Field as relevant for the relative Client or Job.
The Assignee will be blank for the created task if a user is not assigned to the relevant Client or Job for that Custom User Role.
Create Email Step
In a Create Email step in an Automation Process, a Custom User Role can be selected as the Sender or as a Recipient.
- Sender: a Filter must be selected in the automation process to select a Custom Field for a sender.
- Recipients: the only supported custom field types are "Email".
Refer to Create Email - Recipients and Create Email - Send in Process Step Details - Creating Documents and Tasks.
Summary Notification
In a Summary Notification step, a Custom User Role can be selected in the Notify User field.
Note: Custom User Roles can only be notified when using Jobs and Client views for Automation Processes. Other views do not have Custom User Roles available for selection.
Custom User Roles as Merge Fields
Custom User Roles can be used as Merge Fields in Email, Word and Spreadsheet templates as well as for Email Signatures and Word Stationery.
Custom User Roles as Merge Fields in Email Templates and Signatures
Custom Fields and Custom User Roles that have been added in FYI are displayed in the Merge Field window in the relevant section. For example, Job Custom User Roles will be displayed in the Job section.
Merge Fields in Draft FYI Emails
Certain Merge Fields, such as those that relate to the Author, Attachments, or Custom User Roles, are only applied when the final details and sender of the email has been determined. These will only be merged into the email when it is sent or if the email is saved as Draft in Outlook. The information will not be displayed when editing the email in the Editor in FYI.
When creating an email using a Template or Signature that includes a Custom User Role, if you have selected Draft in FYI, you can check how the Custom Field will populate in the email when sent using the Preview button in the Email Editor. Refer to Previewing the Draft in FYI Email in Creating an Email in FYI.
Custom User Roles as Merge Fields in Word Templates and Stationery
Custom Fields and Custom User Roles that have been added in FYI can be added to Word Templates and Stationery. Refer also to Merge Fields for Custom Fields that are Maintained in FYI in Including Merge Fields in Word Templates and Stationery.
Custom User Roles will be displayed in the Merge Field selection window.
Custom User Roles as Merge Names in Spreadsheet Templates
Custom Fields and Custom User Roles that have been added in FYI can be added as Merge Names in Spreadsheet Templates. Refer to Including Merge Names in Excel Templates.