Setting Up Crew Types and Attributes
How to create crew types and custom attributes, arrange them in sections, and choose which fields crew members must fill in, can see, and can edit themselves.
Different people owe you different information. A freelance rigger needs a current certification on file, a volunteer needs a shirt size and an emergency contact, and an employee needs neither. Crew types let you collect exactly what each kind of person needs to provide, and nothing else.
Types, Sections and Attributes
An attribute is one custom field, such as Certification Expiry, Shirt Size or Union Local. Attributes are defined once and reused across types.
A crew type is a kind of person: Employee, Freelancer, Volunteer. Each type has one or more named sections, and each section places attributes in order. A new type starts with one section called Details.
A crew member can hold several types at once, and their record shows a section for each.
Attribute kinds are text, rich text, number, date, date and time, checkbox, link, single select, multi select, single file, multiple files, and person fields that point at a collaborator or another crew member. An attribute's kind cannot be changed after it is created. Select options can be renamed or added later without losing the values already chosen.
Required, Visible and Editable
Each time you place an attribute in a section, you choose three settings for that placement:
- Required: the field must have a value.
- Visible: the crew member can see the field on their own crew profile.
- Editable: the crew member can fill it in themselves.
A newly placed attribute starts visible and editable, and not required. Visible and editable together are what turn data collection into self-service. Ask freelancers for their dietary needs and let them answer; keep an internal rating visible to admins only. A field that is required, visible and editable must be filled in whenever the crew member saves their profile.
Organization Types and Event Types
Your organization keeps its own crew types and attributes, used by the organization crew database. Each event has its own set too, so an event can collect something extra without changing the organization's setup.
An event can copy a type or attribute from the organization. The copy stays linked, so values in linked fields travel when people are pulled from or pushed to the organization. Types and attributes created only on the event stay on the event.
Set Up Organization Crew Types
Organization admins manage these.
Open crew settings
Create attributes
Create a type
Arrange the type
Open the type, add sections if you want more than Details, and place attributes in each section with their Required, Visible and Editable settings.
Set Up Event Crew Types
Event admins open Event Settings and select Crewing, which has the same Types and Attributes tabs. To copy from the organization, open the menu beside Add type or Add attribute and choose From organization. Copying a type also brings any of its attributes the event does not have yet.
Deleting and Restoring
Deleting never throws away answers people have given:
- A type that any crew member holds is archived instead of deleted. Their values are kept, and the type can no longer be assigned.
- An attribute that is placed on a type or has stored values is archived instead of deleted.
- Removing a section, taking an attribute out of a section, or removing a type from a person also keeps the stored values. They reappear if a type that shows them is assigned again.
At the organization, select the Show archived toggle in the types or attributes table, then choose Restore from the row's menu to bring one back.