How to Use Conditional Custom Fields in Repair Categories

How to Use Conditional Custom Fields in Repair Categories

A repair intake form that shows every possible question at once quickly becomes cluttered. Staff scroll past fields that don't apply to the job in front of them, and important follow-up details are easy to miss when they're buried among irrelevant ones.

RepairDesk solves this with conditional custom fields. You can set up IF/THEN field rules so a follow-up field only appears when a specific answer is selected, like asking what liquid caused the damage only when prior liquid damage is marked yes. This keeps your intake forms clean, guides staff to capture the right details every time, and works across any repair category, from cell phones to ring sizing.

Video Guide:

In this guide, you'll learn how to create custom fields for a repair category, set up field rules so fields appear only when relevant, and test the behavior on both the repair form and the point of sale.

Getting Started

Before creating rules, you must first create all the custom fields you want to use in your repair category.

Add a Custom Field

  1. Go to Store Settings → Repairs → Repair Categories.
  2. Open the required repair category.
  3. Go to the Fields section.
  4. Click Add New.
  5. Add field drawer will open.
  6. Enter the required field details:
    • Field Name — Enter the name of the field.
    • Field Type — Select the type of field.
    • Mandatory — Make the field required when needed.
    • Asset — Mark the field as asset-specific when needed.
    • Full Width — Display the field across the full available width when required.
  7. Click Save Field.
  8. The field will be added to the fields listing.

Create Conditional Rules

Once your fields are created, you can set up rules to control when specific fields should appear.

  1. From the Fields section, click Manage Field Rules.
  2. Rules drawer will open. Click the Add rule button to set up rules.
  3. Select the If Field whose answer should trigger the condition.
  4. Select the Criteria for the condition.
  5. Select the Target Field that should be displayed.
  6. Save the rule, and you're good to go.

Preview Your Form

Use the Preview Form option at the top of the Fields section to test your custom fields before using them.

The preview shows how the form will behave, including conditional logic. Conditional fields remain hidden until their conditions are met, allowing you to test your rules before going live.

Conditional Fields at POS

Conditional custom fields are also available during ticket creation at the POS.

  1. Select the required repair category.
  2. Click on the Additional Details button on the ticket details section.
  3. Custom Fields drawer will open.
  4. The regular fields will be displayed initially.
  5. When a technician provides an answer that meets a condition, the related field appears automatically.
  6. If the answer is changed and the condition is no longer met, the field disappears immediately.

FAQs

Can I create multiple rules for a repair category?
Yes. You can create multiple rules by clicking Add Rule in the rules drawer. Each rule works independently, and when a condition is met, the related target field will automatically be displayed.
How can I identify which fields have conditional rules?
Fields with conditional rules are marked with a bolt icon. Hover over the icon to view a summary of the rule.
Can I delete or disable a custom field linked to a conditional rule?

Yes. You can delete or disable a custom field even if it is linked to other fields through conditional rules. When you delete or disable the field, the associated behavior rules will also be removed.

The system will notify you that disabling this field will also remove the associated rules before you proceed.

Can I add a new field while setting up the rules?

Yes, you can add a new field while setting up the rules. You don't have to leave the rule setup to create a new field.

While setting up the rule, enter the name of a new field. An Add New Field option will appear.

  1. Click Add New Field.
  2. The custom field drawer will open.
  3. Enter the field details.
  4. Click Save Field.
  5. The new field will automatically be added to the fields listing.
Can I reorder the custom fields based on my preferences?

Yes, you can drag and drop fields in the fields listing to change their order.

The selected order will be reflected everywhere the custom fields are displayed, including:

  • Preview Form
  • POS ticket creation
  • New Ticket UI
What criteria are available for conditional custom fields?

The available criteria depend on the type of field being used as the condition:

  • Text Field: Contains, Does not contain

  • Dropdown: Is equal to, Is not equal to

  • Checkbox: Includes option, Does not include option

  • Calendar: Has a date selected

These criteria let you define when a related custom field should display based on the answer provided.

What happens to a custom field attribute on existing tickets if it is deactivated?

When a custom field attribute is deactivated, it is no longer available for selection when creating or editing tickets. However, any value that was previously selected on a ticket remains unchanged.

The deactivated attribute continues to appear as a read-only value on historical tickets. If the attribute is reactivated, it becomes available again for selection on both new and existing tickets.

Can I keep a custom field for internal use only?

Yes. You can mark a custom field as For Internal Use so it is only visible to your team and is excluded from customer-facing receipts and emails.

When creating or editing a custom field, go to:

Settings > Repairs > Repair Categories > Custom Fields > Add/Edit Field

Turn on the For Internal Use toggle.


The field and its value will not appear on printed receipts or in emails sent to customers.

The toggle is off by default and is available for all custom field types. When turned off, the field and its value will appear on receipts and emails as normal.


How can I display specific custom fields in receipt and ticket label templates?

A macro is automatically created for each External/Internal custom field and is available in the Perforated Service Receipt and Ticket Label template editors.

The macro name is based on the custom field name followed by _repair_custom_field. For example, a field named Warranty Status will have the macro warranty_status_repair_custom_field.

If an existing custom field is changed from External to Internal, its value will no longer be included in the Repair Custom Fields Combined macro when printing. If it is changed back to External, its value will be included again.

If a custom field is deleted, its corresponding macro is also removed from the template editor.