Profile Fields
Create and manage custom data fields for campers, parents, and staff, then control where those answers appear across Campium.
Create and manage profile fields
Profile fields store the custom details your camp tracks about people in Campium, such as school, grade, allergies, bus route, or staff department. Each field has a name, a field type, and answers saved per person.
Built-in fields such as name, email, user type, and status are separate from profile fields. Use Profile Fields for the data your organization defines and maintains.
Think of Profile Fields as your camp's data dictionary. You define the field once, then Campium can use that same field across profiles, forms, reports, the health report, and Staff Hub.
Field types
Profile fields support these field types:
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Text — freeform answers such as classroom name, physician, or notes
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Date — date-based answers such as graduation date or last physical
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Choose One — a single selection from a list, such as grade or bus route
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Choose Many — multiple selections from a list, such as allergies or activity interests
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Link to a User — links this field to another person in Campium. When you choose this type, you pick the target user type the field points to: Staff, Camper, or Guardian (for example, linking a camper to an assigned counselor)
Find Profile Fields in Admin
Open Admin → Profile Fields at /admin/profile-fields.php. You need the Profile Fields permission, listed as custom_module, to access the page.
The page opens to a searchable table of all profile fields in your database. From there, you can add fields, edit existing ones, manage options, review usage, and control access.
Understand the main screen
The main Profile Fields screen gives you a high-level view of every field and how it is configured.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Field Name | The label staff see for the field |
| User Type | Which people the field applies to: Campers, Parents, Staff, or All Users |
| Field Type | Text, Date, Choose One, Choose Many, or Link to a User |
| Health report | A checkmark if the field appears on health reports |
| Description | An internal note about the field - not seen by families |
| Status | Whether the field is Active or Inactive |
Each row also includes a dropdown menu (⋮) with actions for that field. Not every action appears on every row — visibility depends on the field type and whether it is a system field.
| Action | What it does | When it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Edit Profile Field | Open the field settings to make changes | Editable fields only |
| Options | Add, reorder, or manage answer choices | Choose One and Choose Many fields only |
| View Usage in Forms/Reports | See everywhere the field is referenced | Always visible |
| Remove Everyone's Response | Clear saved answers while keeping the field | When removal is allowed for the field |
| Delete Profile Field | Permanently remove the field definition | Deletable fields only (blocked if in use) |
| Copy Field | Duplicate the field setup without copying answers | Non-primary fields only |
| Access Rights | Control which staff roles can see this field's data | When access rights are enabled for the field |
Add a new field
Create a new field when you need to track information that Campium does not provide as a built-in field.
Field settings
Use the Add New Field form to define the field.
The label staff see. Keep it under 50 characters, do not use commas, and do not prefix the user type in the name. A field name cannot be Family ID and cannot start with camper or staff.
Turns the field into a signature-style field when that option is available in your setup.
Sets the answer format for the field. Link to a User connects the field to another person; when you pick it, choose the target user type the link points to (Staff, Camper, or Guardian).
Choose OneChoose ManyTextDateLink to a UserChooses which user types the field applies to. Use a specific type or make the field available to all users.
Sets the prompt shown when the field appears on forms or other entry screens.
Applies formatting expectations such as phone or email when supported.
Adds the field to the health report when selected.
Limits field visibility by role. If left empty, all CampiumDB users can see the field data.
An internal-only note that helps staff understand the field's purpose.
After you save, the field appears in the Profile Fields table.
If you create a Choose One or Choose Many field, the field is not ready for use until you add options.
Manage options for choice fields
Choose One and Choose Many fields depend on an option list. After creating the field, open Options from the row menu to define the choices people can select.
What you can do in Options
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Add options by entering a value and pressing Enter after each one
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Reorder options by dragging them into the order you want
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Sort options alphabetically or numerically with the available sort tools
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Edit options when a label needs to change
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Merge options when two choices should become one
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Delete options that you no longer need
Campium shows a badge count for each option so you can see how many records currently use it. That count helps you judge the impact before editing, merging, or deleting an option.
Primary and system fields can include locked options. Locked options cannot be edited the same way as custom field options.
Edit a field without losing data
Use Edit from the row menu to update an existing field's settings. You can rename the field, change user types, adjust size, update question text, change formatting, toggle the health report setting, and revise role access.
You can also change the field status between Active and Inactive. Inactive fields are hidden from normal use, but Campium keeps the existing answers.
Active vs. inactive
Set a field to inactive when you want to stop using it without removing historical data. This is the safest option when the field has been used on profiles, forms, or reports and you may need those answers later.
Some core or system-managed fields are more restricted. Depending on the field, Campium may prevent renaming or deleting it.
Know where answers appear
A single profile field can appear in several places across Campium. You define the field once, and answers can be collected, displayed, or reported in multiple workflows.
Profile field answers can appear in:
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Admin profiles on tabs and layouts
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Registration forms
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Parent Portal
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Reports as optional extra columns
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Health report
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Staff Hub
This shared behavior is why the Usage action matters. Use View Usage before you edit or remove a field so you can see where that field is currently referenced.
Control access and visibility
Field access is controlled on the field itself. This role-based access is separate from the broader page permissions configured in Roles and Permissions.
By default, all CampiumDB users can see all profile field data. Restrict access on sensitive fields when only certain roles should view or work with that information.
Use Access Rights on a field (or Who has access? when you create or edit the field) to choose which staff roles can see that field's answers. Profile search and autocomplete also respect those grants, so staff only see matching answers for fields their role can access. Changes apply right away.
Page access controls whether someone can open Profile Fields. Field access controls whether they can see the data in a specific field, including in search results.
Copy, delete, or clear answers
The row menu includes several maintenance actions for existing fields.
| Action | What it does | Important detail |
|---|---|---|
| Copy Field | Duplicates the field setup | Copies the field configuration only, not saved answers |
| Delete Profile Field | Removes the field | Campium blocks deletion if the field is in use |
| Remove Everyone's Response | Clears saved answers | The field remains in place and can still be used again |
System and primary fields cannot be deleted. If you need to stop using one of these fields, set it to inactive instead when that option is available.
Clear answers with Remove Everyone's Response
Use Remove Everyone's Response when you want to wipe answers for a field without deleting the field itself. This is common at season change when parents should answer again.
- Open Admin → Profile Fields.
- Open the row menu (⋮) for the field and select Remove Everyone's Response.
- In the Remove responses dialog, choose a scope:
- All responses removes every saved answer for that field.
- Only responses last updated before: removes answers whose last update is before the date you pick. Newer answers stay. Pick a date that is today or earlier.
- Select Remove responses to confirm.
Campium shows how many answers were removed (for example, Removed 42 responses.). This cannot be undone, so prefer the date scope when some families have already answered for the new season.
Last updated uses the answer's last update time, or its created time when no update time is stored. Answers with neither date are kept when you use a date cutoff.
Use Profile Layouts to place fields on profiles
Creating a field does not automatically place it on every profile tab. Profile Layouts is a separate Admin area that controls where fields appear on profiles, how tabs are organized, and what order fields use for each user type.
The usual flow is:
Profile Fields → Profile Layouts → Forms and reports
Create the field first, then place it where staff should see it.
Practical tips for managing fields
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Use Description for internal notes so staff know why a field exists.
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Mark medical or safety-related fields for the health report when staff need quick access.
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Use Inactive instead of delete when you want to preserve history.
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Check View Usage before editing or removing a field that may appear in multiple places.
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Add options immediately after creating Choose One or Choose Many fields so the field is usable.
Follow the full setup flow
Define the field
Create the field in Admin → Profile Fields and choose its name, type, and user type. After you save, the field appears in the searchable table.
Add options if the field uses choices
If the field type is Choose One or Choose Many, open Options and add the answer choices. When options are in place, the field is ready to collect valid answers.
Set access and reporting behavior
Review who can see the field, whether it belongs on the health report, and any default question text or formatting. This is the point where you decide who uses the field and how sensitive it is.
Place the field on profile layouts
Open Profile Layouts and add the field to the right profile tab and position for the relevant user type. Once it is placed, staff can find it where they expect it on the profile.
Use the field in forms, reports, and Staff Hub
After setup, the same field can be reused across registration forms, the parent portal, reports, the health report, and Staff Hub. One field definition supports many workflows.
Collect and update answers per person
Answers save on each person's record. Staff can update those answers later from the profile or through forms, depending on where the field is exposed.
Keep your field setup maintainable
Profile fields work best when names are clear, access is intentional, and layouts match how staff actually use the data. Review field usage before making major changes, especially for fields tied to reports, forms, or health workflows.
When you need to retire a field, inactivating it usually gives you a cleaner result than deleting it. You keep historical answers, avoid breaking downstream usage, and leave yourself a clear record of how the field was used.