[Feature Request] List of Custom field(s) by Document type

[bierwald]

Description

After searching through the feature requests, I couldn't find any feature request relating this idea.
Currently document types do not bring much useful added information and value for my documents. I do use it to categorize my documents into categories like "bills", "letters", "receipts", etc. But I barely use this information for search or work with the documents.

Idea:
With the roll-out of custom fields in 2.0.0, the first thing coming to my mind was, to connect a set of custom fields to a specific document type. So that when I select a specific document type, the related custom fields are automatically added.

Example:
Document Type: Invoice
Related Custom Fields: Amount, Due Date, Payed at

If I Choose the Document type "Invoice", the mentioned Related Custom Fields will show up directly.

Therefore, Custom fields should be markable as "Not Required but Present" as some information may be added at a later point of time. An Invoice can be present but payed maybe one week later. This is necessary to be able to save the document with empty or not yed filled custom fields

Other

No response

[dimkasta]

I love this idea. It was the first thing I looked for when I saw the custom fields.

I guess this can be done with a workflow?

[tobiaswx]

This also came to my mind today, after I had looked into custom fields a little more. I asked myself "Why is it not possible to automatically link the amount and invoice number fields to the invoice document type?". I then tried to implement it with workflows, but I find it quite awkward. It would really be better here if you could say document type X always has custom fields Y. Theoretically, you could then add an option such as mandatory fields and optional fields (e.g. invoice number for invoice: mandatory, order number for invoice: optional).

[bernarddt]

I had the exact same thought and also used Workflow, but that is overly complicated for something that makes sense to tie to the document type. I don't know of anyone that willy nilly will asign custom fields to documents with no structure or logical reasoning. In my case I have "Bank Account Statements" document type and they have Account Number and Sequence Number as custom fields.

The other important differentiation from Workflows is that I have to first "save" the document before the workflow will assign the custom fields, then you have to re-open the document to see the fields. So when you process a lot of documents say invoices, this add considerable time to the process.

With this idea the custom fields can show or hide as you change the document type in real time. So effectively selecting a document type drives the custom fields you have to complete.

Lastly if you work with someone like i have an assistant, they don't need to be aware of the custom fields they must add, but will see them when they select the document type and realised they need to be completed (giving that setting fields as required/optional is not possible).

[marcelbrueckner]

That's possible, but tedious. If you have multiple document types you want that custom field to be added, it quickly gets confusing.

For example, I have 5 document types for which I assign a "reference date" that I like to use contrary to the document's creation date. The workflow for assigning this field looks like the following:

[MrMoep]

Just split it, way more organized.

And another trick, I only add fields, when the document has the inbox tag, because usually there shouldn't be any change, after you deleted the inbox tag.