1. Slate Knowledge Base
  2. Admissions & Enrollment
  3. Records
  4. Entities

Creating and Displaying Entities

Updated
Expand-All  Collapse-All

There are five steps to create and display an entity for data collection:

  1. Create the entity object.
  2. Create entity-scoped fields.
  3. Refresh the Configurable Joins Library.
  4. Create an entity widget form to collect data. Add your Custom List Fields in the Edit Properties menu.
  5. Embed the entity widget form in the location where you intend to collect the data.

 

Step One: Creating the Entity

To create the entity object:

  1. From the main navigation, select Database.
  2. In the Records and Datasets section, select Entities.
  3. Click Insert. An Insert Record in Entities popup appears.

  4. Configure the following settings:

    • Status: Active
    • Folder: Keep entities organized by placing them in a folder, or create a new one by selecting Other.
    • Name: Give the entity a memorable, descriptive name.
    • Scope Insert: Select the scope or scopes applicable to this entity. See the Entities Overview for more information.
  5. Click Save

Create_Entity.png

 

Step Two: Creating the entity-scoped fields

When creating an entity, all data points that should be stored will require custom fields to store them.

Considerations before creating an entity-scoped field:

    • Does this field need to store one or multiple values per entity entry?
    • Does the field include a predetermined list of values, or does it collect free text?
    • If storing multiple values, should new values be added to the field, or should the new values replace the previous ones?
    • Is this value you are trying to store something unique per entity entry?

To create entity-scoped fields:

  1. From the main navigation, select Database.
  2. In the Records and Datasets section, select Fields.
  3. Click New Field. A New Field popup appears.
  4. Configure the following settings:
    • Status: Active
    • Scope Category: Related
    • Scope: Select the new entity.
  5. Configure the remaining settings as necessary*.
  6. Click Save. Repeat for each field necessary for the entity.

Create_Entity-scoped_Fields.png

 

*Click here for a complete listing of all setting descriptions.

  Tip

Unique for Merging - Entities require a custom configuration to ensure that incoming entity data can match existing entity data. Wherever you collect this data, the unique for merging field should be included. Some examples of useful unique for merging fields include:

    • GUID of the entity row 
    • A unique ID (for example, from an external system)
    • A Concatenate Field (for example, data from two custom entity fields)

An entity-widget-scoped form can be used to collect entity data. Once configured, the entity widget-scoped form must be added to either an application page-scoped form or a person page-scoped form.

Entity data can be collected on other forms by adding entity-scoped fields directly to the form or using a replicate block.

 

Step Three: Refresh the Configurable Joins library 

To refresh the Configurable Joins library: 

  1. From the main navigation, select Database.
  2. In the Queries section, click Refresh Configurable Joins Library.

 

Step Four: Creating an entity widget form

To create an entity widget form:

  1. From the main navigation, select Forms.
  2. Click New Form. A popup appears.  
  3. Click New Form. Configure the following settings:
    • Page Title: Add a name for the form.
    • Status: Confirmed/Active
    • Configure additional form settings as needed.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Select Edit Form. The form summary page appears.
  6. Select Edit Properties. An Edit Properties popup appears.
  7. Configure the following settings:
    • Scope: Entity Widget
    • Entity: Select the new entity.
    • Custom List Fields: Click Export. Select the entity-scoped fields you created earlier. These exports define the columns appearing on forms where this form is embedded (like application pages). Add filters and sorts as needed.
  8. Click Save
  9. Use the form builder palette to populate the form with the entity-scoped fields. These fields should represent the data collected and stored for each entity entry. For example, Scholarship field, Scholarship account, Scholarship approved, and Scholarship amount.

Create_Entity_widget_form.png

 

Step Five: Embedding the entity widget form

(Option 1 - Preferred): Embed an Entity Widget

With the entity form created, embed the form's widget in a custom tab or inside a Slate application:

  1. Open the desired form page on the Forms summary page.
  2. Click Edit Form. An Edit Form page appears.
  3. Select Widget Table from the form content palette. An Edit Field popup appears.
  4. Configure each setting* as necessary.
  5. Click Save.



*Click here for a complete listing of all setting descriptions.

(Option 2 ): Mapping Individual Fields on a Form Without a Widget

  1. Add a field from the form content palette.
  2. Select the entity in the System Field list and the entity-scoped field from the second System Field list.
  3. Configure each setting as necessary.
  4. Repeat this for any other field associated with the entity you wish to collect and display.



*Click here for a complete listing of all setting descriptions.

Was this article helpful?
11 out of 44 found this helpful