Basic information to get it running for now

CRM Customfields
====

This plugin is under development, and is not yet ready for use!

As it says, an admin module to allow you to add any type of field to any existing model on the fly. It will allow the admin user to create the extra column types and then if the admin user has the rights, it will migrate the database
to reflect the changes. Currently it allows you to add and rename customfields, for text/textarea (string, integer, text). Later it will include the full GUI to add the rest of the column types.

Essentially it is a simple GUI that uses the rake tasks to create the migration files, it then checks what hasnt been done and then runs the rake task to peform the migration. If you drop, or empty the database the customfields table will be empty, but the migration files found in db/migrate will still exist. If you want to keep the customfield information, make a seperate rake task, or backup the customfields table before you empty or drop.

Later version of the plugin (in progress) will use seperate tables for storing custom field columns and values, avoid the migration file/migrate approach, but for now its up to you! this is the ugly way to do things if you have the full control over your db/rake tasks

WARNING:: if you drop your database – make sure you export the customfields data (csv dump) if you want to keep your modifications to the customfields. Re import them, so that the when you re create the db the migration files in db/migration reflect the customfields table. If there are migration files from creating customfields left in the db/migration folder and the customfields table is empty – the plugin will blow up. Alternatively you can delete the extra files that were created by this plugin in the db/migration folder

By no means is this idea complete – its just a quick solution that was made for playing around with.

Installation
====

The Customfields plugin can be installed by running:

script/install plugin git://github.com/bkd/crm_customfields.git

Then run the following command:

rake db:migrate:plugin NAME=crm_customfields

Then restart your web server.

A few others have tried this so for now some useful pointers, some quick fixes to make sure you can get it to work for now. The whole plugin as been redeveloped and its coming along, this will be a quick solution, rather ugly but will work.

In each controller that you choose to have customfields you need to add

e.g. in accounts_controller.rb - in the edit method add this 

  def edit
    @account = Account.my(@current_user).find(params[:id])
    @users = User.except(@current_user).all
    @customfields=Customfield.find_all_by_table_name('Account')
    ...

Only after a record is created can you get to see the customfields. So after saving a record, then when you edit it – the drop down for customfields will appear. It DOES not appear on the create/new form. Shouldnt be too hard to work out!

1. add this to _edit.html.haml in view/accounts  and modify then add to view/contacts, view/opportunities

= render :partial => "accounts/customfields", :locals => { :f => f, :edit => true }

2. also create a file called _customfields.html.haml in the view/accounts folder
add this to the file

- collapsed = session[:account_customfields].nil? # && @account.errors.empty?
= subtitle :account_customfields, collapsed, "Custom fields"
.section
  %small#account_customfields_intro{ hidden_if(!collapsed) }
    You can add custom information below, check with your administator if you need to add new fields here.
  #account_customfields{ hidden_if(collapsed) }
    %table{ :width => 500, :cellpadding => 0, :cellspacing => 0 }
      - @customfields.each_with_index do |cf,i| 
        - if i.even?
          %tr 
        %td{ :valign => :top }
          .label.top.req 
            =cf.field_label
          = f.text_field cf.field_name, :style => "width: #{cf.display_width}px" if cf.field_type=='Integer'
          = f.text_field cf.field_name, :style => "width: #{cf.display_width}px" if cf.field_type=='String'
          = f.textarea cf.field_name, :style => "width: #{cf.display_width}px" if cf.field_type=='Textarea'
   
3.  change common/_empty.html.haml to 

- assets = controller.controller_name
- asset = assets.singularize
- if controller.controller_name == 'customfields'
  - admin_link = "admin_" 
- else 
  - admin_link = ""
#empty
  - if @current_query.blank?
    == Couldn't find #{assets}. Feel free to #{link_to_remote("create a new " << asset, :url => send("new_" << admin_link << asset << "_path"))}.
  - else
    == Couldn't find #{assets} matching #{h @current_query} please try another query.

4. in application_helper change to

  def link_to_edit(model)
    name = model.class.name.downcase
    name=='customfield' ? admin_link="admin_" : admin_link=""
    link_to_remote("Edit",
      :method => :get,
      :url    => send("edit_#{admin_link}#{name}_path", model),
      :with   => "{ previous: crm.find_form('edit_#{admin_link}#{name}') }"
    )
  end

this should work!!

Dont forget that when you copy the text above the single and double quotes could be “styled” depending on your browser.