One of the most flexible aspects of HostedDatabase.com web applications is the ability to customize the properties of an application. Clicking on the Update application properties tool in the Control Panel provides you access to these properties. The first property is the Application Description property. It is a good idea to always enter a description for all your applications so you'll be able to remember the purpose of each application.

The next group of properties is Field Status where you'll see all the fields for all the data tables that make up the application. The number of data tables and fields varies from application to application. The following list itemizes all the properties in this group:

• Required - This field property allows you to specify whether the field in an application is required for entry when the user adds a new record. Certain fields are marked required as default when you create a new application, but you can change this property. The only field for which you cannot uncheck the Required checkbox is the primary (first) field of each table. In this case, the Required checkbox is grayed out.
• Enabled - This field property allows you to specify whether you want the field to be part of the application. In some cases, you may not need one or more default fields. If you uncheck the Enabled checkbox for a field then it will no longer appear in the data entry forms or display pages. The only field for which you cannot uncheck the Enabled checkbox is the primary (first) field of each table. In this case, the Enabled checkbox is grayed out.
• Field Name - For each application, we have provided the most appropriate name for each field, however, you may want a field to have a different name. By editing this property, you can customize the field names to match the way you do business.
• Data Type - This property indicates the type of data stored in the field. The possible data types are: TEXT, DATE, NUMERIC, and MONEY. This property is informational only so you'll know what type of data is acceptable for the field. You cannot change the data type of a field.
• Max Length - This property indicates the maximum number of characters you can enter for the field. This is especially useful for TEXT fields. This property is informational only so you'll know the capacity of the field. You cannot change the maximum length of a field.
• Appears on form - This property shows how the fields are distributed across all the related tables in the application. This property is informational only so you'll know what fields will appear in the various data entry forms and display pages. You cannot change this property.
• Sort Order - For each data table, we have chosen the most appropriate order in which the various fields appear to the user. You may decide you would rather have a different sort order. Using this property you may defined your own custom sort order. The sort order properties are grouped by data table.

In order to modify field properties, click on the Edit link next to the field. This places you in property Edit Mode where you can make desired changes, and click Update to save the changes. Finally, you must click on the Submit Properties button at the bottom of the page.

Another important area of application customization is the ability to specify custom fields. Each primary and secondary data table includes three (3) custom fields. Each custom field has a TEXT data type with a maximum length of 50. You should choose a Field Name specific to your business application for each custom field you decide to use. Be sure to check the Enabled checkbox for each custom field.