Joomla custom fields and Advanced Custom Fields: every type you can fill

Joomla's custom fields are defined under Content → Fields. Content Uploader fills every type Joomla brings and the types of Advanced Custom Fields by Tassos (the free version), and understands fields of other extensions when they build on Joomla's own field types. This article lists each type and what a spreadsheet cell holds for it. Custom fields explains how to map them: several values in one cell, fields made of parts, and rows.

Which fields are offered#

A field appears in the editor's Custom fields section when the article form would save its value for the publishing account:

• it is published, belongs to articles, and is in a published group or none;
• the account may see it: its access level, and its group's, are levels the account has;
• it is not marked only use in subform (such a field is filled through its subform);
• its language is All;
• the account may edit its value (Edit Custom Field Value);
• its type is one Content Uploader can fill (below).

After you add or change fields on the site, select Refresh fields on the Sites page (testing the connection). Fields that are not offered are listed below the custom fields, with the reason: see what is not offered.

Joomla's own field types#

A Note shows text only and has no value; it is not listed.

Advanced Custom Fields#

With Advanced Custom Fields (the free version) installed and its fields published, these types can be filled:

The types of Advanced Custom Fields Pro (Gallery, File Upload, Chained Fields, FAQ, Address Autocomplete, Countdown, PayPal, Module Loader) cannot be filled, and the PHP field never is. They are listed as fields Content Uploader can't fill.

Subforms#

A subform is filled through its fields: choose Set from the parts below and map each of its fields, which appear under their own names.

A repeatable subform holds several rows: a cell holds one value per row, separated by a pipe (|), and row 1 takes the first value of every column. For example, a subform Plans with the fields Plan and Price, filled from a Plan column holding Basic | Pro and a Price column holding 9 | 29, gets two rows. The subform's maximum rows is checked. Fields with several rows explains the rules.

Saving a subform replaces all of its rows. A subform that contains an image field, or a field of a type Content Uploader can't fill, is therefore not offered: filling it would empty that field.

Image fields#

A Media field takes an image, so it is listed in the Images section, under its own name, next to the intro and full article images. Its image comes from the ZIP uploaded with the spreadsheet, a web address, an image sent before, or the site's images folder, as for any image (where images come from), and it keeps alt text. A Media field that is required must be mapped and every row needs an image; one limited to categories is left out for rows in other categories. A missing image never stops an item, so a new article whose required image is missing is refused when it is published: A custom field that Joomla requires has no value for this article, for example because its image could not be used. Fill it in the file, or check the image, then publish again. A Media field that takes only files other than images (videos, documents) is not offered.

What is not offered#

The editor lists the fields that are not offered under One of the site’s fields can’t be filled (or how many), each with the reason:

A field the editor does not show at all is unpublished, in an unpublished group, or used only in subforms.