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To Customize a Field on the DAC Level

If an attribute is added to a field declaration within a data access class (DAC), the common business logic of this attribute is applied to each data record of this type for each graph that uses this class. Therefore, if multiple Acumatica ERP forms contain controls for the same field, a change to an attribute of the field in the DAC modifies the behavior of these controls for the field on all forms.

You can use the Data Class to customize the attributes of an existing data field in the DAC and to store the changes in the customization project as a DAC item. Because the goal of the customization of a field on the DAC level is to change the behavior or appearance of controls for the field on all forms, you start the customization of a data field from any form that contains a control for the field.

To customize a data field from a form that contains a control for the field, perform the following actions:

  1. Open the form in the browser and make the control visible on the form.
  2. On the form title bar, click Customization > Inspect Element to launch the Element Inspector.
    		3.  If you need to activate the Element Inspector for a pop-up panel, a dialog box, or another UI element that opens in modal mode and makes the Customization Menu unavailable for selection, you can press Ctrl + Alt.
  3. On the form, click the control to open the Element Properties Dialog Box for the control.
  4. In the dialog box, click Actions > Customize Data Fields.
  5. If there is no currently selected customization project and the inspector opens the Select Customization Project Dialog Box, select an existing customization project or create a new one.
    6. If the customization project does not contain a DAC item for the data access class, the Customization Project Editor adds the item to the project to keep the changes in the database. The DAC is opened in the Data Class, and the needed field is added to list of customized fields of the DAC.
  6. In the list of customized fields of the DAC, click the name of the field to be customized.
Now you can start the customization of the field on the DAC level.

The Data Class editor shows the custom and original attributes of the field in the work area, and you can use the following objects:

  • The Customize Attributes text area: Use this area to define the custom attributes of the field.
  • A drop-down list that is visible for only existing customized fields of the data access class: In this list, select one of the following ways of applying the custom attributes to the field:
    • Keep Original: The original attributes remain on the field until you select another option in this box.
    • Replace Original: The original attributes of the field are replaced with the custom attributes specified in the Customize Attributes text area.
    • Append to Original: The custom attributes are added to the end of the list of the original attributes of the data field. If you use this option, make sure you do not duplicate the attributes of the field.
  • The Edit Selector Columns command (on the More menu, under Actions), which is available for only the fields that are selectors: Use this action to open the Customize Selector Columns Dialog Box, in which you can modify the columns in the selector table.
  • The Edit Attributes command (on the More menu, under Actions), which is unavailable for a custom field: Invoke this action to change the values of parameters for the existing original attributes of the selected field.
When you click Save on the editor toolbar, the editor updates the DAC item in the database.

Back to TopTo Start the Customization of a Field from the Screen Editor

If you customize a form by using the Screen Editor, you may need to change the attributes of a data field to change the appearance or behavior of an appropriate control on the form. If the control node is selected in the Control Tree, you can open the Data Class for the field immediately from the Screen Editor. To do this, perform the following actions:

  1. Click the Attributes tab item.
  2. On the tab item, click Customize Attributes.

If the DAC item for the data access class that contains the field declaration is absent in the customization project, the Acumatica Customization Platform creates an appropriate item and saves it in the database. Then the platform opens the item in the Data Class Editor, and you can customize the attributes of the field.