Custom user fields help you ask for extra information from users. When users sign up or fill out their profile, you can ask them questions beyond the basic stuff. The answers appear next to their messages or on their profile pages. You might create fields to learn about favorite colors, birthdays, game usernames, or anything else you want to know. These fields make your forum special because you decide what information matters. You pick a short name for each field made of letters and numbers. This short name helps the computer remember which field is which.
You can create two main kinds of fields. Text fields let users type whatever they want as answers. You decide if they can type just one line or many lines. You can also set rules about what answers the computer accepts. Choice fields work differently because you create all the possible answers first. Users must pick from your list instead of typing their answers. Each answer has two parts - the word the computer remembers and the words people see. You decide where these fields appear and who can change them.
Advanced forum builders use custom fields to change how the forum works. The computer can show different things based on what users pick in their fields. For example, you could make birthdays show a cake picture, or gaming console choices show different colors. The forum treats each field as special information about each user. The system remembers all answers and keeps them with user accounts. You control who sees each field's answers through privacy settings.
You can create two main kinds of fields. Text fields let users type whatever they want as answers. You decide if they can type just one line or many lines. You can also set rules about what answers the computer accepts. Choice fields work differently because you create all the possible answers first. Users must pick from your list instead of typing their answers. Each answer has two parts - the word the computer remembers and the words people see. You decide where these fields appear and who can change them.
Advanced forum builders use custom fields to change how the forum works. The computer can show different things based on what users pick in their fields. For example, you could make birthdays show a cake picture, or gaming console choices show different colors. The forum treats each field as special information about each user. The system remembers all answers and keeps them with user accounts. You control who sees each field's answers through privacy settings.
