Adding a field to a content type | Doghouse SaaS Knowledge Base [Skip to content](#main) [ ![Doghouse SaaS Knowledge Base](/storage/branding/01M3N8PQ7PSDNQBBKKJM6XGW03.svg) ](https://nginx.deploy-lagoon-production.districtcms-docs.dh1.amazee.io) [Product documentation](/articles) [Roadmap](/roadmap) Toggle navigation [Product documentation](/articles) [Roadmap](/roadmap) 1. [Home](/) › 2. [Product documentation](/articles) › 3. [Fields & content structure](/articles?category=21) › 4. Adding a field to a content type Adding a field to a content type ================================ Updated 5 days ago · 4 min read Search Search Overview -------- A content type's fields are the questions the site asks whoever is adding content. Every field you add becomes a box on the editing form, and a piece of information the site can display, sort or filter on its own. That is the reason to add a field rather than letting people type the information into the body. A date kept in its own field can order a listing, appear on a card and be formatted the same way every time. The same date written into a paragraph of text is just words, and the site can do nothing with it. A field belongs to the content type you add it to, and appears on every item of that type at once, including the ones already published. Adding one takes up to four screens: choose where it goes, choose what kind of thing it holds, name it, then set it up. Nothing is saved until the last step, so you can back out at any point. > **⚠️ Important:** This is administrator work. Content editors hold no field permissions and cannot reach these screens. --- Adding the field ---------------- 1. Go to **Structure**, then **Content types**, and press **Manage fields** on the type you want. 2. Press **Create a new field**. The button beside it, **Re-use an existing field**, attaches a field that already exists on another type instead of building a new one, which keeps the two in step. 3. The **Add field** window opens with the kinds of field on cards. Pick one. The window changes to show the card's name, and seven of the cards also ask you to choose a more specific type. 4. Fill in the **Label**, which is what editors read above the field. The **Machine-readable name** fills itself in from the label, and you can leave it alone. 5. Press **Continue**, then set the field up and press **Save**. ![Animation: pressing Create a new field on the Manage fields screen for Article, the Add field window of cards opening, and choosing the Reference card.](/storage/rtsV3eaGqBsP6SC9IecleNfn2yAROvzZk0nJ18y4.gif) > **💡 Note:** The confirmation names your field, as in *Saved Subtitle configuration*, and drops you back on **Manage fields** with the new field in the list. --- Choosing the right kind ----------------------- The cards are groups rather than single answers. Seven of them ask for a more specific type in the same window. The rest need only a label. Card Use it for Plain text A heading, a name, a short note. No formatting. Formatted text Body copy, with the editor toolbar. Number A quantity, as a whole number or a decimal. Reference A pointer at something else on the site: a page, a tag, a person, or a form. Media An image, document or video from the media library. File upload A file or image uploaded straight into the field, outside the media library. Paragraphs A set of components, like the **Components** field on articles and landing pages. Selection list A fixed set of choices you define. Date and time A date, a time, or a range. Boolean, Email, Link One specific sort of value each: yes or no, an email address, or a web address. Iframe Another web page shown inside this one. Meta tags, Real-time SEO status & focused keywords Search engine settings rather than content. > **💡 Tip:** For images and documents, choose **Media** over **File upload**. A media item can be reused across the site and keeps its alt text with it. The window then takes the name of the card you picked, as in **Add field: Reference**. Under **Reference** the choices are **Content**, **Dynamic entity reference**, **Taxonomy term**, **User** and **Webform**, plus **Other** and **Other (revisions)** for cases the rest do not cover. **Change field type** takes you back to the cards. ![The Add field: Reference window, with the Label box above the list of reference types outlined, from Content down to Webform.](/storage/Gf99wc38QuLxZXMcDpChFpa1MtTYqbDEylXwabDG.png) > **💡 Tip:** Choosing **Webform** here is how a form gets onto a page. See [**Forms on your site**](/articles/forms-on-your-site). --- Setting the field up -------------------- The last screen is named after your field and the content type, as in **Subtitle settings for Article**. Four settings matter on almost every field. Setting What it does Label What editors read above the field. You can still change it. Help text A line underneath, explaining what to put in. Worth writing. Required field Whether the item can be saved without it. Allowed number of values One, a fixed number, or unlimited. > **⚠️ Important:** Ticking **Required field** on a type that already has content does not change what is saved, but it will stop an editor saving any existing item until that field is filled. On a type with hundreds of items, that is a lot of editing. Related articles ------------------ - [ How fields work → ](/articles/how-fields-work) - [ Controlling how a field appears → ](/articles/controlling-how-a-field-appears) - [ Removing or changing a field → ](/articles/removing-or-changing-a-field) Was this article helpful? ------------------------- Your feedback helps us prioritise what to rewrite. 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