How to Add Fields to a Form
Overview
Ultimate Member provides a flexible way to enhance your registration and profile forms by allowing you to add both predefined and custom fields.
- Predefined Fields: These are default fields that are already available in the Ultimate Member system. The platform recognizes them and can be easily included in your forms without any additional setup.
- Custom Fields: These fields are created by you to meet specific requirements that are not covered by the predefined options. You can design custom fields tailored to your users’ needs.
Important Notes
- Profile Screen Limitation: Ultimate Member does not automatically add any fields to the wp-admin > Users > Profile screen. This means any changes made in Ultimate Member forms do not reflect in the standard WordPress user profile area.
- Adding Existing Fields: If you want to include existing fields from the registration form to the profile form, please refer to the article on Adding Existing Fields from Register Form to Profile Form for detailed instructions.
Steps to Add Fields to a Form
To add fields to a registration or profile form in Ultimate Member, follow these steps:
- Navigate to Forms:
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Ultimate Member > Forms.
- Hover over the registration or profile form you want to edit, then click the Edit link.
- Open the Field Modal:
- Click the '+' button in the Form Builder to open the Fields Manager.
- Click the '+' button in the Form Builder to open the Fields Manager.
- Choose a Field Type:
- In the fields manager, you can either:
- Select a predefined field: These are fields already available within the system. Once selected, they will automatically appear in your form.
Example:
If you select the "First Name" field from the "Predefined Fields," it is instantly added to the form builder since it is a recognized, built-in field in Ultimate Member.
- Set up a new field: This option allows you to create a custom field tailored to your specific needs.
Example:
If you choose the "Number" field from the Set Up New Field section, the "Add a new field" window will open, allowing you to configure the field's options as needed.
Once you've finished setting it up, the custom field will be added to the form builder and the Custom Fields list in the Fields Manager.
- Select a predefined field: These are fields already available within the system. Once selected, they will automatically appear in your form.
- In the fields manager, you can either:
- Save the Form:
- After adding all your desired fields, click the Update button to save your changes.
Once you've finished setting it up, the custom field will be added to the form builder and the Custom Fields list in the Fields Manager.
Common Issues
A common issue users may encounter when adding or creating fields is getting an error message stating: "Your meta key already exists in your fields list." 
Resolution
This message appears when you attempt to create a new custom field with a meta key that already exists in the system. To resolve this, you should ensure that the meta key you're trying to use is unique. Check in the Fields Manager (Form Builder > add a field "+" > Custom Field). Hover your cursor over the custom field to see its meta key. If the field and its meta key already exist, consider using the predefined field from the modal or modify your custom field's meta key to make it unique
Conclusion
By utilizing predefined and custom fields, you can tailor the user experience on your site to better meet your community's needs. Make sure to keep track of existing meta keys to avoid duplication errors.