Plan Fields - Types of Plan Fields

This article provides a reference catalog of all Plan Field types available in OnePlan, including what each type is, when to use it, and its key configurable settings.

What you will accomplish
Understand the characteristics and use cases for each Plan Field type so you can configure the right field for your planning needs.

Requirements

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• A OnePlan account with Administrator permissions
• Familiarity with Plan Fields and their role in plan-level data management

Background

Plan Fields capture plan-level metadata such as status, owner, budget, dates, and custom attributes. OnePlan supports multiple field types, each designed for specific kinds of data and user interactions.

Choosing the right field type ensures:

• Data integrity: Fields validate input based on type (e.g., dates, numbers, currency)
• Better reporting: Typed fields enable filtering, sorting, and aggregation
• Improved user experience: Users see appropriate input controls (date picker, dropdown, people picker, etc.)

This article serves as a reference guide to help you select and configure the appropriate field type. For step-by-step instructions on creating fields, see Plan Fields - Create a New Plan Field.

Field Types

Text

Captures single or multi-line plain text.

When to use:

• Short descriptions, notes, or identifiers
• Project names, summaries, or labels
• Any text input that doesn't require formatting

Key settings:

• Character Limit: Set a maximum number of characters (e.g., 200, 500)
• Multi Line: Enable to allow multiple lines of text input

Behavior:

• Plain text only (no formatting)
• No calculations or aggregates available

Date

Allows users to select a date from a calendar picker.

When to use:

• Start dates, end dates, milestones
• Target dates, approval dates, or any date-based tracking

Key settings:

• No additional configuration required beyond general field settings

Advanced:

• Field Aggregates: Min (earliest date), Max (latest date)
• Useful for rolling up earliest start or latest end dates from child plans

Number

Captures numeric values with configurable precision.

When to use:

• Counts, scores, percentages, quantities
• Any metric that requires calculation or aggregation
• Non-monetary numeric data

Key settings:

• Decimal Places: Choose 0-5 decimal places
• Show as Percent: Display the value as a percentage

Advanced:

• Field Aggregates: Sum, Average, Min, Max
• Calculations: Can be used in calculated fields

→ See Manage Field Calculations for calculation configuration.

Currency

Captures monetary values with multi-currency support.

When to use:

• Budget amounts, costs, revenue, funding
• Any financial metric requiring currency formatting

Key settings:

• No field-specific configuration required
• Currency options are configured at the system level

Advanced:

• Field Aggregates: Sum, Average, Min, Max
• Calculations: Can be used in calculated fields
• Multi-currency support with exchange rates

→ See Financial Plan Advanced Settings for currency configuration
→ See Manage Field Calculations for calculation configuration.

YesNo

Checkbox for true/false or yes/no values.

When to use:

• Binary decisions or status indicators
• Feature flags (e.g., "Approved," "Active," "Complete")
• Any yes/no or true/false question

Key settings:

• No additional configuration required beyond general field settings

Behavior:

• Displays as a checkbox
• No calculations or aggregates available

Choice

Dropdown menu allowing users to select one option from predefined choices.

When to use:

• Status fields (e.g., "Not Started," "In Progress," "Complete")
• Priority levels (e.g., "High," "Medium," "Low")
• Categories or classifications with mutually exclusive options

Key settings:

• Add choices: Enter options manually or bulk upload
• Users can select only one option

Behavior:

• Displays as a dropdown menu
• No calculations or aggregates available

Multi Choice

Allows users to select multiple options from predefined choices.

When to use:

• Tags or labels (e.g., "Marketing," "Sales," "Product")
• Multi-category classification
• Any scenario where more than one option can apply

Key settings:

• Add choices: Enter options manually or bulk upload
• Users can select multiple options

Behavior:

• Displays as a multi-select dropdown or checkboxes
• No calculations or aggregates available

User

People picker field tied to OnePlan user accounts.

When to use:

• Owner, sponsor, lead, or any person assignment
• Stakeholder identification
• Role assignments requiring user accountability

Key settings:

• No additional configuration required beyond general field settings

Behavior:

• Displays as a people picker with searchable user directory
• Automatically links to user profiles
• No calculations or aggregates available

Rich Text

Multi-line text with rich formatting options (bold, italic, lists, links, etc.).

When to use:

• Detailed descriptions, objectives, or notes
• Content requiring formatting (bullets, headings, links)
• Executive summaries or structured documentation

Key settings:

• No additional configuration required beyond general field settings

Behavior:

• Displays a rich text editor
• Supports formatting, hyperlinks, and basic styling
• No calculations or aggregates available

Lookup

Creates a relationship to one other plan.

When to use:

• Single parent-child relationships (e.g., "Parent Program")
• Dependencies (e.g., "Predecessor Task")
• One-to-one associations between plans

Key settings:

• Configuration is more complex than basic field types
• Requires defining which plan types can be linked

Behavior:

• Users can search and select one related plan
• Creates navigable links between plans
• No calculations or aggregates available

Advanced:
→ See How do I configure lookup fields? for detailed configuration instructions

Multi Lookup

Creates relationships to multiple other plans.

When to use:

• Multi-parent relationships (e.g., "Associated Initiatives")
• Many-to-many associations
• Tracking multiple dependencies or related plans

Key settings:

• Configuration is more complex than basic field types
• Requires defining which plan types can be linked

Behavior:

• Users can search and select multiple related plans
• Creates navigable links between plans
• No calculations or aggregates available

Advanced:
→ See How do I configure lookup fields? for detailed configuration instructions

Hyperlink

Allows users to insert a clickable URL.

When to use:

• Links to external documentation, wikis, or resources
• References to external tools or dashboards
• Any scenario requiring easy access to web-based content

Key settings:

• No additional configuration required beyond general field settings

Behavior:

• Displays as a clickable link
• Opens in a new tab/window
• No calculations or aggregates available

Image

Allows users to insert a link to a publicly accessible image, which displays inline.

When to use:

• Visual references (logos, diagrams, mockups)
• Plan thumbnails or visual identifiers
• Any scenario where inline image display is helpful

Key settings:

• No additional configuration required beyond general field settings

Behavior:

• Requires a publicly accessible image URL
• Image displays inline when the field is rendered
• No calculations or aggregates available

Related Resources or Next Steps

• Plan Fields - Guided Workflow - Create and Edit Plan Fields
  End-to-end overview of the Plan Fields configuration process.
• Plan Fields - Create a New Plan Field
  Step-by-step instructions for creating new Plan Fields and configuring field-specific settings.
• Plan Fields - Edit or Delete Plan Fields
  Update existing Plan Field settings or remove fields that are no longer needed.