This guide explains how to create a new contact record in Disciple.Tools. The system shows a default set of fields for creating a new contact. More fields become available on the contact record’s detail page after it has been created.
You can create new records, like contacts or groups, in two primary ways:
1. From the List Page:
- Navigate to the list page for the record type you want to create (e.g., Contacts or Groups).
- Click the green Create New button in the top action bar.
2. From the Navigation Bar:
- Click the plus icon (+) located in the top navigation bar.
- Select the type of record you want to create (e.g., New Contact or New Group) from the dropdown menu.
Both methods will take you to the “Create New” page for that record type.
The form for creating a new contact contains a selection of the most common fields. After you create the contact, you will be able to edit these fields and add more information on the full contact record page.
Default Fields
The following fields are available when you first create a contact:
- Name: (Required) The full name of the contact.
- Phone: The contact’s primary phone number.
- Email: The contact’s primary email address.
- Address: The contact’s physical address.
- Sources: How you connected with this contact (e.g., Web, Personal).
- Contact Type: Defines the visibility and access level for the contact.
The Contact Type field determines how a contact can be shared and managed within your Disciple.Tools instance. The options available on the creation form are:
- Standard Contact: This is the default type. These contacts are visible to you and the project leadership. They are designed for collaboration.
- Private Contact: These contacts are visible only to you. This is useful for friends, family members, or other personal connections that are not part of a collaborative ministry effort. This option is only available if enabled by an administrator.
Other contact types like “Connection” and “User” are assigned automatically by the system and are not selectable during manual creation.
On-Screen Duplicate Detection
To prevent duplicate records, Disciple.Tools performs a real-time check on the Phone and Email fields as you enter information.
- When you enter a phone number or email address, the system instantly checks if that value already exists for another contact.
- If a duplicate is found, a warning message stating “Value already exists for this field” will appear directly below the field.
- This immediate feedback allows you to verify the information or stop creating a new record if the contact already exists in the system.
Showing All Fields
By default, the new contact form displays only the most essential fields.
- To see all available fields, click the Show all fields button.
- This will reveal additional fields like Nickname, Gender, Age, and more.
- You can click Hide all fields to return to the default view.
Once you have filled in the necessary details, click the Save button. You will be redirected to the new contact’s record page, where you can add more detailed information.