> **Source:** https://knowledge.leegality.com/document-execution/workflows/v4/custom-fields/create-a-custom-field
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# Create a custom field

Custom fields are created once, centrally, and then become available to add in any v4 workflow.

> **Info — Admin only**
>
> Only admin users can create custom fields. If you don't see the option, ask your Leegality admin.

## Steps

1. Go to **Custom Fields** from the dashboard.
2. Provide the field's core details:
   - **API Name** — mandatory and **unique** (non-repetitive). This is the field's permanent technical identifier; rules and integrations refer to it by this name.
   - **Display Name** — the label shown in the workflow.
   - **Field Description** — what the field is for.
   - **Field Type** — **Text**, **Dropdown**, or **Toggle**.
3. Complete the type-specific configuration below.
4. Click **Save**.

## Configuration by field type

#### Text

A **Text** field captures free-form input.

1. Choose **Text** as the Field Type.
2. To add placeholder text, check the **placeholder text** checkbox and enter the text in the field below.
3. Set a **Minimum character limit** and **Maximum character limit**, and add a **custom regex** if the value must follow a pattern.
4. The **Display Text** preview shows how the field will look.
5. Click **Save**.

> **Tip — Regex at creation vs regex in the workflow**
>
> A regex set here applies everywhere the field is used. You can also add validations per document later, from the field's right-click **Validations** tab — see [Field Configuration](https://knowledge.leegality.com/document-execution/workflows/v4/setup-configuration/field-configuration). Put universal formats (a PAN pattern, a fixed reference format) here; put workflow-specific checks there.

#### Dropdown

A **Dropdown** field lets the user pick from a predefined list.

1. Choose **Dropdown** as the Field Type.
2. To add placeholder text, check the **placeholder text** checkbox and enter the text in the field below.
3. Add the dropdown values as a list: enter a value, then click the **+** icon to add the next. Add as many options as you need — these form the selection list.
4. In **Selection Type**, choose **Single Select** or **Multiple Select** (Multiple Select lets the user choose more than one option at the same time).
5. The **Display Text** preview shows how the field will look.
6. Click **Save**.

> **Tip — Dropdowns make the best rule inputs**
>
> A rule condition like *Customer Type = NRI* is only reliable if the value can't be misspelled. When a field will drive a rule, prefer a Dropdown over free Text — the condition then matches an exact, guaranteed option.

#### Toggle

A **Toggle** field captures an on/off (yes/no) value.

1. Choose **Toggle** as the Field Type.
2. Set the **default value** to toggle on or toggle off.
3. Click **Save**.

> **Info — Good fit for rule inputs**
>
> Toggles suit binary facts a rule might check — **KYC Verified**, **Insurance Opted** — where the only honest answers are yes and no.

## Naming the field well

The **API Name** can't be reused and shouldn't be renamed casually — rules and integrations depend on it. The **Display Name** is free to be human. A convention that works:

|  | API Name | Display Name |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Style | compact, stable, no spaces | natural language |
| Example | `loanAmount` | Loan Amount |
| Example | `customerType` | Customer Type |

Name the API side for what the value *is*, not where it's currently used — `loanAmount`, not `personalLoanWorkflowAmount`. Fields outlive the workflow they were created for.

## Next steps

The field now appears in the **left panel** of every v4 workflow editor. Next: [add it to a workflow at the right level](https://knowledge.leegality.com/document-execution/workflows/v4/custom-fields/add-fields-to-workflow) — pack, document, invitee, or group — and, if it's going to drive logic, [build the rule that watches it](https://knowledge.leegality.com/document-execution/workflows/v4/rule-engine/build-your-first-rule).