✅ Custom Fields Best Practices - Vodex.ai Documentation

What you’ll learn: Essential rules, naming conventions, and best practices to make your custom fields work perfectly every time.

The Golden Rules of Custom Fields

Rule 1: No Spaces Ever 🚨

This is the most important rule: Custom field names cannot contain spaces.

✅ Correct	❌ Wrong	What Happens
`{FirstName}`	`{First Name}`	❌ System error
`{AccountNumber}`	`{Account Number}`	❌ Data not found
`{PaymentAmount}`	`{Payment Amount}`	❌ Field fails

Rule 2: Use Underscores for Multiple Words

When you need multiple words, connect them with underscores:

{Account_Number}     ✅ Correct
{Payment_Amount}     ✅ Correct
{Appointment_Date}   ✅ Correct
{Doctor_Name}        ✅ Correct

Rule 3: Be Consistent with Naming

Choose a naming style and stick to it throughout your system: PascalCase (Recommended)

{FirstName}
{AccountNumber}
{PaymentAmount}

Important: Pick this style and use it consistently. Don’t mix different naming conventions in the same system.

Field Naming Guidelines

✅ Good Field Names

Clear and descriptive: {AccountNumber} instead of {Acc}
Consistent format: All fields follow the same pattern
Easy to understand: {PaymentAmount} instead of {PayAmt}
Professional: {CustomerName} instead of {CustName}

❌ Avoid These Naming Patterns

Abbreviations: {AccNum} (unclear)
Mixed formats: {FirstName} and {last_name} (inconsistent)
Too long: {CustomerAccountPaymentAmountDueDate} (confusing)
Special characters: {Account#} or {Amount$} (causes errors)

Common Custom Field Categories

Personal Information Fields

Field Name	Purpose	Example
`{FirstName}`	User’s first name	”Hello John”
`{LastName}`	User’s last name	”Mr. Smith”
`{FullName}`	Complete name	”John Smith”
`{Title}`	Professional title	”Dr. Smith”
`{Company}`	Company name	”ABC Corporation”

Contact Information Fields

Field Name	Purpose	Example
`{PhoneNumber}`	Contact phone	”555-123-4567”
`{EmailAddress}`	Email address	”john@email.com”
`{Address}`	Physical address	”123 Main St”
`{City}`	City name	”New York”
`{State}`	State/province	”NY”
`{ZipCode}`	Postal code	”10001”

Account and Financial Fields

Field Name	Purpose	Example
`{AccountNumber}`	Account identifier	”ACC12345”
`{AccountType}`	Type of account	”Savings”
`{Balance}`	Current balance	”$1,250.00”
`{AmountDue}`	Outstanding amount	”$500.00”
`{DueDate}`	Payment deadline	”March 30, 2024”
`{LastPayment}`	Last payment amount	”$200.00”
`{PaymentDate}`	Last payment date	”February 15, 2024”

Time and Date Fields

Field Name	Purpose	Example
`{today}`	Current date	”March 15, 2024”
`{time_zone}`	User’s time zone	”+05:30” or “Asia/Kolkata”
`{AppointmentDate}`	Scheduled date	”March 20, 2024”
`{AppointmentTime}`	Scheduled time	”3:00 PM”

Product and Service Fields

Field Name	Purpose	Example
`{ProductName}`	Product name	”Premium Plan”
`{ServiceType}`	Service category	”Technical Support”
`{OrderNumber}`	Order identifier	”ORD789”
`{OrderDate}`	Order placement date	”March 10, 2024”
`{ProductPrice}`	Product cost	”$99.99”

Advanced Custom Field Techniques

Combining Multiple Fields

You can use multiple custom fields in the same sentence for rich, personalized conversations:

"Hello {FirstName}, I can see you have an outstanding balance of {AmountDue} 
on account {AccountNumber} that was due on {DueDate}. Based on your 
payment history, I'd like to discuss a payment plan that works for you."

Conditional Custom Fields

Some systems support conditional logic with custom fields:

"Hello {FirstName}, your account {AccountNumber} shows a balance of {Balance}. 
{IfBalancePositive: Since you have a credit, you're all set!} 
{IfBalanceNegative: You have an outstanding amount of {AmountDue} due by {DueDate}.}"

Note: Conditional custom fields require advanced system support. Check with your platform provider for availability.

Testing Your Custom Fields

Before Going Live

Test with sample data - Use real user information to verify fields populate correctly
Check field names - Ensure no spaces or special characters
Verify data accuracy - Confirm the right information appears in the right places
Test conversation flow - Make sure the personalized message sounds natural

Common Testing Scenarios

Test Case	What to Check	Expected Result
Basic fields	`{FirstName}`, `{LastName}`	Names appear correctly
Financial fields	`{AmountDue}`, `{DueDate}`	Numbers and dates format properly
Time fields	`{today}`,`{time_zone}`	Current date displays
Empty fields	Missing data	Graceful handling or fallback text

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem: Field Not Populating

Possible Causes:

Field name has spaces
Field name doesn’t match database
Data is missing for that user
System configuration error

Solutions:

Check for spaces in field name
Verify field name matches exactly
Confirm data exists in database
Check system configuration

Problem: Wrong Data Appearing

Possible Causes:

Field name too similar to another field
Database mapping error
Data corruption

Solutions:

Use unique, descriptive field names
Verify database field mapping
Check data integrity

Problem: Field Causes Error

Possible Causes:

Invalid characters in field name
System doesn’t recognize field
Syntax error in prompt

Solutions:

Remove special characters
Use only letters, numbers, and underscores
Check prompt syntax

Best Practices Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure your custom fields work perfectly:

Field names have no spaces - Use underscores instead
Naming is consistent - Same format throughout system
Names are descriptive - Clear what each field contains
Testing completed - Verified with real data
Error handling - Graceful fallbacks for missing data
Documentation updated - Team knows how to use fields
Backup plan - What happens if fields fail

Performance Considerations

Field Loading Speed

Keep field names short - Long names can slow processing
Limit field count - Too many fields may impact performance
Cache frequently used data - Reduce database lookups

Data Accuracy

Real-time updates - Ensure data is current
Validation rules - Check data quality before using
Fallback values - Provide defaults for missing data

Security and Privacy

Data Protection

Sensitive information - Don’t include passwords or SSNs in custom fields
Access control - Limit who can see custom field data
Audit logging - Track when custom fields are used

Compliance

GDPR considerations - Ensure user consent for personal data
Industry regulations - Follow financial, healthcare, or other specific rules
Data retention - Know how long to keep custom field data

Next Steps

Now that you understand custom field best practices:

Review your current fields - Apply these best practices to existing custom fields
Plan new implementations - Use proper naming conventions from the start
Test thoroughly - Verify everything works before going live
Train your team - Ensure everyone follows the same standards
Monitor performance - Watch for any issues and optimize as needed

Ready to implement custom fields correctly? Following these best practices will ensure your custom fields work reliably, efficiently, and professionally. Start implementing them today to create more engaging and personalized AI conversations.

Need the basics? Check out our Custom Fields Introduction to understand the fundamentals before diving into these best practices.

​The Golden Rules of Custom Fields

​Rule 1: No Spaces Ever 🚨

​Rule 2: Use Underscores for Multiple Words

​Rule 3: Be Consistent with Naming

​Field Naming Guidelines

​✅ Good Field Names

​❌ Avoid These Naming Patterns

​Common Custom Field Categories

​Personal Information Fields

​Contact Information Fields

​Account and Financial Fields

​Time and Date Fields

​Product and Service Fields

​Advanced Custom Field Techniques

​Combining Multiple Fields

​Conditional Custom Fields

​Testing Your Custom Fields

​Before Going Live

​Common Testing Scenarios

​Troubleshooting Common Issues

​Problem: Field Not Populating

​Problem: Wrong Data Appearing

​Problem: Field Causes Error

​Best Practices Checklist

​Performance Considerations

​Field Loading Speed

​Data Accuracy

​Security and Privacy

​Data Protection

​Compliance

​Next Steps

The Golden Rules of Custom Fields

Rule 1: No Spaces Ever 🚨

Rule 2: Use Underscores for Multiple Words

Rule 3: Be Consistent with Naming

Field Naming Guidelines

✅ Good Field Names

❌ Avoid These Naming Patterns

Common Custom Field Categories

Personal Information Fields

Contact Information Fields

Account and Financial Fields

Time and Date Fields

Product and Service Fields

Advanced Custom Field Techniques

Combining Multiple Fields

Conditional Custom Fields

Testing Your Custom Fields

Before Going Live

Common Testing Scenarios

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Problem: Field Not Populating

Problem: Wrong Data Appearing

Problem: Field Causes Error

Best Practices Checklist

Performance Considerations

Field Loading Speed

Data Accuracy

Security and Privacy

Data Protection

Compliance

Next Steps