Deutsch (Deutschland) 
Polski (PL) 
Independent IFS Cloud practice · Customization
Why IFS Cloud dialogs and assistants refuse a Custom Field, and what to build instead
IFS Cloud custom fields on a dialog or an assistant hit a framework limit. For assistants the Known Limitations page of the Tailoring guide states it in the 24R1 and 25R1 editions; for dialogs it comes from an IFS employee in a 2026 community thread, so the workaround depends on which of the two you face.
Key takeaways
- The 25R1 Known Limitations page says it is "not currently possible to provide custom attributes on assistants". That sentence is documented. The same limit for dialogs comes from a reply in a community thread, not from that page.
- The documented reason is the interaction pattern: ordinary pages follow a search, edit and save pattern, while assistants implement whatever the task needs. A thread reply gives the same reasoning for dialogs.
- Page Designer cannot add a field to these views. The documentation describes limited configuration possibilities for dialogs and assistants, and a thread reply points to Page Designer access for dialogs.
- Three workarounds have a documented basis: Page Designer configuration, Custom Defined Events and a Custom Entity shown on a standard page. Default-value tricks, a custom replacement page and projection fragments rest on forum replies.
- Workarounds 1 to 5 stay inside the Extensibility Framework, so the core stays untouched. Number 6, projection customizations with fragments, is code you maintain at every release. The options differ in how much they cost to keep and how likely they are to need rework at a release update.
In March 2026 a customer on IFS Cloud 25R1 asked on the IFS Community why the "Receive Shop Order Manually" view would not accept a custom field. The asker notes the view is implemented as a Dialog, and the question touches a recurring pattern: a business needs one more piece of information captured at exactly the step where users already work, and that step is a dialog or an assistant. This article separates what IFS documents from what one forum reply says, then gives a decision table you can use before anyone starts building.
1.What does IFS document about custom fields on dialogs and assistants?
The Known Limitations page in the IFS Cloud Tailoring guide contains a section called "Custom Attributes on Assistants". I opened it in the 24R1 and 25R1 documentation, and both versions carry the same text. The section contrasts ordinary application pages, where a user searches for data, updates or adds information and then explicitly saves, with assistants, which "provide flexible implementation to suit the task at hand". It concludes that "it is not currently possible to provide custom attributes on assistants."
The same page does not mention dialogs. That gap matters, because "Custom Field" in daily speech covers both the Custom Attributes framework and the fields users see on screen, and the documented statement is narrower than the problem people report. For dialogs, the evidence I could open is the community thread described below.
The Page Designer introduction in the 25R1 Tailoring guide adds one relevant point. It lists configuring steps in assistants among the things Page Designer does, and it notes that dialogs and assistants have limited configuration possibilities compared to regular pages. Neither statement promises a way to add a new field to them.
2.What did the community thread add, and how far can you rely on it?
The thread "Missing CUSTOM Functions in Dialog and Assistant Views in IFS Cloud" has one question and two replies, all dated 12 to 17 March 2026, tagged to 25R1 and marked solved. Treat each reply for what it is: a person answering on a forum, not a documentation page.
- A reply from an IFS employee says, after checking with colleagues, that adding custom fields to Dialog or Assistant views through standard Custom Fields is not possible, because those views do not follow the patterns the Custom Attributes framework requires. This is the only source I found that names dialogs, and it carries the weight of an employee's answer, not of a documentation page.
- A reply from a customer gives the same reason in other words (pages must follow common patterns for storage and implementation) and lists four workarounds, one of which the customer prefers because their team has the in-house skills for it.
- No reply gives a date for a change. I found no statement from IFS about adding the capability later, so plan around the limit as it stands.
A second thread supports the assistant side. In a March 2025 thread on 24R2, an IFS employee says most Page Designer configuration works in assistants, such as conditional visibility, editability and required status, and that only adding Custom Fields to an assistant is unsupported. Another IFS employee in the same thread says a BPA Workflow of the process enrichment type should be able to populate default values.
3.Which workarounds exist, and which are confirmed?
The thread and the documentation give six approaches. Numbers 1, 3 and 4 have a documented basis in the IFS Cloud Tailoring or Administration guides. Numbers 2, 5 and 6 rest on forum replies, and I label them that way.
- Page Designer for what already exists. Page Designer edits labels, hides fields, sets fields to mandatory and rearranges elements. A customer reply in the thread suggests appending
?showInPageDesigner=trueto the dialog address to open Page Designer on it, and adds that this will not create custom fields. I found that parameter only in the thread, so test it before you rely on it. - Default values on assistants. An IFS employee reply in the 24R2 thread names Conditional Default Values (24R2 and 25R1) and a BPA process enrichment workflow. Both are thread statements; I did not open the documentation they link.
- Custom Defined Events on the underlying entity. The 25R1 Administration guide describes Custom Defined Events as events defined in one installation, executed by database triggers, that fire when a row is created, updated or removed. The action can be E-Mail, Application Message, Task, Workflow, Streams Message or REST Call, with Execute Online SQL listed as deprecated. An IFS employee in the thread suggests this route to run background logic or validation after the dialog's standard fields change data. Whether a given dialog writes to an entity that can carry an event is something to verify dialog by dialog. See Custom Events explained for how to scope them.
- A Custom Entity next to the record. The 25R1 Tailoring guide documents extending a standard page with a Custom Entity: you add it to the projection the standard page uses, create a list for it in Page Designer and set the filter through associations. That puts the extra data on the page that opens the dialog, not inside the dialog. The thread's customer reply suggests the same shape for a shop order, with the custom entity linked by keys.
- A standard custom page instead of the dialog. An IFS employee in the thread proposes extending the underlying entity with custom fields through the Custom Attributes framework and building a standard custom page that offers the dialog's function, so users work there instead. I found no documentation page that describes this as a pattern, so it is the employee's suggestion.
- Projection customizations and fragments. The customer who prefers this route says it needs a team with in-house capability. I found it described only in the thread, and it is the route with the most code to carry through each release.
I describe each of these as "a reply in the thread says" where that is the only source. Where the Tailoring or Administration guide covers it, I cite the guide.
4.Which workaround fits which need?
The upkeep and update-risk columns are my own assessment from practice, not an IFS rating. Treat them as a starting point for a conversation about your estate.
| Your need | Workaround | Upkeep | Risk at a release update | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relabel, hide or make mandatory an existing field in the dialog or assistant | Page Designer configuration | Low | Low: re-check the configuration after each release | Documented for pages and assistant steps; the dialog address parameter is thread-only |
| Pre-fill a value in an assistant | Conditional Default Values or BPA process enrichment | Low to medium | Low to medium | Thread replies by IFS staff |
| Validate, alert or start a workflow after the dialog saves | Custom Defined Event on the entity | Medium | Medium: conditions depend on entity columns that can change | Feature documented (Administration guide); dialog use suggested by an IFS employee in the thread |
| Record extra data about the shop order, receipt or similar record | Custom Entity listed on the parent page | Medium | Low to medium | Documented (Tailoring guide) |
| Capture extra data in the same step the user performs today | Custom page on the extended entity, replacing the dialog | High | Medium: you now own the user flow and its authorisations | Thread suggestion by an IFS employee |
| Logic or fields that no configuration can express | Projection customization with fragments | High | High: code to retest at every release | Thread, customer opinion |
Work down the table from the top and stop at the first row that meets the need. The further down you go, the more of the solution is yours to maintain, which is the same reasoning behind choosing between Quick Reports, Custom Fields and Custom Events.
5.How do you keep the core clean while working around the limit?
Clean Core means the standard IFS objects stay unchanged and every change lives in the Extensibility Framework, where a release update can carry it forward. The limit on dialogs and assistants pushes teams toward one of two bad habits: a modification of the standard view, or a pile of undocumented events nobody owns. Both are avoidable with the table above.
- Prefer the row that leaves the dialog alone. A Custom Entity on the parent page or an event on the entity changes nothing in the dialog itself, so the release update has less to disturb. The thinking is laid out in Update-Safe IFS Cloud Extensions and Clean Core in IFS Cloud.
- Write down why the dialog was not extended. One line per workaround, naming the limit and the date you checked it, saves the next consultant from rediscovering it.
- Monitor events after each update. An event that stops firing raises no error. Silent custom code failure describes the failure mode and a heartbeat check against it.
- Count the cost before you choose the bottom row. The true cost of customization in IFS Cloud shows how upkeep adds up across releases.
For the wider strategy on the consulting site, see The Clean Core and Strategic IFS Cloud Customization.
6.Can a ready-made CRIMS Modification replace the build?
CRIMS stands for Configurations, Reports, Interfaces and Modifications: the customer-specific objects added on top of standard IFS Cloud. The marketplace on this site has a Modifications category, which states that its items are vetted for maintainability and "evergreen" compatibility with IFS Cloud updates. That is the category's own description, and it does not say how an individual item is tested.
Whether a ready-made CRIMS Modification fits your requirement, or the work is scoped as a build using the decision table, I check the proposed approach against the limits above before anything is configured, so you do not end up with a field that the framework cannot host.
7.Frequently asked questions
Can you add Custom Fields to an assistant in IFS Cloud?
No. The Known Limitations page of the IFS Cloud Tailoring guide, in the 24R1 and 25R1 documentation, states that it is not currently possible to provide custom attributes on assistants. Other Page Designer configuration, such as conditional visibility and required status, still applies to assistants.
Can you add Custom Fields to a dialog in IFS Cloud?
An IFS employee reply in a March 2026 community thread on 25R1 says it is not possible with standard Custom Fields, because dialogs do not follow the patterns the Custom Attributes framework requires. The Known Limitations page I checked names assistants and does not mention dialogs, so verify the current position for your release before designing around it.
What is the update-safe alternative to a Custom Field on an IFS Cloud dialog?
Keep the dialog untouched and put the data next to it. A Custom Entity listed on the parent standard page stores extra data, and a Custom Defined Event on the underlying entity can react when the dialog changes data. Both live in the Extensibility Framework, so the core stays unchanged and a release update has less to disturb.
Does the showInPageDesigner parameter let you add fields to a dialog?
No. A customer reply in the IFS Community thread says adding ?showInPageDesigner=true to a dialog address may open Page Designer so you can change the visibility or behaviour of existing fields, and states that it will not add custom fields. I found the parameter only in that thread and not in the IFS documentation, so test it in a non-production environment first.
Can a Custom Event replace a custom field on a dialog?
A Custom Defined Event can react to data changes, but it cannot show a new input in the dialog. The 25R1 Administration guide describes events that fire when a row is created, updated or removed and run an action such as E-Mail, Task, Workflow or REST Call. Use an event for validation and follow-up, and a Custom Entity or custom page when users need to type something new.
8.Sources
- Known Limitations, Tailoring guide, IFS Cloud 25R1 (also read in the 24R1 edition): section "Custom Attributes on Assistants".
- Introduction to Page Designer, Tailoring guide, IFS Cloud 25R1
- Extending an existing Page Model: adding a Custom Entity to a standard page, IFS Cloud 25R1
- Manage Event Actions, Administration guide, IFS Cloud 25R1
- IFS Community thread: Missing CUSTOM Functions in Dialog and Assistant Views in IFS Cloud (March 2026, 25R1)
- IFS Community thread: Is it Possible to Change Assistant Pages Using Configuration Only? (March 2025, 24R2)
- CRIMS Marketplace: Modifications
Documentation was read in the editions named above. Limits can change between releases, so check the Known Limitations page for the release you run.
9.About the author
Dariusz Myśliwiec: 18 years hands-on with IFS, today on IFS Cloud. IFS Certified Associate Consultant. PRINCE2® 7. Independent practice based in Kraków, delivered remotely across Europe and globally. You talk to the consultant who builds it, not a sales layer.
Selected clients from my IFS work: Fugro · LGC · BVI Medical · Betafence (PRÆSIDIAD) · Barlinek · NGK Ceramics · Newag · Oleofarm.
IFS is a registered trademark of IFS AB; this practice is not affiliated with IFS AB.
Need a field where IFS Cloud will not take one?
Bring me the dialog or assistant and the data you need to capture. On a 30-minute call I will tell you which row of the table fits, whether a CRIMS Modification already covers it, and what the rest would cost to build and keep.
