Extensible Databases allow you to create a Database, within your Edit Website, with its own custom fields and information which can then be viewed by visitors to your website. So, for example, you could create a database for your current vacancies, or for books that are held in your library, or for people that are part of your organisation.
To create a new Extensible Database, you will need to click Settings, click Extensible Databases and then the Create Database button.
You can now give your Database a name, select an icon for your database and add a Description. The name of the Database will be visible on the website, in the menu of the site. The icon and Description won’t be visible publicly, they will only be visible to those that have access to add records to the Database.
If you want the Database to appear on the website, you will need to ensure that the Live toggle is switched on. Once you have added the details, click the Save button.
To add fields to your database, you will need to click the blue Fields button and then click the Add Field button.
You will need to give the field a name, this will describe the data that will be held in the field. You can then decide what kind of field this will be. There are 13 different field types, allowing you to choose from Text fields, Number fields, fields where you can upload attachments as well as others.
If you don’t want people to be able to save the record without completing a certain field, you will need to set the Required toggle to on.
You can then click Save to add the field to the Database. Repeat this process to add the other fields you need for your database.
If you want to change the order of the fields, you can drag and drop them to your preferred order using the crossed arrows on the left of the field name.
If you need to change the name of a field, or whether it is Required or not, you can click the orange pencil button to the right of the field name.
If you wish to delete a field, you can click the red dustbin icon. If you have added any data to the field this will also be deleted if you delete the field.
Once you have added your fields, click the Save button.
You are able to complete some additional settings for the Database by clicking the pencil icon.
You will be able to set which field records are ordered by, by choosing from the Order by dropdown. This will order the records alphabetically, or numerically, according to the field you have selected.
If you would like a thumbnail image to be added for each record, you will need to switch the Require Thumbnail for each item toggle to on.
If you want a publish date or expiry date for each record, if you were creating a database for job vacancies that need to be shown between certain dates, for example, you switch the relevant toggles on. If you add publish or expiry dates, they will be required and you won’t be able to leave them blank when adding your records.
The Description will appear on the public website and can be used to give more information about the database for your website visitors.
When visitors view the Database on your website, they will see some of the fields for each record that has been added. You can choose up to 4 fields to be shown on the summary page, and the order you wish them to appear.
If you want to include tags on your database, you can switch the option on using the Include Tags toggle. Tags allow you to categorise your database entries and you will be able to filter entries based on the tags when the database is viewed on your website.
Finally, you are also able to set whether the Database is Live on your website, or not.
To save your settings, click the Save button.