Managing Custom Field Definitions

Updated Apr 4, 2026 Sample Library

Custom field definitions control which metadata fields appear on every sample in your library. Only account owners can manage field definitions.

Custom Fields page in SampleHQ showing field definitions for Finish, Dimensions, and MOQ with type and required status
The Custom Fields page lists all field definitions with their type and required status.

Creating a custom field

  1. Go to Samples > Custom Fields in the sidebar.
  2. Click Add Custom Field.
  3. Enter a field name (e.g., Finish, Dimensions, MOQ).
  4. Choose the field type: text, textarea, number, email, URL, date, select, radio, checkbox, or file upload.
  5. Set whether the field is required or optional.
  6. For select and radio types, add the list of options.
  7. Save the field.

Editing and deleting fields

Each field in the list has Edit and Delete buttons. Editing a field updates it across all existing samples. Deleting a field removes it from all samples, but data already entered in that field is preserved as orphaned data.

Cleaning up orphaned data

If you delete a field definition, the data previously entered under that field remains in the database. Use the Clean Up Orphaned Data button to permanently remove data from deleted fields.

Managing Sample Categories Using Custom Fields on Samples