This guide walks you step by step through creating a custom field, explains what each setting means, and shows what members experience once a new custom field is live.
Step 1: Go to Custom Fields
From your Honeycommb Control Center (how to access),
Open Community Settings, and click Custom Fields,
Click the Create Custom Field button in the top right.
You’ll see a menu of custom field types to select from
Step 2: Choose the Field Type
Select the type of information you want to collect. Each field type changes how members interact with it. Field types include:
Single Line: A single-line text field, great for one-line answers like job title
Paragraph: A multi-line text field, best for open-ended, longer responses
Selection: A list of check boxes where members select one or multiple options
Number: A single-line text input for numeric (validated) responses
Yes / No: Two radio buttons for a/b responses, allowing only one selection
Tip: Choose the simplest field type that fits your use case. This makes it easier for members to complete.
Step 3: Name the Custom Field
Enter a Field Name.
This is the question or instructional prompt members will see, for example:
“What best describes your role?”
“Select your interests”
The label should be clear, friendly, and written exactly how you want members to read it.
Step 4: Configure Custom Field Settings
Each custom field type may have settings specific to that type, while all include shared settings across all custom fields.
Field Description
(Not required and applicable to Paragraph and Selection types only)
Include text to support the member's understanding of how to complete the field.
Min/Max Characters
(Not required and applicable to Single Line, Paragraph, and Number types only)
Min and max character length validation defines how much detail a member should include in a response and helps keep information clear and consistent. A minimum length ensures responses are meaningful, while a maximum length prevents entries that are too long to read or display cleanly. If a member’s response doesn’t meet these requirements, they’ll be prompted to adjust their entry before saving or continuing, making expectations clear and ensuring higher-quality data for both members and admins.
Visibility
The visibility setting controls who can see a custom field and where it appears.
Everyone: The field is displayed on the member’s profile and visible to all members in the network.
Profile Owner: The field appears on the profile, but is only visible to the member themselves.
Admin only: keeps the field hidden from profiles entirely and makes it visible only to admins in the Control Center, which is useful for internal notes or segmentation that members don’t need to see.
Read Only
The Read Only setting controls who can add or change a custom field’s value.
Off: members can answer the field and update their response when editing their profile.
On: The field becomes admin-managed, meaning only admins can enter or edit the value, while members can view it (if visible). This is useful for information that should be set or maintained by your team, such as internal statuses, approvals, or classifications.
Turning Read Only on also removes all field rule capabilities, including Required (whether the field can be left blank), Add to registration (whether it appears during signup), and Can be edited (whether members can edit it later). This makes the field fully controlled by admins and ideal for internal statuses, classifications, or system-managed data.
Field Rules
Field Rules determine when a custom field appears and how members can interact with it. Note: When Read Only is turned on, field rules are automatically removed from the interface since they no longer apply.
Required: Off - the field can be left blank. On - members must complete it before continuing.
Add to registration: Controls whether the field appears during member signup, allowing you to collect information upfront.
Can be edited: Determines if members can update their response later. On - they can edit it from their profile. Off - the response is locked after submission.
Together, these rules help you balance data collection with a smooth member experience.
Selections (for field type "Selection")
Selections define the choices members can pick from a list of check boxes, when more than one selection is allowed, or radio buttons, when only one selection is allowed. Clear, well-structured selections make the field easier to understand and keep your data clean and consistent.
*A minimum of one selection is required
Create a selection by typing in the selection label
Press "enter/return" to create a new one, until all of your selections are included.
Rearrange selections, if needed, by hovering over the selection, click & hold on the arrange icon, and drag the selection to the position you want.
Remove selections by hovering over the selection and clicking the trash icon.
For more in-depth information on the custom field type "Selection", read: Custom Field Selections: How to create and use them to power your member directory