Custom Field Types Explained

Custom fields are a powerful and flexible solution that allows you to gather, store, and display information about your community members. Honeycommb offers a number of different field "types" to capture that information.

Custom Fields are very easy to create and, for the most part, share the same settings, but there are some differences, which this article covers.

Below is a breakdown of every custom field type currently available in the Honeycommb Control Center, along with guidance on when to use each.

Best for: Open-ended responses and short written input.

"Single Line" custom field type is a single-line text field that allows members or admins to type in free-form text. These are ideal when responses aren’t limited to predefined options.

Common use cases:

Text fields are flexible but not filterable, so they’re best used for information you want to display or reference rather than sort or segment by.

Best for: Longer, multi-line written responses.

Paragraph custom field types are designed for longer-form input where members or admins need more space to write. Unlike standard text fields, paragraph fields support multi-line entries, making them ideal for detailed explanations or descriptions.

Common use cases:

Like text fields, paragraph text fields are not filterable. They’re best used for rich context and profile depth rather than sorting or segmentation.

Best for: Choosing from predefined options.

Selection custom fields let you create a list of options that a member or admin can choose from. You can allow a single selection or multiple selections, depending on how the field is configured.

Common use cases:

Selection fields are especially powerful because they can be marked as filterable, allowing members to filter and discover other members in the directory based on shared selections.

For a detailed Help Center article on custom fields and how to use them to power member directory filtering, read: Enabling Member Directory Filtering with Custom Fields

Best for: Numeric values.

Number custom fields are designed for information that should only be entered as numbers. They use field validation to make sure the information entered into the field is numbers only. This helps keep your data clean and consistent.

Common use cases:

Number fields are useful for display and internal reference, but are not intended for member filtering.

Best for: Simple, binary (yes/no, true/false) information.

Yes/No custom fields are a streamlined way to capture binary answers. They’re easy to complete and easy to understand at a glance. The answers are automatically formatted as "Yes" or "No".

Common use cases:

Like selection fields, Yes/No fields can also be used for filtering in the member directory.

For a detailed Help Center article on custom fields and how to use them to power member directory filtering, read: Enabling Member Directory Filtering With Custom Fields