Previously, if you wanted to store internal data on a form, you had to create a field that was visible to the applicant. Now, you can create internal fields that are only visible to staff.
How to Use Internal Fields
An internal field is created in the same place as any other application field within the form builder. To make a field internal, you simply check the "Internal" box.
Once marked as internal, the field won't be visible to applicants, but staff can enter information into it after the application has been submitted and is in the dashboard. These fields work seamlessly with other Civic Review features, allowing you to use them for conditions, fees, and reports.
Example Use Cases
Internal fields can be used in a variety of ways to make your workflow more efficient:
Reporting: Instead of manually tracking data in external spreadsheets, you can use internal fields to store information that you'll need for reporting. For example, you can create a report that tracks applications with a temporary certificate of occupancy and includes the expiration date, all within Civic Review.
Storing Dates: While Civic Review automatically tracks key dates like application and expiration dates, internal fields can be used to track other important dates specific to your process, such as the date an applicant's fingerprinting was completed.
Applicant-Unknown Information: Some details, like a business's zoning or the projects ICC Occupancy Type, may not be known by the applicant. You can use an internal field to enter this information yourself after a review. You can even create an internal dropdown field with a list of options for easy data entry.
Storing Notes: Internal fields can serve as an organized way to store important, internal-only notes about an application. This provides an alternative to using the standard internal comments section.
Important Considerations for Fees
If your application form provides a real-time fee estimate for applicants, you should not use internal fields for those fee calculations. Because internal fields are hidden from applicants, any fees based on them will not be reflected until a staff member enters the data and manually recalculates, or "refreshes," the fees.
For more inspiration on internal fields, check out this webinar: Internal Fields