User Flags and User Texts Overview

CONTENTS

• What are User Flags and User Text?
• User Flags
• User Text Fields
• User Field Groups
• Staff User Flags and User Texts
  
• FAQ

What are User Flags and User Text?

User Flags and User Text fields are custom data fields that can be created for Student or Staff records. They are completely district-controlled, and there are no custom fields pre-built by Genesis. For information on the built-in student icons instead, click here for the list of the built-in icons.

These fields have a wide range of uses:

• Perfect when new data field is needed, and there is no standard Genesis field (ex: 'Student Computer Password')
• Running reports on student/staff with User Flag(s) assigned
• Displaying a custom student icon for flagged students
• Displaying this additional data on the Parent/Student Portal
• Creating additional Checkboxes, Text Fields, Text Areas, Date Fields, and Dropdown Lists for data entry
• Collecting extra fields from parents via custom questions setup during Registration or Parent Forms

User Flags and User Texts can be set to rollover/not rollover into the new year, by toggling the Allow Flag/Text to Rollover option found on Setup>Districts>Master District Parameters>User Flags / User Texts.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• User Flags
• User Text Fields
• User Field Groups
• Staff User Flags and User Texts
• FAQ

User Flags

Click here for the article on creating and configuring User Flags.

User Flags are booleans.  They represent yes/no questions and can have a value of "true" or "false" ("yes" or "no"). User Flags can be linked to a small icon that is displayed on the Student Information Bar and in the Gradebook when that User Flag is set to Yes ('true').

User Flags are created and managed on the Setup>Districts>Master District Parameters>User Flags screen:

User Flags for an individual student are located on the Student Data>Modify Student>User Flags screen of the student's record.

User Flags can be manually turned on and off via a checkbox on the students' Student Data>Modify Student>User Flags screen, or they can be tied to a Document Type in Document Management.

When a User Flag is tied to a Document Type, it cannot be directly turned on or off on the student's User Flags screen.  

User Flags can also be set via a Form in the Parent Portal Module and by a Custom Question in Open Registration.

You may control User Flags carry over to next year for students/staff. This is done by setting the checkboxes Allow Flag to Rollover from the Setup>District>User Flags screen. By default all user flags and user text fields added will have this option enabled. Uncheck the option if you do not wish to have the data retained for Students/Staff members in the next school year. If the 'rollover' boxes are unchecked prior to the district's Summer Rollover, then the rollover is what will 'clear' these fields for the upcoming year. Following the rollover, the field would be empty, but you will still see the previous year's value when viewing last year's student records. This is ideal for forms/permissions that the parents must fill out each school year.

Other options you can modify:

• Description
• Can be turned on automatically when a specific document type exists: When a user flag has this checked, it will appear in the list of user flags that can be automatically turned on based on the presence of a document (or signed document) of a particular document type.
• Searchable
• Gradebook
• Icon: Set the icon
• Archive: This will hide the user flags on student if the field is blank and will hide the flag from Parent Portal.
• Mass Change Role
• Allow Flag to Rollover
• Seq #

User Text Fields

Click here for the article on creating and configuring User Text fields.

User Text fields are medium sized text fields containing a maximum of 255 characters: they can be used to hold either a free form bit of text or a value selected from a set of pre-set options.

User Text fields are created and managed on the Setup>Districts>Master District Parameters>User Text screen:

User Text fields can be manually turned on and off on the students' Student Data>Modify Student>User Text screen directly.

They can also be set via a Form in the Parent Module and by a Custom Question in Open Registration.

You can also select a different option in the "Type" column as needed:

1. Text Field - This is the default.  A single line of upto 255 characters.
2. Drop Down - A custom list of drop down options, each optionally coupled to an icon (see below).
3. Text Area - A multi-line text area.
4. Date - Convert the User Text field into a Date field

You may control which User Text fields carry over to next year for students/staff. This is done by setting the checkboxes titled Rollover from the Setup>District>User Text screen. By default all user flags and user text fields added will have this option enabled. Uncheck the option if you do not wish to have the data retained for Students/Staff members in the next school year. If the 'rollover' boxes are unchecked prior to the district's Summer Rollover, then the rollover is what will 'clear' these fields for the upcoming year. Following the rollover, the field would be empty, but you will still see the previous year's value when viewing last year's student records. This is ideal for forms/permissions that the parents must fill out each school year. 

User Field Groups

User Field Groups give you the ability to group both User Text and User Flags together, for the purpose of assigning users access to a specific set of the district's custom fields.

Each group will appear as a new tab within the student's User Fields tab, once User Field Groups are established.

You may set security on your created User Field Groups to limit users ability to see certain flags and texts.  

This security will work within the new User Fields tab and also impact viewing icons on a student's Information Banner.

To add fields to groups by clicking on the User Text or User Flag totals.  This is found via Setup>Schools>Modify School>User Field Groups.

You can then set specific User Flags or User Texts to a newly created group from the Setup>Schools>Modify School>User Flags and/or User Texts screen:

Staff User Flags and User Texts

User Texts and User Flags may now be set to be used for Staff in the Setup>Districts>User Text and Setup>Districts>User Flags screens. It essentially works the same way as the student user flags and user texts.

FAQ

Q: How can we mass update students' User Texts / User Flags?

A: Here are the spots where these fields can be updated:

• Individually via Student Data>Modify Student>User Flags/User Texts/User Fields.
• With STUDENT LISTS via Student Data>Mass Change. (User Flags and Texts are at the bottom of the list in Step 2.)
• With a template in Core>Import in the Student-Data group.

Q: How do we set a User Flag as a Staff-specific user flag?

A: In the "For" dropdown on the Setup>Districts>User Flags tab, select STAFF. And click "Save Changes."

Q: Are there reports I can run to gather this data?

A: Here are some spots to gather this data:

• For User Flags, we have Report  21470 - User Flag Report
• You can create Search Result Views via Student Data>Student List>Search Result Views for User Texts and User Flags.
• We have a few report writer reports that you can import into your Genesis system on our Useful Reports page - for User Texts and User Flags.
• You can create your own report writer report at any time.  The data tables are StudentUserText and StudentUserFlag in the STUDENT group.

Q: I'm creating a dynamic list / dynamic query, and I cannot get results for students WITHOUT this user text/flag and/or with a BLANK value in the User Text/User Flag.  How can I get this to work?

A: Unfortunately, you can't use a query to find people who did not receive a user flag/text because the record is only created when they get a value. So, there is no "N." That's the logic here. Student User Text and User Flags only exist for a student IF there is a value filled in.

So, you can't really grab this data with a dynamic list/query.  However, you can do this with report writer.  And we have reports in Useful Report page for you to import, which are created to grab "blank" values etc.

Look for the reports in the Student Data area named "Locate Students With Blank User Text Value" and "Locate Students with Blank User Flag Value."

Q: Can I have specific user flags / user texts clear out upon rollover?

A: You may now control which User Text and which User Flags carry over during rollover for students. This is done by setting the checkboxes for "Allow Text to Rollover" and "Allow Flag to Rollover" from Setup>District>User Flag and User Text. All Flags and Texts are defaulted to currently rollover. Uncheck the option if you do not wish to have the Student retain the data for these flags and texts in the next school year.