Creating and Assigning New Attributes

Once a document type is created, it will need to be assigned “Attributes” (index fields).  Click “Add New Attribute” as highlighted below.

The screenshot below shows the “Add New Attribute” window and the options for attribute configuration.  See the table below for a description of each section.

Section	Description
Attribute Name	The name of the attribute
Data Type	The type of input associated with the attribute
Description	A brief explanation of a data type with specific examples
Options   Minimum (length or value)   Maximum (length or value)   Default   Required   Include in filename   Input Mask	Minimum number of characters or minimum value allowed Maximum number of characters or maximum value allowed A pre-fill value for indexing Attribute value must be populated when indexing Includes the attribute value as part of the file name when using the “Save Local Copy” and “Email Document”  features of IQdesktop Provides restricted data input
Test Area	Allows testing of data input for a data type

There are six data types that can be assigned to attributes.  The attribute data type selected will control the type of information entered into a field of that type.  Reference each attribute data type and description in the table below before you assign the data type to each new attribute you create.  Once a new attribute is saved, the data type for it cannot be changed.

Attribute Data Type	Description
Text	Any keyboard character may be entered such as letters, numbers, punctuation, alpha-numeric account numbers and/or any numbers that begin with leading zeros (i.e. 003-RBC0908; 123-456-7890; (407) 555-1212; 007).
Numeric	Stores fractional values for currency amounts or percentages.  Numeric values can have up to 29 total digits with at most 8 digits to the right of the decimal place (i.e. 3.50; 3.14159).
List	Creates a drop-down list of choices that you define (i.e. a list of customers, a list of cities, a list of companies, etc.).  Users may add “List-based” attribute items on the fly if they have the “Allow” Add List Item permission. Note:  A list-based attribute is preferred whenever possible in order to minimize indexing errors.
Integer	Requires whole numbers with no punctuation, no decimal, and with no leading zeroes.  Integer values have an absolute maximum of 2147483647 and an absolute minimum of -2147483648 (i.e. 1138; 2112).
Date & Time	Stores dates and can default to the current date.  Date & Time attributes have a maximum of 12/31/9999 11:59:59 PM and an absolute minimum of 1/1/1753 12:00:00 AM (i.e. 1/1/1970; 6/10/2008).
True/False	Attributes can be true, false or non-existent (null), typically displayed in the form of a three state checkbox, either checked, unchecked or grayed out for true, false or non-existent respectively.

In the example below, an attribute called “Patients Name” is assigned to the document type, “Invoice”. This attribute is categorized as a “Text” data type; its description is displayed to the right for review.  Jane Doe is tested for accuracy in the test area field; the test results show that this data input Passed for this Data type.  Click “OK” to save and assign the new attribute to the selected Document Type and add the new attribute in the “Attributes” tab.  See below.  Once an attribute is added, it can then be assigned to other Document Types as needed.

Note:  “Text” fields are the most flexible data types.  Even if the value of the attribute is a number such as a Social Security number, the “Text” data type may be the best choice because it allows dashes, leading zeros and specific lengths.

Note:  The “Add New Attribute” button in the “Attributes” tab only creates the attribute and does NOT assign it to any particular document type.