Change, deactivate, delete or merge values in a global field

To clean up a global field, go to Super > Global Fields and click the dropdown box next to the field. In the list that opens, each value has icons to edit, deactivate, activate and delete it, and a small merge checkbox. Edit a value to correct its text everywhere it is used. Deactivate a value to stop it being chosen while existing documents keep it. Delete a value only when nothing uses it. Merge values to combine duplicates into one.

Before you start

You need the Admin level on the Super area row of your rights; this is what shows the Super menu. Your user administrator sets this. Without it, the page shows “You must have Super user access rights to access Global Fields.” instead of the fields.
If Global Fields is missing from your Super menu, contact Antenor support.
A global field is shared by every module that uses it. A change to a value applies in all those modules at once, also in documents already published, because documents point to the value rather than storing its text.
Adding a value is described in Add a value to a global field, with or without translation.

Steps

Open the field’s values

In the left menu, click Super, then Global Fields.
Click the dropdown box (“Type here to search”) next to the field. Its values open below the box. Type in the box to filter the list.

Active values are listed first, then deactivated values, which have “[Deactivated]” after the name.

Change the text of a value

Click the pencil (tooltip Edit) on the value. The pencil is shown on active values only; to change a deactivated value, activate it first.
An edit row opens under the value, with the warning “Editing the value will affect all modules in which it is in use. Are you sure you would like to continue?”
Change the text. To give the value separate English and Norwegian texts, switch on Translation and fill in English and Norwegian. With Translation off, the one text is used in both languages.
Click Update, or Cancel to leave it unchanged.

The new text shows wherever the value is used: in documents of every status, in other modules, in reports and in user profiles.

Deactivate or activate a value

To deactivate, click the deactivate icon (a circle with a line through it, tooltip Deactivate) on the value.
Confirm with Yes in the dialog “Are you sure you want to deactivate this value? Doing so will remove this value from all drop down menus, in edit mode, in all modules.”

To activate a deactivated value again, click its activate icon (a circle with a tick, tooltip Activate). This happens at once, without a confirmation.

Delete a value

Click the trash icon (tooltip Delete) on the value.
Confirm with Yes in the dialog “Deleting the value will affect all modules in which it is in use. Are you sure you would like to continue?”

If anything uses the value, it is not deleted. You see “Cannot delete record because it’s being used in: “ followed by where it is used, for example Documents or User. A value counts as used when any document (in any status), user profile or record in another module has it. Deactivate or merge the value instead.

Merge values

Tick the merge checkbox (the small square, tooltip Merge) on two or more active values in the same field. Merge… appears at the top of the list.
Click Merge…. The dialog Merge fields opens with the warning “Merging values will overwrite current value everywhere they are in use”.
Under Fields to merge, the ticked values are checked. Untick a value to leave it out.
Under Select a name, choose the value to keep. The first value you ticked is preselected.
Under Use new name, the kept value’s text is shown. Change it if the kept value should get a new text; switch on Translation for separate English and Norwegian texts.
Click OK. It is enabled when a value to keep, at least one other value and a name are chosen.
If any of the values are used in documents, a second dialog lists the modules where they are used. Click the button to go ahead with the merge, or Cancel.

What you should see

After editing: the value shows the new text in the list and everywhere it is used.
After deactivating: the value is listed last with “[Deactivated]”. It stays on every document, user and record that already has it, but it is no longer offered in dropdowns when a document is in edit mode.
After merging: only the kept value remains. Everything that used the merged values, such as documents, records in other modules, report filters, KPI rows and triggers, now uses the kept value. The merge runs in the background. Until it is finished, the pencil and trash buttons on Global Fields are hidden, the value lists are read-only, and the buttons for saving and editing documents in the modules that use the field are disabled.

Good to know

A merge cannot be undone. The merged values are removed. Check the selection in the dialog before you click OK.
Deactivated values still block their text. A new value cannot have the same English or Norwegian text as a deactivated value in the same field. Reactivate the old value instead.
Deactivate rather than delete a value that has been used: deleting is refused, and a deactivated value stays on the records that already have it.