Manage Field Types Praxis Desk

Configure custom field types that are available for data entry in every record.

Prerequisites

• You are logged in with administrator permissions.

Note: If Values doesn't appear under Patient Management in your settings navigation, the feature isn't enabled for your account.

Creating a field type

1. Open Settings → Account management → Patient Management → Values.
2. Click + Create value type.

Fig. 1The value types overview page, here without any configured entries yet.

1. 1Create a new value type.
2. 2Use a preset value type (weight, height, blood type).

3. Fill in the configuration:

Fig. 2The creation dialog for a new value type.

Field	Description
Name	Display name of the field
Abbreviation	Short label for compact views (max. 15 characters)
Color	Visual marker
Type	Text, integer, number, boolean, selection list, multiple selection list, group, BMI, WHR (waist/hip), WHtR (waist/height)
Unit	Optional unit (e.g. "kg", "cm") – hidden for the types BMI, WHR (Taille/Hüfte), and WHtR (Taille/Größe). For BMI the unit is fixed to "kg/m²"
Format	Display format: value + unit or unit + value
Can have multiple values	Allows several captured values of this type per record

4. Click Save.

Note: There is no separate "Show in customer list" field in the creation dialog. To show a value type as a column, use Configure columns in the patient / customer list.

Configuring a selection list

When you choose the Selection list or Multiple selection list type, an additional area for list entries appears:

Fig. 3Additional fields for the 'Selection list' type.

1. Enter the entry in the New entry field and click + Add.
2. Repeat for all desired options.
3. The No selection as first option switch is enabled by default. Disable it if a value must always be selected when capturing data.

Creating a BMI field type

For the BMI type, you don't need to configure a calculation basis. The capture dialog asks for height and weight itself and calculates the BMI from them, see Capturing values. You don't need an additional value type for height.

Creating a WHR or WHtR field type

The types WHR (Taille/Hüfte) and WHtR (Taille/Größe) work like BMI: the unit is hidden and you don't need to configure a calculation basis. The capture dialog asks for the measurements itself and calculates the ratio from them. For details, see Capturing values.

• WHR (Taille/Hüfte) – waist-to-hip ratio, waist ÷ hip.
• WHtR (Taille/Größe) – waist-to-height ratio, waist ÷ height.

Editing or deleting a field type

Click the action menu (three dots) on an existing field type and select Edit or Delete.

Note: Deleting a field type permanently removes all values captured for that type.

Linking with letters and forms

As with any value type, you can optionally link it to the doctor's letter, the patient letter, or the mother-child pass. If the value type is linked to the doctor's letter, you capture it in the footer area of the letter. In text templates, the value type's block prints the value in readable form, e.g. "0,85 (Taille 90 cm / Hüfte 106 cm) am 08.10.2026". BMI is now printed in readable form there as well.

In the form builder, a WHR or WHtR value type is available as a widget in the Values category. The widget is prefilled with the latest value, and you can save it to the record. Only values with a calculated ratio are saved.