Custom field already exists error for a different custom group

[pbarmak]

We used to be able to create two custom fields with the same label as long as they were in different custom groups.  But, as of 3.3.5 (well, maybe before, but I never tried), I'm getting the following error when I try this:
Please correct the following errors in the form fields below:
    * Custom field 'Team Number' already exists in Database.

In the database, the unique index on civicrm_custom_field is on both the label and the custom_group_id fields, so I can update the label via a db query and it shows up in the interface without error.  But I cannot then make a change using the UI, I get the same error when I try and save.

What changed here?  I'm guessing all of our currently duplicated custom fields are going to give this error whenever we try and update the help text or something ...

I'm thinking this is a bug, so I'll start a Jira too.

[Tom-Tigerfish]

I am having the exact same problem in CiviCRM 3.4.1

I have had a look around but there does not seem to be a patch as yet

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated

[xavier]

Hi,

It seems that the issue is that the name should be unique (not the label), but as the name is automatically generated from the label (and that you can't modify it from the UI), you can't solve it with the web interface.


For a lot of reasons, having the custom field unique among the group is almost mandatory, so that's a good thing to keep it that way, but the user interface is needing some improvment.

Can you try changing the name in the database directly for the field in error ?

After you do that, can you confirm you can then change the help text and label from the UI ?

X+

[Michael McAndrew]

Hey there,

I just wanted to dredge this up again.

It seems wrong to me that you cannot have use the same label for a field in different field sets.  The rule IMO should not be that field labels should be unique.  It should be that field set + field label should be unique.

That way you can reuse common words like Score, Summary, Details, etc.  Without the ability to do this, we end up with lots of redundant extra long unfriendly field names like Opportunity details: Summary of opportunity. etc.

What is the reason we made this change? How easy would it be to reverse it?

Michael

[xavier]

Have you tried creating the field with a unique label (to set the name) then change it to something non unique?


X+

[Michael McAndrew]

Yes - I thought of that.  It doesn't work.

Even if it did, it is quite an embarrassing work around to suggest people do...

[Yashodha Chaku]

This has been fixed for 4.3

http://issues.civicrm.org/jira/browse/CRM-7564

-Yashodha

[Erik Hommel]

Thanks Yashodha, great that this is fixed! I agree with Michael that it simply does not do for the user.