Custom Field Filters (CFFs) allow you to expose custom course or learning path fields as searchable filters in Weblink. They are used to enhance the learner search experience by enabling more structured and relevant filtering options.
Each Custom Field Filter maps a single Weblink search filter to one or more Custom Fields, allowing Weblink to return results based on additional metadata defined in your system.
Overview
Custom Field Filters are configured per portal in the Control Panel under Portals.
Use Custom Field Filters to:
- add structured filters to the Weblink course or learning path search experience
- expose selected custom fields to Weblink search
- control how learners refine search results in your portal
Once configured, these filters are available to Weblink and can be used in search queries. For implementation details, see the developer documentation: Custom Field Filter API.
How Custom Field Filters work
A Custom Field Filter acts as a bridge between Weblink search and your Administrate data.
- A filter is defined once in the portal configuration
- It is mapped to one or more custom fields on Course Templates or Learning Paths
- Weblink uses the filter to return matching results when learners apply it
This allows multiple underlying fields to be represented as a single filter in the Weblink interface.
Examples
Common Custom Field Filter configurations include:
- Delivery method → mapped to a custom field on Course Templates (for example: Classroom, Virtual, eLearning)
- Category → mapped to custom fields across both Course Templates and Learning Paths to provide a unified filter in Weblink
- Region or location → mapped to custom fields used to group courses by geography
These mappings allow learners to apply a single filter in Weblink while searching across multiple underlying data fields.
Create a custom field filter
Custom Field Filters are created per portal.
- Go to Control Panel → Portals.
- Select the relevant Weblink portal.
- Review the list of existing custom field filters.
- Select Add Filter.
Filter settings
Label
The name displayed to learners in Weblink. Choose a clear, user-friendly label such as Delivery method or Food option.
Type
The input type presented in Weblink. Supported types are:
- Text
- Checkbox
- Multichoice
The selected type determines which custom fields are available for mapping.
Mappings
One or more custom fields can be mapped to a single filter.
- Source: Select whether the field belongs to a Course Template or a Learning Path.
- Field: Choose the custom field to include. Only fields compatible with the selected filter type are available.
Custom fields are managed separately in the Custom Fields section of the Control Panel.
Permissions
Access to Custom Field Filters is controlled by portal permissions:
-
Portal – View
Required to view custom field filters. -
Portal – Edit
Required to add, edit, or delete filters.
Common mistakes
- Using unclear labels: filters should be easily understood by learners
- Mapping incompatible field types: ensure the filter type matches the underlying field type
- Overloading filters: mapping too many fields can produce confusing search results