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🎯 For those configuring the phases and form of a pipe for the first time
You’ve set up your pipe phases, opened the field editor, and encountered over 15 options. Short text, long text, list select, single select, date, due date... which to choose? This question comes up all the time and makes sense. It’s not a preference question — it’s an architecture decision.
Each field type in Pipefy carries a different behavior: it defines how information will be entered, how it will be validated, whether it can be used as an automation trigger, and how it will appear in reports.
A due date field, for example, automatically activates the card’s SLA indicator. A single select field, on the other hand, is the type you’ll want to use to create conditionals that show or hide other fields based on the answer.
Your process already has a structure. The fields you’ll configure now are the elements that will capture the right information at each step — and this directly impacts the quality of the data you’ll use to make decisions later.
This article presents the complete catalog with practical choice criteria applied to the employee onboarding template.
📖 What you’ll understand here:
Why field type choice matters
In Pipefy, a field isn’t just a space to type. It’s a contract with your process: you’re saying what type of information will go in there, how it will be validated, and what happens after it exists.
A Numeric field only accepts numbers — you don’t need to create a manual validation rule. An Email field requires a valid address format before saving. An Assignee field lists only pipe members. This protects your data integrity without requiring extra effort from whoever fills it in.
The second implication is in automations. Date fields (Date, Date and Time, Due Date) can be used as triggers: "when the due date passes today, move the card to the Late phase." Select fields (Checkbox, Single Select, List Select) function as conditionals: "if the contract type is Contractor, show the Tax ID field." Short text can’t do that.
The third implication is in reports. Currency fields appear as numerical values in dashboards. Date fields feed lead time charts. Long Text doesn’t enter any aggregation — it’s only qualitative information.
Choosing the wrong type doesn’t break the pipe immediately, but it charges a price later: inconsistent data, automations that don’t trigger, reports that don’t add up what they should. Attention now saves rework later.
If you’re not sure which field to use, ask: "will this data be used in any automation or report?" If yes, avoid Short Text and use the corresponding specialized type.
Complete catalog: the 17 field types
The table below organizes all available types with the main usage criteria and an example applied to the employee onboarding template.
| Field | When to use | Onboarding example | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short Text | Short data: names, addresses, job titles, IDs | Employee name, job title, office | Supports unique value (see section below) |
| Long Text | Descriptive responses, briefings, feedback | First month qualitative feedback | Not aggregable in dashboards |
| Dynamic Content | Display card information automatically | Onboarding summary filled in automatically | Not filled in by the user |
| Attachment | Upload of documents, photos, PDFs, spreadsheets | Signed contract, training schedule | Multiple formats accepted |
| Checkbox | Verification lists with multiple options | First day checklist (introduction, meetings) | Accepts multiple selections simultaneously |
| Assignee | Assign pipe members to a card | Onboarding assignee (buddy) | Only lists registered pipe members |
| Date | Calendar: day, month, and year | Employee’s first day | No time; use Date and Time if needed |
| Date and Time | Calendar with time | Alignment meeting scheduling | Supports unique value |
| Due Date | Deadline with time; activates SLA indicator | Deadline to complete first month onboarding | Key field for escalation automations |
| Labels | Colored tags at the top of the card | Urgency, contract type (Full-time/Contractor/Intern) | Visual; not directly filterable in automations |
| | Email address collection with validation | New employee’s corporate email | Validates format automatically |
| Phone Number | Number with country code and validation | Employee’s or buddy’s phone | Supports unique value |
| List Select | Long list with single selection; displayed on click | Department, office location | Ideal for more than 5 options |
| Single Select | Options always visible side by side; single selection | Work arrangement (On-site/Remote/Hybrid) | Ideal for up to 5 options; base for conditionals |
| Time | Time selector | Preferred time for alignment meetings | No date; use Date and Time if you need both |
| Numeric | Numeric values without currency | First month performance score (1–5) | Supports unique value |
| Currency | Monetary values with currency type selection | Salary expectation (in recruitment processes) | Appears as aggregable value in dashboards |
| Documents | Documentation data with validation (Tax ID, Driver’s License) | Tax ID or Driver’s License in processes requiring identification | Automatic document format validation |
| ID | Unique identification code automatically generated | Onboarding ID (#ON-0042) | Not filled in manually |
| Pipe Connection | Links the card to a card in another pipe | Link onboarding to the recruitment card | Enables auto-fill of fields from the source pipe |
| Database Connection | Links the card to a database record | Retrieve employee data from an HR database | Creates or searches records in the connected database |
Applying the correct fields in the onboarding template
The employee onboarding template has four phases (Planning, First Day, First Week, First Month) plus a start form. See how field type selection works in practice:
Start form
This is the entry point — filled in by HR when the card is opened. It needs to capture data that will propagate through all subsequent phases.
- Employee name → Short Text (with unique value to avoid duplicating the same onboarding)
- Corporate email → Email (automatic format validation)
- Contract type → Single Select (Full-time / Contractor / Intern — 3 options, always visible; base for conditionals that show specific fields by contract type)
- Work arrangement → Single Select (On-site / Remote / Hybrid — triggers address fields if remote)
- First day → Date (feeds the SLA calculation of the Planning phase)
- Department → List Select (long list; ideal for organizations with many departments)
First Month Phase
This phase captures evaluations — data that will feed onboarding effectiveness reports.
- First month performance → Numeric (1–5 scale; summable in average dashboards)
- Qualitative feedback → Long Text (descriptive; does not go to dashboards, but is searchable by card)
- Development plan → Attachment (PDF of the plan signed by the manager)
- Onboarding completion deadline → Due Date (activates the visual deadline indicator and can trigger escalation automation if it expires without completion)
In the onboarding template, the "Station prepared" field (yes/no) can be implemented as a Single Select with two options — and serve as an automation trigger: "if Station prepared = no on the eve of the first day, send an alert to the buddy".
List select vs. single select: the most confusing distinction
This is the most recurring question among those configuring fields for the first time. Both allow choosing only one option — the difference is in how the options are displayed and in which context each works best.
| Single Select | List Select |
|---|---|
| All options are always visible on screen | Options appear only when the user clicks on the field |
| Ideal for 2 to 5 options | Ideal for 6 or more options |
| Ex: Work arrangement (On-site / Remote / Hybrid) | Ex: Department (list with 15 departments) |
| Recommended base for conditional rules on fields | Less suitable for conditionals — use Single Select |
| Cleaner visual for short lists | Avoids visual clutter for long lists |
The rule of thumb: if you are going to create conditionals that depend on the answer to this field, use Single Select. The conditional configuration interface works with both types, but Single Select makes the form clearer for those filling it out — the options are all visible, without an extra click.
Fields that activate automations and what changes in practice
Not every field can be used as an automation trigger. Knowing which can changes the level of sophistication you can achieve in the process.
Date fields as temporal triggers
Due Date is the most powerful type in this category. When configured in a phase, it automatically activates the visual deadline indicator (orange = close to expiring, red = overdue) and can be referenced in time-based automations:
- "When the Due Date passes today → move card to Overdue phase"
- "3 days before the Due Date → send automatic email to Assignee"
The simple Date field (no time, no deadline) can also be a trigger, but does not activate the visual SLA indicator. Use Date when you need to record a process milestone; use Due Date when the field represents a deadline with consequences.
Selection fields as conditional triggers
Single Select and List Select can be used in automations of the type "when the value of field X is Y, execute action Z". In the onboarding template:
- "When Contract type = Contractor → add Tax ID field in the Planning phase" (via conditional)
- "When Work arrangement = Remote → notify IT to prepare remote access" (via automation)
Assignee as a reference for notifications
The Assignee field is the only type that stores a pipe member as data. This means that automations can use "send email to the card's Assignee" dynamically — each card can have a different owner and the automation knows who to send it to without needing a specific configuration per person.
Checkbox is excellent for task checklists within a phase (like the "First Day Checklist"), but it doesn't work as an automation trigger in the same way as Single Select. If you need to trigger an action based on the completion of a checklist item, consider modeling this as a separate Single Select field (Completed / Pending).
Unique values: avoiding duplicates in the process
Some field types allow activating the "unique value" option. When enabled, Pipefy refuses any attempt to save a card with the same value already existing in that field — in any other card in the same pipe.
Types that support unique values: Short Text, Email, Phone Number, Document, Numeric, Currency, Date and Time, Due Date.
In employee onboarding, the most common case is the corporate Email field: by activating a unique value, you ensure that the same email cannot open two onboardings at the same time. If someone tries, Pipefy alerts them before saving.
Be careful when activating unique value on fields that already have data: Pipefy will accept the configuration, but existing cards with duplicate values won’t be affected retroactively. The validation only applies to new cards created after activation.
To activate: in the field editor, click the desired field → toggle "This field must have a unique value" → Save.
Two special types: Dynamic Content and ID
Dynamic Content
This field isn’t filled in by the user. It displays information already existing in the card (from other fields) formatted as text. It functions as an intelligent descriptive field that automatically assembles sentences.
Practical example: instead of the buddy needing to consult three different fields to know who is in onboarding, you create a dynamic field in the "First Day" phase with the message: "Onboarding of [Employee name] — [Department] — Start: [First day date]". The field is automatically filled with the values from the other fields.
ID
Generates a unique, sequential code for each card automatically (#001, #002, #003...). You don’t define the value — Pipefy assigns it when the card is created. It’s useful when the process needs a protocol number or external reference.
In onboarding: an ID field in the Planning phase generates a code like #ON-0042 for each new employee — a code that can be shared with IT and Finance to track associated requests.
Checklist: before moving to the next step
☐ All start form fields have the appropriate type for the data they will collect
☐ Date fields that represent deadlines use Due Date (not simple Date)
☐ Fields that will become options in conditionals use Single Select
☐ Fields that will become departments or long lists use List Select
☐ The email field uses the Email type (not Short Text)
☐ Fields critical for data integrity (email, ID) have unique value enabled
☐ There is at least one Due Date field in the most critical phase of the process
FAQ
What is the difference between Date and Due Date?
Date is a simple calendar field to record any process milestone (e.g., hiring date). Due Date is also a calendar, but activates the card's visual SLA indicator (orange/red) and can be used in deadline-based automations. If the field represents a deadline with consequences, use Due Date.
Can I change the type of a field after it already has data?
No. Pipefy doesn’t allow changing the type of an existing field with data. The alternative is to create a new field with the correct type, manually migrate the data in existing cards, and then archive or delete the old field. That’s why it’s worth planning field types before starting to use the pipe in production.
Checkbox and Single Select seem to do the same thing. What's the difference?
Checkbox allows you to check multiple options at the same time (e.g., "which materials do you need: computer, mouse, keyboard"). Single Select allows you to choose only one option (e.g., "what is the work regime: On-site, Remote or Hybrid"). If the answer can be multiple, Checkbox. If it can only be one, Single Select.
Does the Dynamic Content field replace Short Text for showing information?
Dynamic Content is for displaying information that already exists in other fields of the card, assembled into a phrase. It is not for collecting new information — it is to contextualize who is working on that card. If you need someone to fill in a data point, use Short Text. If you want to automatically show a summary of data already filled in, use Dynamic Content.
When does it make sense to use Pipe Connection vs. Database Connection?
Pipe Connection is for linking cards between two active flows (e.g., linking the recruitment card to the onboarding card when the position is filled). Database Connection is for fetching data from a static or semi-static repository (e.g., pulling employee data from an HR database). If the data changes frequently and has its own lifecycle, use pipe. If it is a reference record, use database.
Can the ID field be customized with a prefix?
The ID field generates an automatic sequential number, but the code format (prefix, number of digits) can be configured in the field properties in the editor. You can define a prefix like "ON-" so onboardings have codes like ON-001, ON-002, and so on.
