📚 Part of the series Application Building Phase 1: Core components

Now that we’ve learned the basics of materials, we can create a new one in our database.

Creating a new material

To create a new material:

1. Go to Database → Materials.

2. Select Insert.

3. Configure the following basic settings (full list described in the next section):

   • Status: Set the Status to Active.

   • Key: Provide a unique identifier for the material. Typically this would be similar to the name of the material. For example, Resume might be listed here as "resume."

   • Name: Give the material type a name.

   • Access: Decide if applicants should be able to upload this material through their Applicant Status page. Applicants will see an upload button and may send any document that has the proper Access setting. Otherwise, uploading ability is limited to Slate Administrators only.

   • Group: Leave this set to Default Group.

4. Select Save.

🔔 Important!

• Never use the sys: prefix on a new material you create.

• Do not change the key of system materials.

• Do not delete sys: materials. You can inactivate them if you are confident they aren’t necessary for your process.

Material settings

Status

Set the status to 'Active' for currently used Fields.

• Active materials are available for selection externally on an application or form.

• Inactive materials will only be available administratively. Inactivated materials will continue to store data associated with them.

Key

This is the code that Slate will use to store fields in the database. It is best practice to create this ID in all lowercase with no spaces or special characters other than an underscore. Once this ID is set, and in use, the ID should not be changed. This ID is used to store the data in the database, and it is not a value that most administrative staff will see.

Name

The name of the material will be visible administratively and externally. It is acceptable to change the name, even if data already exists for the field.

Export Value

Configure up to 5 export values for a material. Export values can be used in exports to external systems, including an SIS.

Scope

Designate the scope of the material. There are several material scopes: Person/Application, Dataset, Reference, School Report, School, and Test.

• Person/Application - This scope should be used if materials should be associated with either a person (Folio) or an application.

• Dataset - This scope should be used if a material should be associated with a particular dataset. For example, if a dataset contains Schools and each has its own Brochure/Viewbook type of material, then the material scope for this particular Brochure/Viewbook material would be Dataset. An uploaded Brochure/Viewbook material would have information specific to a particular school within that dataset, but the overall Brochure/Viewbook material template could be applicable for any school in the dataset.

• Reference - This scope should be used if a material should be associated with a particular reference. For example, on a recommendation form, if a Reference should be able to upload specific notes about an applicant, and those notes should be associated/assigned to the Reference uploading them, the scope to be used for this material is Reference.

• School Report - This scope should be used if a material should be associated with a specific School Report. Similar to the Reference scope, if a school official wanted to provide any additional supplemental documentation on a particular School Report, then you would use the School Report material scope to associate these supplemental materials with a specific School Report.

• School - This scope should be used to associate materials with a particular school. For example, if custom transcript materials should be assigned to a specific school, these transcript materials would use the School scope.

• Test - This scope should be used to associate materials with a particular Test.

Dataset

When the scope of the material is Dataset, select the dataset with which the material is associated from the dropdown menu.

Access

Set the access of the material to 'Admin only,' or allow for upload on a student self-service website.

Student Upload Label

Include a label that will appear on the Status Page for materials set to 'Available for upload through student self-service website,' if desired. This is often used to designate official documents from copies.

Student Upload Order

Set the order of the dropdown for materials available for upload on the Status Page.

Student Upload Restriction

Restrict a material upload to a specific population on the Status Page. If desired, select a Population to which the material should be restricted.

Checklist Display Label

Include a Checklist Display Label to display the Material on the Status Page Checklist with a material icon if desired. This informs that student that a material has been received, regardless of whether or not there is a rule to add it to the Checklist.

Please note: if this label setting is updated, you will no longer see the green checkmark as you do for other materials in the checklist.

Group

The Group setting will default to the 'Default Group' when a new material is created. If materials are assigned to the 'Financial Aid' group and added to an applicant's record, they will display under the Materials section of the Financial Aid tab on an applicant's application.

Custom Permission

Restrict the ability to view particular materials by setting a custom permission. If left blank, those with permission to view the materials tab on the student record will be able to see the interaction; those with permission to view an application will also be able to view the materials.

Material Metadata

Associate a Material-scoped form with a Material via the Material Metadata dropdown. This allows a form to be completed when editing or uploading a material of this type via the Batch Acquire interface. The Material-scoped form can include form fields mapped to various system fields such as person, application, and material-scoped destinations.

➡️ Up next: Uploading materials

You’ve created the materials that will store applicant documents and associate them with their record. Now, we’ll learn how that association process works.

📚 Next article in this series: Uploading materials