Custom Objects

Contact Picker / Contact Search Field in Custom Object Creation
### The Problem When creating a Custom Object record, the creation form only supports basic field types: Text, Number, Date, Dropdown, Checkbox, Email, Phone. Contact associations (linking to an existing contact) only appear AFTER the record is saved — on the record detail page as a separate section. This forces users into a frustrating 2-step process: Step 1 → Create the Custom Object record (type a generic text name) Step 2 → Open the saved record → go to Associations section → search and link the contact --- ### Real-World Use Case: Referral Tracking I built a Referral tracking system using a Custom Object with these fields: Referred Contact (should be a contact picker) Referral Date Status (Pending / Converted / Lost) Referral Source The goal: Open a contact's page → see who they referred → click the referred person's name → open their contact record. Exactly like Salesforce's Related List + Lookup Field behavior. But right now, the only option for linking a contact is a TEXT field (not searchable, not clickable) or a post-save association (2-step, poor UX). --- ### Expected Behavior When building a Custom Object schema in Settings → Objects, add a new field type: "Contact" or "Contact Lookup" or "Contact Picker" This field should: → Allow searching existing contacts by name or email during record creation → Store the Contact ID (not free text) → Render as a clickable link on the record detail page → Be usable as a column in SmartLists / reports Optional: Allow this "Contact" field type to be set as the Primary Display Property of the Custom Object record --- ### What This Unlocks ✅ Referral tracking (Referrer → Referred Contact — both clickable) ✅ Borrower-to-Guarantor relationships ✅ Agent-to-Client linking ✅ Any many-to-one or one-to-one contact relationship stored inside a Custom Object ✅ Full parity with Salesforce Lookup Fields on Custom Objects ✅ Clean monthly/yearly reporting with contact-level detail --- ### Current Workaround (and why it falls short) Workaround A: Contact-to-Contact Association → Allows 1-step contact search ✅ → But no metadata visible in the related list (no date, no status) ❌ → All contacts look the same — no visual distinction ❌ Workaround B: Custom Object + Text Field → Salesforce-like display with date + status ✅ → But no contact search in creation — just free text ❌ → Name is not clickable ❌ Neither workaround fully solves the use case. A native Contact Picker field type in Custom Objects would close this gap completely. --- ### Priority / Impact This would directly benefit: Mortgage / Finance businesses tracking referrals Real estate teams managing agent-client relationships Any business migrating from Salesforce expecting lookup field behavior All power users building relational data models with Custom Objects
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