Mapping fields to contact attributes

When a new visitor arrives on the website for the first time, the system creates an anonymous contact without any data to represent them. If the user submits information on the site, for example during registration or by filling out a form, the system automatically transfers the entered values into the data of the matching contact. You can also use the same approach to update the data of existing contacts when the users provide new information.

The purpose of field mapping is to precisely determine from where the values of individual contact attributes should be loaded. You can configure field mappings for various types of input forms and system objects representing users.

Mapping on-line form fields

In the case of on-line forms, you can configure field mappings in the Forms application. Edit a given form and switch to the Contact mapping tab. Here you can assign specific form fields to contact attributes.

The available mapping options match the attributes that are offered when editing contact on the General tab. For example, if the form has a field where users enter their e-mail address, you can choose this field for the E-mail attribute. When a user submits the form, the system automatically saves the value of the field as the e-mail address of the contact representing the given user.

Mapping user, customer and subscriber fields

You can configure contact field mappings for the system objects that store user data. The default mappings for these objects should be suitable for most websites, but you can change them if you are using custom system fields or have other requirements.

To edit the field mappings:

1. Open the Modules application.

2. Edit one of the following:

   • Membership -> Classes -> User
   • E-commerce -> Classes -> Customer
   • Email marketing -> Classes -> Newsletter - Subscriber

3. Open the On-line marketing tab.

4. Click Customize.

5. Map the contact attributes to the fields of the given class.

6. Click Save.

For example, when a user registers on the live site or edits their profile settings, the system automatically updates the data of the corresponding contact according to the mappings set for the User class. By default, the First name contact attribute is filled by the value of the FirstName field and so on. The same also applies to the Newsletter - Subscriber and Customer classes, which are instead used when a contact fills out a newsletter subscription form or registers as a customer.