---
title: "Custom Field Inheritance"
slug: "custom-field-inheritance"
updated: 2025-01-17T06:54:35Z
published: 2025-01-17T06:54:35Z
canonical: "help.planful.com/custom-field-inheritance"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.planful.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Custom Field Inheritance

### Overview

The **Inheritance** functionality across Campaigns, Expense Groups, and Expenses enhances data accuracy by automatically propagating custom field values from parent objects to their child objects. Additionally, it offers flexibility when parent values are updated, and inheritance notifications allow you to decide whether to retain the existing values in child objects or update them with the new values from the parent.

### Use Cases for Custom Field Inheritance

#### Use Case 1: Inheriting Values When Assigning a Parent to an Existing Campaign

When you assign a parent to an existing Campaign, the Campaign inherits the custom field values of the parent.

For example, let’s say a campaign named **Quarterly Campaign** initially has no parent assigned. When a parent campaign, such as **Digital Marketing**, is assigned, an **Update Custom Fields** pop-up appears, prompting you to choose from the following options:

- **Apply to All Children**: Select this checkbox to update the custom field values of all child campaigns with the selected parent campaign's custom field values. If this checkbox is unselected, the updates will only apply to the **Quarterly Campaign** itself, and any child campaigns will retain their existing custom field values.
- **Keep**: This retains the existing custom field values of the current campaign and its children (if applicable).
- **Replace**: This replaces the current campaign's custom field values with the values from the selected parent campaign.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/0921f66c-db36-4ecd-9931-7ca61d3c3bd6/Images/Documentation/CFH1(1).png)

#### Use Case 2: Automatic Inheritance for Child Objects Created Under a Parent

Child objects automatically inherit the custom field values from their parent when created.

For example: A Campaign, **Digital Advertising**, has custom fields as shown below.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/0921f66c-db36-4ecd-9931-7ca61d3c3bd6/Images/Documentation/CFH2(1).png)

So, when a child Campaign or Expense Group is added under this Campaign, the child objects inherit the parent's custom field values.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/0921f66c-db36-4ecd-9931-7ca61d3c3bd6/Images/Documentation/CFH3(1).png)

#### Use Case 3: Inheriting Updates When Parent Custom Field Values Change

Updating the custom field values of a parent object triggers a notification. You can then choose to propagate the changes to its child objects or retain their existing values.

For example: In the **Digital Marketing** campaign, the custom field value for **SalesRegion** changes from **Salesforce** to **HubSpot**. An **Update Custom Fields** pop-up appears, allowing you to:

- Inherit the updated value to all child objects.
- Keep the current custom field values for the child objects unchanged.

Click **Update** to apply the change to the child objects or **Cancel** if you do not wish to proceed with the update.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/0921f66c-db36-4ecd-9931-7ca61d3c3bd6/Images/Documentation/CFH4(1).png)

#### Use Case 4: Inheriting Default Values for Missing Mandatory Custom Fields

If a parent lacks mandatory custom field values, child objects inherit predefined default values.

For example, the **Q1 Sales Campaign** has no custom field values as shown below:

![](https://cdn.document360.io/0921f66c-db36-4ecd-9931-7ca61d3c3bd6/Images/Documentation/CFH5(1).png)

When a child campaign is created, default values for mandatory custom fields are automatically assigned.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/0921f66c-db36-4ecd-9931-7ca61d3c3bd6/Images/Documentation/CFH6(1).png)

The default value for the **Custom Field** is selected when creating it. [Click here](/planful-for-marketing/docs/custom-fields) to learn more about creating custom field values.