Debug Custom Field Issues - Nextedy Documentation

Identify the Symptom

Custom field issues typically present in one of these ways:

Symptom	Likely Cause	Jump to
Column is completely empty	Missing data model property	Step 1
Column does not appear at all	Missing sheet configuration column	Step 2
Values display but cannot be edited	Read-only flag or permission issue	Step 4
Field type renders incorrectly	Type mapping mismatch	Step 3
Edits do not persist after save	Property name mismatch with Polarion	Step 5

Verify the Data Model Property

Custom fields must be declared as properties on the correct entity type in the data model YAML. If the property is missing, the column will appear blank even though work items contain values in Polarion.Open your data model file and confirm the custom field is listed under the appropriate entity type:

domainModelTypes:
  SystemRequirement:
    polarionType: systemRequirement
    properties:
      description:
      severity:
      priority:
      c_verificationMethod:    # Custom field property

Polarion custom fields use the c_ prefix by convention (e.g., c_riskLevel, c_verificationMethod). The property name in the data model must match the field ID, not the display label. Confirm the exact field ID in Administration > Work Items > Custom Fields.

If the custom field belongs to a different Polarion work item type than the entity’s default, make sure the polarionType mapping is set correctly. When the data model entity name differs from the Polarion work item type ID, specify polarionType to establish the mapping:

domainModelTypes:
  DesignOutput:
    polarionType: designOutput    # Maps to Polarion type ID
    properties:
      c_designCategory:

Verify the Sheet Configuration Column

After confirming the data model property exists, verify that a corresponding column is defined in your sheet configuration. Both the model property and the sheet column are required for the field to appear.

Add the column to the sheet configuration using the property name as the column key:

columns:
  c_verificationMethod:
    title: "Verification Method"
    width: 150

For custom fields on related entities (accessed via an expansion path), use the full binding path through the relationship:

columns:
  systemRequirements.systemRequirement.c_verificationMethod:
    title: "Verification Method"
    width: 180

New users often jump straight to multi-level configurations with custom fields on related entities. Start with a minimal single-entity setup and verify each custom field works before extending to relationships. This approach makes it much easier to isolate which part of the configuration is causing problems.

Verify Type Mapping

Powersheet automatically maps Polarion field types to appropriate data types through the metadata system. If your custom field appears but renders incorrectly (for example, a date showing as plain text), check that Polarion recognizes the field type correctly.The automatic type conversion supports these Polarion types:

Polarion Type	Mapped Behavior	Common Issue
`String`	Text input	Renders correctly by default
`Integer`	Numeric input	Ensure saved value is numeric
`Float` / `Currency`	Decimal input	Check decimal precision in Polarion
`Boolean`	Checkbox toggle	Value must be `true` or `false`
`Date` / `DateOnly`	Date picker	Format mismatch if field type changed
`Text`	Rich text / multi-line	May need formatter for display

If your custom field uses an enumeration type, the enum values in Polarion must be correctly defined. Powersheet reads the allowed values from the Polarion type system. If the dropdown is empty or shows unexpected options, verify the enum definition in Administration > Enumerations for the correct work item type and project scope.

Check Read-Only Status

If the column appears but cannot be edited, check these areas in order:1. Column-level isReadOnly flagVerify the column is not explicitly set to read-only in the sheet configuration:

columns:
  c_verificationMethod:
    title: "Verification Method"
    width: 150
    isReadOnly: false    # Default is false; remove or set explicitly

The isReadOnly property defaults to false. If you do not set it, the column is editable. If someone set isReadOnly: true for debugging and forgot to revert it, the column will silently become read-only.

2. Entity type permissionsCheck that the entity type’s permissions in the data model allow editing. Navigate to Administration > Nextedy Powersheet > Data Models and confirm the entity type does not restrict write access for the current user’s role.3. Expansion path columnsColumns that display properties from related entities via an expansion path are read-only by default. Editing through expansion paths requires explicit configuration of the relationship’s write behavior.4. System fieldsBuilt-in fields like id and outlineNumber are always read-only regardless of configuration.

Debug Save Failures

If you can edit a custom field in the sheet but changes do not persist after saving, the issue is usually a mismatch between the property name in the data model and the actual Polarion custom field ID.Check the browser console for error responses during save. Powersheet returns structured error information with a message field describing what went wrong and an HTTP statusCode.Common save failure causes:

Property name typo — The property key in the data model must match the Polarion field ID character-for-character, including the c_ prefix and exact casing
Wrong entity type — The custom field is defined on a different Polarion work item type than the one mapped by polarionType
Field not enabled for the project — The custom field exists globally but is not enabled for the current project’s work item type configuration

Silent blank columns from `sources.model` mismatch

If all custom field columns are blank across the entire sheet, verify that the sources.model property in your sheet configuration matches the name of your custom data model file. A common mistake is leaving the default value when you have created a model with a different name. The model name in sources must match exactly.

sources:
  - model: my-custom-model    # Must match your .yaml model file name

Multi-Item Custom Fields

When an entity type links to multiple work item types (for example, SystemRequirement links to both DesignOutput and DesignVerification), the second linked column must use multiItem: true in the sheet configuration.

columns:
  designOutputs.designOutput.c_status:
    title: "Design Output Status"
    width: 120
  designVerifications.designVerification.c_status:
    title: "Verification Status"
    width: 120
    multiItem: true    # Required for second linked entity column

Omitting multiItem: true on the second linked column is one of the most common configuration mistakes during initial setup. The column will either not display data or throw errors without a clear indication of the root cause.

Verification

After applying your fixes, reload the Powersheet widget in Polarion and confirm:

✅ The custom field column appears with the correct title
✅ Existing values from Polarion display in the column
✅ You can edit a value, save, and see it persisted when refreshing
✅ The field type renders with the appropriate control (text input, date picker, dropdown, checkbox)

Use the Review Mode toggle to verify changes before saving. Review mode highlights modified cells and rows, letting you confirm that your custom field edits are tracked correctly before committing them to Polarion.

​Identify the Symptom

​Verification

​See Also

Identify the Symptom

Verification

See Also