Extrafields Users Custom - Plugin Update Overview

Guide and Overview of Extrafields Users Custom Plugin (xtradbrowusers)

Key points: a dedicated administration interface, a convenient search and filter form, mass editing of "magic" fields, and integration with user categories.

Date: August 12, 2026
Author: webitproff
Plugin: Extrafields Users Custom

The Extrafields Users Custom plugin (code xtradbrowusers) allows you to add an unlimited number of additional fields to Cotonti user profiles without affecting the standard cot_users table. All data is stored in a separate isolated table, ensuring safety and ease of maintenance. With version 1.2.0, the plugin gained its own administration panel with powerful mass editing, filtering, and search tools, as well as deep integration with user categories from the usercategories plugin. This transforms xtradbrowusers from a set of fields into a full-fledged extended profile management system.

This article is a practical guide for site owners, administrators, and moderators who want to use the new functionality to its fullest. Through examples, we will show how the plugin's admin panel helps manage tens and hundreds of users in communities, online stores, freelance marketplaces, and corporate portals.

What the Plugin Can Do "Out of the Box"

After installation, the plugin immediately provides 15 demonstration fields of all types (text, textarea, date/time, select, checkboxes, file, country, range, etc.). They can be used immediately or replaced with your own. However, the main advantage of version 1.2.0 is the administrative interface accessible via "Tools" → "Extrafields Users Custom".

The admin panel consists of three tabs:

1. Statistics — a quick overview of the plugin's state.
2. Edit — mass management of field values.
3. Edit + Translations — an extended form with multilingual translation support.

All tabs are equipped with filtering and search systems, and changes are saved with a precise count of updated records.

Statistics: Always Stay Informed

The first tab provides an instant picture of how actively extra fields are used on your site.

• Total users — the total number of registered accounts. This is your potential.
• Records in xtradbrowusers — for how many users a record has already been created in the plugin's table (i.e., at least one field has been filled).
• Filled records — the number of profiles that actually contain some data (the field is not empty).

Below is a table with the parameters of all registered extrafields: name, type, description, possible values, settings, mandatory flag. This allows the administrator to assess the system configuration in one place and see which fields are in use and which can be added or disabled.

Mass Editing: Speed and Convenience

The "Edit" tab is designed for quick viewing and modification of any additional field values for a group of users. Imagine you need to update phone numbers, add general "About Me" information, or assign categories to several dozen people. Previously, you had to open each profile individually; now it is all done in a single table.

How It Works

1. Filters and Search
   Before the table, there is a panel that allows you to select users by name and/or email, ID, group (role), and category (if the usercategories plugin is active). You can combine conditions: for example, find all users in the "Moderators" group whose name contains the word "admin".
2. Table with Fields
   Each row corresponds to one user. Columns: ID (link to profile), name, and then one column for each extra field. Input elements corresponding to the field type automatically appear in the cells: text fields, dropdown lists, checkboxes, calendars.
3. Intelligent Saving
   After clicking "Save", the plugin compares new values with old ones and writes only the actually changed fields to the database. You get a message like "Updated records: 5" — no empty updates.
4. Context Preservation
   All filter parameters and page number are transmitted through the form, so after saving you remain on the same page with the same selection conditions. This eliminates the need to reconfigure filters after each edit.

Why a Site Owner Needs It

• Interest-based community — you can mass-assign statuses like "activist", "newcomer", "expert" or fill in "About Me" fields for all participants.
• Online store — quickly update additional contacts of managers, specify working regions for sellers, or client categories.
• Corporate portal — centrally fill in positions, departments, work schedules for hundreds of employees.

Editing with Translations: Multilingual Profiles

The "Edit + Translations" tab activates when multilingual support is enabled in the plugin settings. It works similarly to the previous one, but for text fields (input, textarea) it adds additional input fields — one for each active language (e.g., English and Ukrainian).

This is indispensable for sites targeting an international audience. The administrator can simultaneously fill in information in the main language and translate it into additional ones without leaving the page.

Integration with User Categories Plugin

One of the most powerful new features is deep integration with the User Categories plugin (usercategories). This plugin allows creating tree-like user categories (e.g., "Programmers → 1C Programmers", "Designers → Web Designers"), assigning them to users, and filtering by them.

In the xtradbrowusers admin panel, a category dropdown list has appeared. Selecting a category (e.g., "Software Development") will show all users assigned to that category or any of its child branches. This works through a search in the user_cats field using the SQL function FIND_IN_SET.

Usage Examples

1. Freelance marketplace
   User categories can reflect specialization: "Web Development", "Design", "Copywriting". The administrator selects the "Web Development" category and sees all programmers. Then, via mass editing, assigns them the "Skill Level" field (Junior, Middle, Senior) or "Resume". All this is done without manually searching for each user.
2. Closed interest-based community
   Categories can represent thematic groups: "Motorists", "Gardeners", "Gamers". In the xtradbrowusers admin panel, you can quickly find all "Motorists" and add the "Car Brand" or "Driving Experience" field to them.
3. Corporate portal
   Categories can correspond to departments: "Accounting", "IT", "Marketing". Using the category and group (role) filter, you can select, for instance, all IT department employees with the "Employee" role and at once fill in the fields "Work Schedule", "Emergency Contact", "English Level".

Here are several real-life scenarios showing exactly how a site owner can use the new xtradbrowusers admin panel to solve very real tasks. Try to "apply" them to your project — most likely, you will find a very close match among them.

Residents of an Apartment Building or Cottage Community

Imagine you manage a closed website for residents of a building. You have accounts for all owners and tenants. With the plugin, you can add fields like "Apartment Number", "Home Phone", "Car Make and License Plate", "Has Pets", "Willingness to Participate in Community Cleanups", etc. to each profile.

What does the admin panel give? Suppose you need to urgently notify cat owners about an upcoming basement pest control treatment. You go to the admin panel, select the residents' category (if categories like "Owners", "Tenants" are configured) or simply filter by the field "Pet: cat". In the mass editing table, you immediately see all such people. You can quickly check the box "Consent to Personal Data Processing" or update the note "Awaiting Parking Permit".

Another scenario: the annual residents' meeting is approaching. You filter the list by the "Owners" group and check whether everyone has a phone number filled in. Empty cells immediately catch your eye, and you fill them in a few minutes by calling a couple of people, rather than hunting for each one in a separate profile.

Gardening Club or Dacha Cooperative

On the gardening association's site, users are plot owners. Extended fields can store plot number, cadastral number, type of cultivated crops, greenhouse availability, debt on membership fees, participation in collective planting, etc.

With the admin panel, the cooperative board can mass-fill the field "Number of Ordered Saplings" in spring, after filtering by the "Active Club Members" category. In autumn — quickly mark the payment of membership fees. When you need to organize a collective trip to a fair, you select everyone whose "Products for Sale" field says "Honey" or "Vegetables" and send a newsletter — names and contacts are already in front of you.

The user categories plugin allows dividing people by streets or sectors. Selecting the "Central Street" category shows all its residents, and you can at once write a note about water shut-off for them. Previously, this took half a day; now — five minutes.

Political Party or Public Movement

On a party's website, accounts are activists, volunteers, members of local cells. Additional fields: "District", "Access Level (district/city)", "Willingness to Campaign", "Owns Vehicle", "Foreign Language Proficiency", "Public Speaking Experience".

The campaign headquarters is launching a door-to-door canvassing drive. The coordinator needs to assign a specific area to each volunteer and provide the curator's phone number. He goes to the xtradbrowusers admin panel, filters by the "Volunteers" group and "Central District" category. The table immediately shows all the necessary people with fields "Phone", "Transport", "District". He enters the assigned curator directly in the "Curator" column, and that's it — no need to go through individual cards.

After the campaign ends, you need to quickly collect reports: who knocked on how many doors. The administrator adds the field "Number of Knocks" and fills it for all volunteers in a couple of minutes via mass editing. Then you can reuse this data to reward the best.

Supplier Database for an Online Store or Manufacturing

You run a site where not only customers but also suppliers, manufacturers, and logistics providers are registered. Using xtradbrowusers, you add to their profiles fields like "Supplier Code", "Region of Operation", "Delivery Time", "Minimum Order Amount", "Specialization (electronics/clothing/food)", "Reliability Rating", "Manager's Note".

When the procurement department looks for new suppliers, it selects the "Suppliers" category, the "Verified" group in the admin panel, and filters by the field "Region: Ural". It gets a table with contacts, conditions, and notes. Right in this table, the manager can update the reliability rating or delivery time for several counterparties if conditions have changed.

If you work with dropshipping and have hundreds of suppliers, mass editing becomes a lifesaver: update the minimum order amount or uncheck "Active" for those who stopped working — all done in a single view without opening dozens of tabs.

Private Social Network for Art Lovers

Imagine an elite community of collectors of paintings, antiques, or wines. Members have fields: "Area of Interest (impressionism/modernism/icons)", "Purchase Budget", "Club Member (yes/no)", "Attends Closed Auctions", "Personal Art Consultant", "City of Residence".

The club curator wants to organize a private showing of a new collection in Paris. He opens the admin panel, selects the "Collectors" category, and filters by the field "City: Paris" or "Purchase Budget: high". Instantly sees a list of twenty people with their contacts and preferences. For those whose "Attends Closed Auctions" field is not checked, he can mass-assign the mark — now they will receive invitations.

Another example: membership needs to be renewed. The administrator filters by the "Club Members" group and in the "Membership Expiration Date" column mass-changes the date to the next year. Previously, this was done manually for each person; now — one operation.

School, Gymnasium, or Educational Center

On a school's website, users are teachers, students, parents. Additional fields can be: "Grade", "Parallel", "Subject", "Work Experience", "Qualification Category", "Parent's Phone", "Attends After-School Program", "Allergies", "Participates in Olympiads".

Before the start of the school year, the head teacher needs to assign homeroom teachers. He goes to the admin panel, filters by the "Teachers" group and "Middle School" category. In the table, he sees all teachers with their subjects and experience. Right in the "Homeroom" column, he specifies the grade number — for all teachers simultaneously.

During a medical check-up, the nurse needs to quickly find all students who have allergies. She filters by the field "Allergies: yes" and immediately gets a list with parents' contacts. Then she can mass-mark the "Medical Check-up Passed" column.

For Olympiad organizers: select the "High School Students" category, filter by the field "Participates in Olympiads: yes", and you get a ready list for registration. Moreover, you can update the "Olympiad Result" field right there after the event is over.

Each of these scenarios becomes real because xtradbrowusers allows centralized management of any additional data. You decide which fields are needed for your community and instantly get a tool for their mass processing — without programming or complex queries.

How It Works Technically (for Administrators)

After installing and activating the plugins xtradbrowusers and usercategories, the item "Extrafields Users Custom" appears in the "Tools" section. The interface is intuitive:

• Statistics — immediately shows how many fields are filled.
• Edit — a form with search and table. Select the necessary filters, click "Filter", make changes in the fields, click "Save".
• Edit + Translations — the same, but with additional fields for translation.

The category filter appears automatically if the usercategories plugin is active and user categories exist in the site structure. The dropdown list is built dynamically, supports nesting, and a category blacklist.

Conclusion

The new administration panel and integration with user categories make xtradbrowusers an indispensable tool for sites where a user profile is not just an account but a full-fledged information card. You get centralized control over additional fields, the ability to quickly filter and edit data, as well as precise usage statistics.

The plugin continues to evolve, and we thank the community for feedback and ideas. If you have suggestions or questions, join the discussion on the support forum or create an issue in the GitHub repository.