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Overview

Calculated columns let administrators create custom metrics by combining or manipulating data from multiple Broadstripes fields. They update automatically when underlying data changes and work like any other column once created. You can use calculated columns in:
  • Turf panels — show progress bars for goals like card-signing counts
  • Status reports — calculate totals, especially for time-based metrics like “cards signed in the last week”
  • Search result layouts — list multiple values in a single column, such as each leader’s hostile workers

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The calculated columns table

Go to Settings and type “calc” in the search box, then select Calculated columns. The settings page lists all calculated columns in your project. Calculated columns settings page showing a table of existing columns with name, calculation type, search text, and other details The table displays:
ColumnDescription
NameThe column’s display name
Calculation typeThe type of calculation (COUNT, SUM, CHECKOFFCOUNT, etc.)
Search TextThe search query that defines what data to calculate
Applies ToWhether the column applies to organizations, people, or all contacts
Show on Turf PanelA checkmark if the column appears on turf panels
Created ByThe user who created the column
Created AtWhen the column was created
Each row includes edit and delete links.

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Create a calculated column

  1. On the Calculated Columns settings page, click the + New Calculated Column button.
  2. Fill in the form fields:
New Calculated Column form with fields for name, calculation type, search text, applies to, and show on turf panel
  • Name — A short, descriptive name your users will recognize (e.g., “Cards Signed” or “Hostiles Led”). Names must be unique within the project.
  • Calculation type — Choose how to calculate results:
    TypeDescription
    COUNTTotal number of matching contacts
    SUMSum of a numeric custom field value
    CHECKOFFCOUNTCount of completed event check-off steps
    FIRSTNAMEList of first names
    FULLNAMEList of full names
    FIRSTNAMELASTINITIALList of first names with last initial
    NAMEList of names
    HIERARCHICALNAMEList of names in hierarchical format
  • Custom field for SUM — Appears when you select SUM. Choose which numeric custom field to sum.
  • Events for CHECKOFFCOUNT — Appears when you select CHECKOFFCOUNT. Choose which events to count check-offs for.
  • Search text — The search query that defines which contacts to include in the calculation. Use the Insert a token dropdown to add tokens. See Search text and tokens below.
  • Applies to — Choose Organization, Person, or All contacts. This controls when the column displays data. For example, if set to Organization, the column only shows values when viewing an organization; it is blank for people.
  • Show on turf panel — Check this box to display the column as a progress bar on all users’ turf panels. This option is only available when Applies to is set to Organization.
  1. Click Save Calculated Column.

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Search text and tokens

The Search text field uses the same search syntax as the Broadstripes search bar. You can combine any search terms with special tokens — placeholders inside {curly brackets} — that tell Broadstripes how to group and calculate results.

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Available tokens

Use the Insert a token dropdown to add these tokens to your search text:
TokenPurpose
{contact-broadstripes-id}Groups results by the unique contact ID. Use with field references like employer = or leader = to calculate per-contact.
{contact-name}Substitutes the contact’s name into the search.

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Common search text patterns

Count by employer (e.g., cards signed per location): 
cardsigned=yes employer={contact-broadstripes-id}
Count with a time window (e.g., cards signed in the last week): 
employer = {contact-broadstripes-id} cardsigned > "one week ago"
Broadstripes understands natural language date phrases in search text, such as “one week ago,” “two months ago,” or “yesterday.”
List names by leader (e.g., hostile workers per leader): 
code > 2 leader = {contact-broadstripes-id}

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Edit a calculated column

  1. On the Calculated Columns settings page, click edit next to the column you want to change.
  2. Update the form fields as needed.
Edit Calculated Column form with fields populated
  1. Click Save Calculated Column.

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Delete a calculated column

  1. On the Calculated Columns settings page, click delete next to the column you want to remove.
  2. A confirmation page appears. Click Delete [column name] to permanently remove the column, or Cancel to go back.
Deleting a calculated column removes it from all turf panels, layouts, and status reports that use it. This action cannot be undone.

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Using calculated columns

Once created, calculated columns are available wherever you can select columns in Broadstripes.

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On the turf panel

If you check Show on turf panel when creating a column, it automatically appears as a progress bar on all users’ turf panels. The progress bar shows both the count and percentage.

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In status reports

To add a calculated column to a status report:
  1. Go to Settings > Status reports and click edit on the report you want to modify.
  2. Click the Columns tab.
  3. Select your calculated column from the Calculated columns section under Available Columns.
  4. Configure the column label, orientation, and display format (count or percentage).
  5. Click Save.

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In search result layouts

To add a calculated column to a search layout:
  1. Run a search to display results.
  2. Choose Modify layout from the Layout dropdown menu.
  3. Click on your calculated column under Other available columns to add it.
  4. Click Save changes.