Initial Setup
When setting up your Lodge or Unit for the first time, there's quite a lot of customisation you can do in order to save yourself time later.
Setting your Lodge type, creating Ceremonies, Rituals and Roles will unlock some of the more complex functions The Working Tools can offer when you start to manage Events.
Choosing your Lodge Type
theworkingtools.co.uk/lodge - Juristiction card
The Working Tools has been designed to be useful for both Craft Lodges and other Apendant Bodies alike. When setting up your Lodge, you will select from a list of common Types (Craft, Chapter, KT, etc) which will pre-setup parts of the system. For example if you choose a Craft type, roles such as Worshipful Master, the three degree ceremonies etc, will be installed.
You can change this setting later, so if your specific Order's type isn't shown you can simply choose 'Craft' and change these afterwards.
You'll hopefully find areas of The Working Tools quite flexible for any Masonic Order (such as allowing free-text inputs, with suggestions, rather than rigid select lists in forms), but if there are areas that don't fit your needs please let us know and we may be able to assist with new features.
To see a full list of all of the Orders which currently have customisations built in click below.
If you're in an order that isn't listed, get in touch, we can almost certainly accommodate what makes your order special!
Masonic Orders Get in touch
Timezones
theworkingtools.co.uk/settings
Many features in The Working Tools are keyed to times; for example Events or being sent email Reminders.
These times run on the London / GMT timezone by default, so it's worth updating this to your own timezone to make sure all of the dates and times in the system make sense for where you are in the world.
From the Settings page, select your timezone and click Update to change.
The 'system time' is displayed alongside the Timezone field so you can confirm this matches your local time correctly.
Preferred Date Format
theworkingtools.co.uk/settings
You can choose how dates are shown across The Working Tools. Select your preferred date format (DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY) on the Settings page and click Update.
This preference updates how dates display in lists, pages, emails, and PDFs. It also updates date pickers in forms so that when you enter dates, they use your chosen format, while still being stored consistently behind the scenes.
Tip: Users in the USA will usually prefer MM/DD/YYYY.
Member Record Custom Fields
theworkingtools.co.uk/settings/defaults
You can add up to three custom fields to Member records to capture additional information specific to your Lodge's needs.
Setting Up Custom Fields:
- Go to Settings & Defaults
- Click Add a custom field
- Enter a label for your custom field (e.g., "Mother Lodge", "Mentor", "Committee")
- Click Save custom fields
Once enabled, the custom field will appear on Member records (Basic Info tab) where you can enter values for each member.
Searching & Filtering by Custom Fields:
Custom fields can be searched on the Members page. When a custom field is enabled, a search box for that field will appear in the filter options. Type part of the value you're looking for to filter members by that custom field.
When filtering by a custom field, the matching column will automatically appear in the results table so you can see the values at a glance.
Removing Custom Fields:
To remove a custom field, click the ✖ button next to the field label and save. Note that removing a custom field will not delete the data already stored against Members - if you re-enable the field later, the data will still be there.
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