Answers.Body: <p>If you combine Demerit's and Pete's suggestions.</p>
  <ol>
  <li><p>Update Sort Name Format to include the External Identifer token
  {contact.external_identifier}</p>
  </li>
  <li><p>Export your current id field entries and re-inport them into the standard External Identifier Field</p>
  </li>
  </ol>
  <p>You can then search by external id in the soft credt option</p>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/7I23P.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/7I23P.png" alt="screenshot of soft credit- with external id showing" /></a></p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-10-28T12:42:04.380Z
Answers.Text: Dammit. just seen original post is over a year old.
  
  Only answered because it was showing in the "active" questions last.
  
  Ah well, I guess it is now.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Craig Almond
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-10-28T12:39:36.370Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2021-10-28T12:39:36.370Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Craig Almond
Answers.Body: <p>Under Administer - Customize Data and Screens - Display Preferences, near the bottom, there's a setting for &quot;Individual Sort Name Format&quot;. You can add in some tokens here. Not all tokens work so I don't know if there's one for your custom id, but if there isn't you might be able to find another useful field.</p>
  <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/XfbN0.gif" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/XfbN0.gif" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
  <p>Note when you click save it won't automatically update existing contacts. You'd need to edit and re-save those.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-09-30T08:30:15.947Z
Answers.Text: Thanks, default field then working well, but not working with custom field. huhu.
  
  difficult for select many contact same name. huhu, can you help me another idea. thank so much
Answers.UserDisplayName: Hai kao
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-09-30T04:43:39.837Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-09-30T04:43:39.837Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Demerit
Body: <p>i doing customize CiviCRM 5.29.1 for Wordpress 5.5.1 last version.</p>
  <p>i have many student the same lastname,midlename,lastname</p>
  <p>Ex:</p>
  <p>Student 1:Nguyen Hoang Phuong, ID:123456</p>
  <p>Student 2:Nguyen Hoang Phuong, ID:123457</p>
  <p>Student 3:Nguyen Hoang Phuong, ID:123458</p>
  <p>All my student only have ID, not email address. only ID difference</p>
  <p>ID is my custom field. can i change email to ID when select student in soft credit?
  easy for select right student.</p>
  <p>see attached
  <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/X4Syn.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/X4Syn.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
  <p>Thanks</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-09-30T19:18:30.877Z
Comments.Text: why use a Custom Field - why not use External ID since that is exactly what it is designed for?
Comments.UserDisplayName: petednz - fuzion
Tags: <civicontribute><civicontact>
Title: The same name distinction in Civicrm
ThreadText: # The same name distinction in Civicrm
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2020-09-30)
  
  i doing customize CiviCRM 5.29.1 for Wordpress 5.5.1 last version.
  
  i have many student the same lastname,midlename,lastname
  
  Ex:
  
  Student 1:Nguyen Hoang Phuong, ID:123456
  
  Student 2:Nguyen Hoang Phuong, ID:123457
  
  Student 3:Nguyen Hoang Phuong, ID:123458
  
  All my student only have ID, not email address. only ID difference
  
  ID is my custom field. can i change email to ID when select student in soft credit?
  easy for select right student.
  
  see attached
  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/X4Syn.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/X4Syn.jpg)
  
  Thanks
  
  **Tags:** civicontribute, civicontact
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: why use a Custom Field - why not use External ID since that is exactly what it is designed for?  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2021-10-28. Score: 1
  
  If you combine username_3's and Pete's suggestions.
  
  1. Update Sort Name Format to include the External Identifer token
     {contact.external\_identifier}
  2. Export your current id field entries and re-inport them into the standard External Identifier Field
  
  You can then search by external id in the soft credt option
  
  [![screenshot of soft credit- with external id showing](https://i.sstatic.net/7I23P.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/7I23P.png)
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_2**: Dammit. just seen original post is over a year old.  Only answered because it was showing in the "active" questions last.  Ah well, I guess it is now.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2020-09-30. Score: 0
  
  Under Administer - Customize Data and Screens - Display Preferences, near the bottom, there's a setting for "Individual Sort Name Format". You can add in some tokens here. Not all tokens work so I don't know if there's one for your custom id, but if there isn't you might be able to find another useful field.
  
  [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/XfbN0.gif)](https://i.sstatic.net/XfbN0.gif)
  
  Note when you click save it won't automatically update existing contacts. You'd need to edit and re-save those.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Thanks, default field then working well, but not working with custom field. huhu.  difficult for select many contact same name. huhu, can you help me another idea. thank so much  
  
  ---
  
  