Can I update custom fields in my managed package in a patch version?

Question

I have some custom fields in my 1GP managed package that I need to change in various ways as part of a patch release. Can I:

1. Change the number of decimal places in a numeric field?
2. Change the length of a text field?
3. Change the required status for a field?
4. Change the delete constraint for a field?

As usual, there is very little information available in the Salesforce documentation, on the forums (including the partner forums) or via internet search, around what you can and cannot do in a patch release.

Answer 1

The following answers are derived from git history, for our AppExchange listed 1GP managed package, covering various patch changes over many years.

Can I change the number of decimal places in a numeric field?

Yes, this is a simple change to the scale of the field.

Can I change the length of a text field?

Yes, though care should be taken when reducing the length since data loss can occur.

Can I change the required status for a field?

Yes, this is possible to do for changing from both true to false and false to true. The latter takes a bit more effort since you must ensure that all records have a value for the given field before installing the upgrade, otherwise you get an error while installing the patch.

Can I change the delete constraint for a field?

Yes, the delete constraint can be changed from SetNull to Restrict or vice versa without any other actions required.