I added custom fields, but my textarea, checkbox, and radio button fields are stored as blobs in mysql. Can't I have these stored with a more accessible data type (e.g. enum, set, or text)? I would like these values to be readable and editable via phpmyadmin and other software. Or do I need to custom modify the aMember code and templates?
You can change this in MySQL to any "text" types, like "mediumtext" or even "varchar(255)". It will work without any problems. Unfortunatly, this won't be easy to edit anyway, but why use phpMyAdmin instead of aMember CP for that?
I didn't use aMember because the custom field screen was changing my Field Type when I set the Display Type. I didn't realize I could go back and reset the Field Type. It also seems that the Multi-select Display Type does not work when converted to Text. Question: Can I add my own fields to the aMember members table without causing your software any grief? The Custom Fields option is not a complete solution for my application.
You can add any SQL fields with software like phpMyAdmin and aMember won't touch these fields in any kind.