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Drop Down Properties
The Drop Down Field is used to create a list of choices from which a user may select when completing a form. When the user selects a choice, the field displays that choice in the Drop Down field in the form.
When a Drop Down form field is dragged and dropped onto the Form Builder body/grid, the Drop Down Properties appear in the Toolbox as shown in the figure below.
The Field Choices dialog box enables the form designer to enter the desired dropdown choices by
1) Clicking the cursor below the Text column in the yellow area to add choices. For text that is very long, within radio type fields only, you can prevent it from running across the form page by using the <br> tag where you want the text to break to a new line.
2) Field choice values are automatically assigned to each field choice for use in calculations. If specific field choice values need to be assigned for calculations, such as with scoring a series of questions, click the number in the Value column and type in the desired value for each field choice as shown below.
Data Section
The Field Name and Reporting Label properties available in the Data section for a Drop Down field are the same as those for a Text field. For more information about assigning a Field Name and Reporting Label, please see the Text Properties section.
Field Name: The Field Name Property allows the Form Designer to define the Field Name stored in the database. All Field Names are capitalized by default.
To define a Field Name, click in the text box next to Field Name, type in the desired name for the field, and press the Tab or Enter key.
Reporting Label: The Reporting Label Property allows the Form Designer to designate an abbreviated name for reporting and exporting data. More user-friendly names are normally used here that are more descriptive of the field. Easy to set up reports with these labels.
The Field Choices property also appears in the Drop Down Properties Data section and is described below.
Field Choices: The Field Choices dialog box allows the Form Designer to input a list of choices in the Dropdown field.
1) View/Edit: Clicking the View/Edit control will open the field choices dialog box shown in the figure above. The number that precedes the View/Edit control indicates the number of Field Choices available in the dropdown list.
1) Below is the field choice dialog box -To enter the dropdown choices, type in each of the desired choices in the Text column of the Field Choices dialog box. Press the Tab key to move to the Value column or the Enter key to move to the next row in the Text Column.
Moving Field Choices: In the figure below, 4 field choices have been added. To move a field choice in the list, hover the mouse over the choice to be moved and click on the hand on the right side of the row (highlighted in yellow). Press the mouse and drag the row up or down to the desired position and release the mouse. When the row is being moved, it is indicated by a dotted line.
Editing Field Choice Text: You can edit the Code Value of each Field Choice by clicking on the desired row, which will be highlighted in yellow. A blue box will appear around the value, and the cursor will flash. To edit the value field, highlight the existing value and type in the desired value.
Editing the Value: The Code Value of each Field Choice can be edited by clicking on the desired row which will be highlighted in yellow. A blue box will appear around the value and the cursor will flash. To edit the value field, highlight the existing value and type in the desired value.
Important: The value must be a non-negative number starting with zero. No other limits exist regarding the order or sequence they must follow. These values can also be used in scoring scenarios where multiple different choice fields are factors in a computation somewhere else. You cannot create duplicate choices that have the same value. Bulk Importing
Choices can also be imported in bulk if there are many to create. This is done via a 2-column CSV file.
General Section
1) Type: You can change fields similar in design to other similar field types. The Form Field types that appear using the Type dropdown control are: Drop Down and Radio Group. The two fields can be interchanged using the dropdown control, as shown below.
To change a Drop Down field to a Radio Group, follow in the screenshot below these points:
- Click the Type Drop Down and
- Change/Select Radio Group.
4) See how form now displays a radio group of the choices.
ToolTip – The ToolTip field is an optional property that can be used at the field level to provide a Tip or Help Message explaining how to complete the field or give a reason or explanation for the field. Clicking on the View/Edit link will display the Tooltip window. Using the Tooltip window, the Form Designer can type in the desired message, which will be presented to the user completing the form when hovering over the field.
For more information on the available Field Types, please visit the Field Types Knowledge base article.
Show in Log – You should select the Show in Log checkbox if the form being created is part of a Log Form. Setting this property for a Subject type form will show this particular field in the Log forms section displayed on the Subject Visits and Events Manager page accessed by selecting a Subject ID from the Subject Manager page (accessed from the Subject menu). Setting this property for a Study type form will show this particular field in the Log Form displayed on the Study Forms page accessed from the Subject menu using the Access Study Related Forms… link. The Log Forms feature is only available for use on Subject and Study type forms created in the Study Form Builder.
Special Type – You can use the Special Type dropdown control to select from a pre-populated list of choices. The Special Type dropdown control is pre-populated with a Country List, Language List, Visit Interval, and others, as shown in the figure below.
Selecting the desired list from the Special Type dropdown will populate the Drop Down field list on the form. The dropdown list does not appear in the Form Builder itself.
Validations Section
Validations allow the Form Designer to define conditions that a field(s) value must meet (or not meet).
Required – Selecting the Required checkbox indicates the field must be completed when the user is filling out the form. If the field is not completed, an error message will be displayed when the form is saved, indicating, "This field is required."
Conditional Actions - View/Edit: Selecting the View/Edit link brings up the Conditional Actions dialog box and allows the Form Designer to create simple to complex edit checks (validations) for fields (and forms). You can use the Conditional Actions dialog box to:
- Disable or hide fields (or forms) based on some criteria.
- Produce edit checks (validations).
- Display a popup message.
- Compute a value.
- Populate a field with a value based on some requirements, and/or send an email notification.
Each field can contain multiple conditional actions. The number that precedes the View/Edit link indicates the number of dependent actions present on the field (or form). Please refer to the library of Conditional Actions help documents for complete instructions.
Layout Section
The Layout Properties enable the Form Designer to designate the exact location on the Form Builder body/grid where the Drop Down Field will be placed. The Layout properties allow the Form Designer to align various fields in a form, so they are uniform and the appropriate size when the form is rendered.
Left (pixels) – This field allows the Form Designer to designate where the Drop Down Field's left edge will be located.
Top (pixels) – This field allows the Form Designer to designate where the Drop Down Field's top edge will be located.
Width – The Width of a Drop Down field will default to the longest field entered in the Field Choices list unless a width is designated. The Width field allows the Form Designer to specify the width of the Drop Down Field. The width of the field can be expressed in pixels or a percentage using the dropdown control.
Pixels – This dropdown choice allows the Form Designer to designate the Drop Down Field width by the number of pixels.
Percent – This dropdown choice allows the Form Designer to designate the Drop Down Field width as a percentage of the total Form Layout width. For example: If the form's width is specified in the form properties is 800 pixels, and a Drop Down Field Width of 50 percent is selected, the Drop Down Field Width will be 400 pixels wide (half the width of the form).
Radio Group Properties
The Radio Group Field contains a group of defined buttons that enables the user to choose only one of the predefined choices. Radio buttons are arranged in groups of two or more. When a button is selected, the button appears with a dot inside to define the selection. When a button is deselected, the button is blank (gray). Each radio button is normally accompanied by a label describing the choice the radio button represents. The options are mutually exclusive, meaning that any previously selected radio button in the same group becomes deselected when the user selects a radio button. Radio Group buttons are different from a checkbox field, which allows more than one (or no items) to be chosen. Selecting a radio button is done by clicking the mouse on the button. The Radio Group Properties enable the Form Designer to define any number of radio buttons with labels and to arrange them horizontally or vertically.
When a Radio Group form field is dragged and dropped onto the Form Builder body/grid, the Radio Group Properties appear in the Toolbox as shown in the figure below.
When a Radio Group form field is dropped onto the Form Builder body/grid, the Field Choices dialog box is displayed as shown in the figure below.
When the Field Choices dialog box is displayed, the Form Designer can enter the Radio Group form field choices by clicking the cursor below the Text column and typing in the choices shown below.
Field choice values are automatically assigned to each field choice for use in calculations. If specific field choice values need to be assigned for calculations, click the Value number and type in the correct value for each field choice.
Clearing a Radio Group Answer
Some browsers will support a quick double click on the answer to clear the radio button.
or
Click on the brush icon to clear data entered in a radio group as highlighted on two fields below:
Data Section
The Field Name and Reporting Label properties available in the Data section for a Radio Group field are the same as those for a Text field. For more information about assigning a Field Name and Reporting Label, please see the Text Properties section above.
Field Name: The Field Name Property allows the Form Designer to define the Field Name stored in the database. All Field Names are capitalized by default. If a Field Name is typed in lower case, the text will automatically convert to upper case after the cursor is moved from the field.
To define a Field Name, click in the text box next to Field Name, type in the desired name for the field, and press the Tab or Enter key.
Reporting Label – The Reporting Label Property allows the Form Designer to designate an abbreviated name for reporting and exporting data.
The Field Choices property also appears in the Data section of the Radio Group Properties and is described below.
Field Choices – The Field Choices Property allows the Form Designer to input a list of choices for the Radio Group.
View/Edit – Clicking the View/Edit control brings up the Field Choices dialog box shown in the figure above. The number that precedes the View/Edit control indicates the number of Field Choices available in the dropdown list.
Below the Field Choices, Dialog box is a control panel. The table below describes each control.
To enter the Radio Group choices:
- Type in each of the desired options in the Text column of the Field Choices dialog box.
- Press the Tab Key to move to the Value Column or the Enter key to move to the next row in the Text Column.
- Click the OK button to close the dialog box.
Moving Field Choices: In the figure below, 4 field choices have been added. To move a field choice in the list, hover the mouse over the choice to be moved and click on the hand on the right side of the row (highlighted in yellow). Press the mouse and drag the row up or down to the desired position and release the mouse. When the row is being moved it is indicated by a dotted line.
Editing Field Choice Text: To edit the Field Choice Text, click on the field under the Text column. The entire row will be highlighted in yellow, a blue box will appear around the text, and the cursor will flash. To edit the field choice, highlight the existing text and type in the desired text.
Editing the Value: You can edit each Field Choice's Value by clicking on the desired row, which will be highlighted in yellow. A blue box will appear around the value, and the cursor will flash. To edit the value field, highlight the existing value and type in the desired value.
General Section
Type: You can change fields similar in design to other field types. The Form Field types that appear using the Type dropdown control are: Drop Down and Radio Group. The two fields can be interchanged using the Type dropdown control shown in the figure below.
To change a Radio Group field to a Drop Down field, click the Type Drop Down arrow and select: Drop Down. The specific properties associated with a Drop Down form field are described above in the Drop Down Properties section above.
Show in Log: You should select the Show in Log checkbox if the form being created is part of a Log Form. Setting this property for a Subject type form will show this particular field in the Log forms section displayed on the Subject Visits and Events Manager page accessed by selecting a Subject ID from the Subject Manager page (accessed from the Subject menu). Setting this property for a Study type form will show this particular field in the Log Form displayed on the Study Forms page accessed from the Subject menu using the Access Study Related Forms… link. The Log Forms feature is only available for use on Subject and Study type forms created in the Study Form Builder.
Validations Section
Validations allow the Form Designer to define conditions that a field(s) value must meet (or not meet).
Required: Selecting the “Required” checkbox indicates the field must be completed when the user is filling out the form. If the field is not completed, when the form is saved an error message will be displayed indicating, “This field is required.”
Conditional Actions - View/Edit: Selecting the View/Edit link brings up the Conditional Actions dialog box and allows the Form Designer to create simple to complex edit checks (validations) for fields (and forms). You can use the Conditional Actions dialog box to:
- Disable or hide fields (or forms) based on some criteria.
- Produce edit checks (validations).
- Display a popup message.
- Compute a value.
- Populate a field with a value based on some criteria and/or send an email notification.
Each field can contain multiple conditional actions. The number that precedes the View/Edit link indicates the number of dependent actions present on the field (or form). Please refer to the library of Conditional Actions help documents for complete instructions.
Layout Section
The Layout Properties enable the Form Designer to designate the exact location on the Form Builder body/grid where the Radio Group Field will be placed. The Layout properties allow the Form Designer to align various fields in a form so they are uniform when the form is rendered.
Left (pixels) – This field allows the Form Designer to designate where the Radio Group Field's left edge will be located.
Top (pixels) – This field allows the Form Designer to designate where the Radio Group Field's top edge will be located.
Two additional properties, Orientation, and Group appear in the Layout section. The Orientation property is explained below; however, the Group property is currently not functional but is reserved for future use.
Orientation – The Orientation dropdown control allows the Form Designer to select how the Radio Group Field Choices will display on the form.
To select the orientation in which the Radio Group will be displayed, use the mouse to highlight and then click on the desired choice.
Horizontal – Selecting “Horizontal” displays the Radio Group field choices horizontally (across the page from left to right), as shown in the figure below.
Vertical – Selecting “Vertical” displays the Radio Group field choices vertically (down the page from top to bottom), as shown in the figure below.
Group – The Group property is used in conjunction with the Multi-Column Orientation property. It is currently non-functional but is reserved for future use.
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