Getting Started with Building Forms

In Smartabase, data can be collected in a number of different forms, including event, profile, database and related entity forms.

Forms consist of sections, which in turn contain fields to collect and display information.

All form types have similar creation processes and form components. There are three ways to create a form:

1. Start with a blank template.
2. Use one of the existing templates.
3. Import a form into Smartabase.

When building a form, it is also important to understand how to test the form and how to interpret and resolve any warning messages.

Steps to build a blank form

1. Select the relevant tool from the builder interface, depending on which type of form you want to create.
2. From the Options drop-down menu, choose the option to create a new form.
3. Enter the following details:
   • Form name (required)
   • Category (optional)
   • Tags (optional)
   • Describe the purpose of the form (optional).
   • Add a description for the form (optional).
   • Leave Start with set to Start with blank form.
4. Click the Build button. This will load the new blank form.
5. Add any of the following from within the form:
   • Instructions
   • Categories
   • Tags
   • Sections
   • Questions
6. Click Save to save the new form.

A form must contain at least one field in order to be saved.

Steps to import a form

You can use this method if you have already exported a form from a Smartabase site.

1. Select the relevant tool from the builder interface.
2. From the Options drop-down menu, choose the option to create a new form.
3. The form name, category, tag field and description fields can be left blank because they will be inherited from the imported file. If you fill them out now, they will override the imported values.
4. Set Start with to Import form from another application.
5. Click on Choose file and Upload your text file to Smartabase.
6. In the form builder, check that the contents of the form are correct.
7. Click Save to save the imported form.

Testing your form

Before you start collecting data in your form, you should first test that all of the fields work as expected. You can use the preview mode in the form builder while you are creating the form, but some features are unavailable in the preview (e.g. history calculations, linked calculations, performance standards) so it is best practice to test the form in the main interface. 

Some sites may have settings enabled which will automatically provide you with access to the forms on the main interface. If this is not the case, an administrator will need to assign data permissions to your role to allow you to test the form. Remember that you'll need to have data permissions to any associated forms (e.g. databases, embedded forms, linked forms) as well as the form you've just built.

Understanding warning messages

When building a form, you may see a list of warning messages at the bottom of the page. There are different types of warning messages, and you should consider taking steps to resolve them before saving your form. We have included a list of the warning messages with information on what they mean and how to resolve them below. The first table includes critical errors that will prevent the field from working, and the second table includes non-critical errors which we recommend resolving.

Critical errors

Non-critical errors

In addition to the warning messages displayed at the bottom of a form, you may see a warning message appear in as a system notification at the bottom-right of your page. For example, you’ll see a warning message in this format if you have two fields with the same name. The following error message will display: Each form item has to be a unique name. To resolve this error, make sure all fields in your form have different names.