When first dragging and placing a field into the Layout area, or clicking on a field already in the Layout area, you will notice a popup that is displayed. This popup is the field settings menu and it allows you to do basic things like naming the field and setting restraints, some fields have more complex options that can be a little confusing to understand. This guide will explain the various options that can be set for all field types and provide links to additional resources that give more in-depth information on the option in Fulcrum.

Field Options

Below are all the field options that are possible. Not all fields have the same field options available.

  • Available on: All field types 

  • The label is what is the title of the field. The label is what is displayed on the mobile and web apps for the field. Multiple fields can use the same have the same text as the field's label.

  • Available on: All fields, except Sections and Repeatable Sections.

  • The description can be used to provide the person in the field with more information. This can be used for instructions or guidance on how to collect data to this field. When a field has a description there will be an ‘i’ icon that is inline with the field label. When tapped on the field's description will display.

  • Available on: Text, Numeric, Yes/No, Date, Time, and Choice fields (Single choice, Multiple choice)

  • When a default value is set the value will automatically be populated into the field when a new record is created. The default value can speed data collection time when the field usually will have the same value captured.

  • Available on: All field types

  • The data name replaces the label when data is exported out of Fulcrum. So this is what will be used as the headers for your data columns. The Fulcrum system also uses the data names to match up the data to a field during import. The data names for each field must be unique across all fields in an app. The reason for this is that there will be errors in your export file if the two or more fields have the same header. By default, the data name will use the value entered into the label field and replace spaces with underscores.

  • Note: Can only be populated with lowercase characters, numbers, and underscores. Spaces and special characters are not accepted and will result in an error being displayed if you try to save your app design. 

  • Available on: All field types, except for Sections, Label, Hyperlink, and Calculation fields

  • When enabled the field will be required to contain a value before the record can be saved and synced to the server. This is ideal if you wish ensure that the data collector enters a value for the field. 

  • On the mobile devices records can be stored as a draft (Android, iOS) and will be stored locally on the device until all the required field contain a value. This is helpful if the data collector needs to exit out of the record before they are able to finish collecting all the data for a record.

  • Available on: All fields, except for Label fields 

  • When enabled the field will be hidden on all platforms when collecting and view specific records. This is good for keeping data that was collected outside of Fulcrum together. 

  • Fields set to hidden will be printed on default PDF reports. 

  • Calculation fields that are set to be hidden will still run their calculations when the record is opened in the record editor.

  • Note: it is possible to view hidden fields within the data table on the record editor of the web app. This is done by enabling the field through the column setup option.

  • Available on: All fields, except Sections, Repeatable Sections, Label, Signature, Hyperlink, Calculation fields. 

  • When enabled the field will be visible on all platforms, but the field contents cannot be edited within Fulcrum. This allows users to see data that has been seeded into Fulcrum.

  • Data events can also be used to populate values into these fields that are set to read-only programmatically. 

  • Available on: All fields, except Sections, Repeatable Sections, Label, Signature, Photo, Video, Audio, and Hyperlink fields

  • When enabled this will result in the next created record having the field automatically populated to the value in the field from the last record opened. Ideal where data is often the same between records being created but not often enough that the default value would work.

  • This feature works within the app/platform that you are using.

  •  Available on: Text fields

  • This option uses regular expressions (Regex) to valid that the contents entered into the field are a certain way. This can be used for things like only accepting alphanumeric characters, formatted phone numbers.

  • Available on: Text, Numeric, Multiple Choice, Repeatable Sections, Photo, Video, and Audio fields

  • Allows you to set the minimum and maximum limits for the field. For text fields this is the text length, numeric fields this is the range, and for the other fields this is the number of child records or media files.

  • Note: These settings are only enforced if the field has something captured in it. This does not make the field required to have a entry. You will want to use the required checkbox to make the field required.

  • Available on: All fields, except Sections, Labels, Hyperlink, and Calculation fields only have visibility rules.

  • Conditional logic rules can be set to make fields either required or visible based on what is entered into another field within your app.

  • Note:  If you wish to make a field required when it is visibility, you can set the field to be required using the checkbox option and then just add the visibility rules.

  •  Available on: Numeric fields

  • This is used to format the numeric field to accept integer or decimal values.

Enable N/A Choice?

  • Available on: Yes/No fields

  • Allows for a third choice option on the yes/no fields. When enabled you will see a third row appear in the yes/no field's setting menu.

Default to Today's Date/Time

  • Available on: Date and Time fields

  • When enabled the time or date fields will default to the current time or date on the device being used.

  • Note: The date and time will not be accurate if the date or time is not correct on the platform the Fulcrum app is being used on.

  • Available on:  Single and Multiple Choice fields

  • These two options allow you to either use a predefined choice list or manually enter in the choice options for the choice field. Based on which check box is selected either a choices box will appear or a choice list pick-list will appear. 

  • Available on: Single, Multiple, and Classification Set fields. 

  • When enabled the user will be able to select an "other" option from the pick-list and manually enter in a value. This can be useful for capturing outliers where they are either unknown or it does not make sense to have them as choice options all the time.

  • Note: Values captured this way are not added to the choice lists for future use.

  • Available on: Classification Set fields

  • A pick-list to set the predefined classification set you want to use for the classification set field.

  • Note: Classification set lists need to be created before you attempt to add a classification set field to your app.

  • Available on: Sections

  •  Used to set the section to be displayed either inline or drill-down. When set to inline the section's contents will be displayed inline with the rest of the fields in your app. When set to drill-down the section's contents will be contained on another page that is accessed by tapping on the section's label inline with the rest of the field.

  • Note: This only impacts the Fulcrum mobile apps.

  • Available on: Repeatable Sections

  • This works the same as the record title option within the app's settings. You can use up to 5 fields contained within the repeatable section to create a record title for the child records created within the repeatable section.

  • Note: If you change the title after data has been collected, you will need to reset the record cache and then run the sync on the mobile devices. The data is stored in a way that titles cannot be updated while the records are at rest.

Location Enabled?

  • Available on: Repeatable Sections

  • When enabled the child records created within the repeatable section can be associated with a location and have coordinates captured.

Location Required?

  •  Available on: Repeatable Sections

  • When enabled the child records will be required to have a location before the parent record can be fully saved.

  • Note: requires the location enabled checkbox to be checked.

Agreement Text

  • Available on: Signature Field

  • Displays under the signature box on the mobile apps when capturing a signature.

  • Available on: Photo Field

  • When enabled the user will be able to add markups to the photos captured to the photo field.

  • Saving photo markups will overwrite the original attached photo. If you want to retain the original photos (without markups) and attach it again, make sure to enable saving to the camera roll within the settings page of the Fulcrum mobile app.

  • Photos with markups will retain the original photo's EXIF attributes, including any geographic information.

Audio Enabled?

  • Available on: Video field

  • When enabled the audio will be captured as the video is captured.

GPS Track Enabled?

  • Available on: Video and Audio fields

  • When enabled a GPS track will be captured as the media is being recorded. This GPS track can then be viewed along side the media within the web app and downloaded from the media player.

Auto Populate?

  • Available on: Address field 

  • When enabled the address field will automatically populate and update when the location of the record is set.

  • This feature leverages reverse geocoding functionality that is available on Android and iOS devices. As a result, the ability only works on the Fulcrum mobile apps.

  • This feature also requires the mobile devices to have a network connection either through WiFi or Cellular.

Default URL?

  • Available on: Hyperlink field

  • The URL that you want the hyperlink field to link to.

Expression

  • Available on: Calculation field

  • This will open up a code builder where you can enter the code you wish the calculation field to run.

Display Format

  • Available on: Calculation field

  • Display the result of the code as a Number, Text, Date, or Currency.

  • Text is the most forgiving format should accommodate most use cases.

Linked App

  • Available on: Record Link field

  • Select the app that you would like to link the record link field to.

Allow Selection of Existing Records

  • Available on: Record Link field

  • Allows the person entering the data to select records that already exist in the linked app. 

Allow Creation of New Records

  • Available on: Record Link field

  • Allows the person entering the data to create new records in the linked app. 

Allow Updating of Existing Records

  • Available on: Record Link field

  • Allows the person entering the data to edit existing records through the record link field. 

Allow Multiple Records

  • Available on: Record Link field

  • Allows the person entering the data to link multiple records from the linked app.

  • Note: enabling this will disable the auto population functionality. 

  • Available on: Record Link field

  • Filters the record pick list of the linked app based on values in the linked records with the values contained within the record is currently being editing.

  • Available on: Record Link field

  • Populates fields in the record currently being edited with data from the linked record.

  • Best to link fields of the same field type. Certain fields cannot be linked together.  

  • Can only populate data from one record. If allow multiple records is enabled this feature will be disabled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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