Push Data to Other Questions from a Data Source

About

Data sourcesClosed Data sources, also known as "Lookups", are external sources of data that you upload or connect to ProntoForms. You can reference this data in a form to populate answers or answer options. Data sources save typing, reduce errors, and make it easy to provide mobile users with only the relevant, most current data. can be used to populate a series of fields in a form based on the answer to previous questions. This can:

  • provide key information to your field users,
  • save mobile users time on data entry,
  • reduce errors in the field by auto-filling important information.

This article will discuss ways to auto-fill questions based on a single answer, using dropdown or radio button questions and data sources.

Example Form

For example, a building inspection form could push address information based on a building selection. It could also populate a repeatable section with information about the floors in the building, so that a user can inspect them.  

2017-11-20-SamplePush01.png 2017-11-20-SamplePush02.png 2017-11-20-SamplePush03.png
This is the blank form, before any Building Name has been selected. Here, you can see the empty Address and City fields, and the empty Repeatable Section. Here, the mobile user selects a building from the dropdown. The address and city questions have been filled out, and the Repeatable Section has three entries automatically populated. 

Populate Answers in a Regular Section

In our example, a user in the field is filling out a building inspection form. They select a single building from a dropdown or radiobutton question using a data source, and a single address and city are filled in. 

Sample Data Source: 

2017-11-20-PushDataSource.png

The Building column is used as the list of options in the dropdown. When a building is selected, the Address and City cells from the same row of the data source will be used to populate additional questions. 

Set it up:

  1. Create your radiobutton or dropdown question. The radiobutton/dropdown question must come before the questions you are pushing data to.
    2018-10-01-V2FB-QuestionPush-01.png

  2. In the Options tab, select Use Data Source for Options. Select the appropriate data source options.

  3. Under Push Data to Other Questions, select Populate questions on the main form.

    • You can select or create questions to populate.
      • To create a question, type the question name in the text box, then hit enter. Once the Dropdown or Radiobutton question is saved, this will create a Text Field question with a Free Text data type. If you need a different data type, edit the target question afterwards.
      • To select an existing question, find it in the dropdown menu beneath Main form questions to populate. Please ensure that the data type being pushed matches the question data type. For example, do not push text into a date field.
      • You can push answers to: Text field, text area, dropdown, radiobutton, multiselect, date, time, date/time selector, duration field.
    • select the appropriate data source column to populate the answer from
      2018-10-01-V2FB-QuestionPush-02.png
  4. You can push answers to: Text field, text area, dropdown, radiobutton, multiselect, date, time, date/time selector, duration field. 
    • When setting up these questions, ensure that the data type being pushed matches the question data type. Do not push text into a date field, and so on.
    • You can push answers to: Text field, text area, dropdown, radiobutton, multiselect, date, time, date/time selector, duration field. 
    • When setting up these questions, ensure that the data type being pushed matches the question data type. Do not push text into a date field, and so on.

Pushing Multiple Answers into a Multiselect

2018-05-31-PushAddlAnswers.png

It is possible to push multiple answers into a Multiselect from a Dropdown question.

An example of this would be having a field worker verifying that they have the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by selecting it from a dropdown, and that dropdown selecting the hazards it covers.  

This configuration requires a particular setup in the data source associated with the Dropdown: the data source cell being pushed must have multiple items in the same cell, separated by a newline. The options must also be valid selections for the Multiselect. So, using our example above, the data source used in the dropdown would look something like this:

PPE Type Hazards Covered
Gloves

Corrosive Material
Toxic Material
Respirator

Dust
Toxic Gases
Vapors
Fumes
Hard Hat

Falling Material
Safety Glasses

Chemical Liquid Splashes
Dust

When setting up the Multiselect, you must either manually map the answers to the multiselect using the Defined Here option in the Multiselect configuration or have a second data source containing all the options. An example is shown below:

2018-10-01-V2FB-QuestionPush-03.png

Populate Answers in a Repeatable Section

It is also possible to use a data source to populate many entries in a repeatable section, based on a previous selection in the form. 

The example used is a building inspection form: when a user selects a building name from the dropdown, it automatically creates repeatable section entries for each of the associated floors, so that the user can now go and inspect each floor.

Sample Data Source:

The Building column is used in the initial dropdown. When mobile users select a building, the "Floor" question in the Repeatable sectionClosed A Repeatable Section is a type of section that contains sets of questions that the field user can answer multiple times, “repeating” the process as needed. For example, the field user can answer the same set of questions for each piece of equipment that they need to inspect. will be filled.   If there are 4 floors associated with the building (as shown for Building A), 4 repeat entries will be created with the Floor prefilled. 

Set it up: 

  1. Set up a Dropdown or Radiobutton question as described above. In our example, this is the Building Name question that populates the rest of the desired questions.

  2. Under Options, select Populate questions in a repeatable section.

  3. Select which repeatable section to populate. Only repeatable sections that come after the question are shown in the dropdown.  In our example, we have a Floors to Inspect repeatable section that follows the Building Name question. 

    Note: You can only push data one level in, e.g., from the main form to a repeatable section. You cannot push data from the main form to a nested repeatable section.  
    2018-02-13-CreateQuestionsRepeat.png

  4. Select which questions you wish to populate or create them by typing in the text box. Each of these questions will set a line item in the repeatable section.
    2017-11-19-PushToRepeats02.png

Display in the Form Builder

Icons to the right of the questions in the Form Builder main form display will show what the source question is for the pushed data, and which ones are pushed to.

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