Repeatable Sections: Summary Table

Contents

About

Repeatable Sections allow mobile users to provide multiple entries for the same set of questions—like line items on an invoice, parts or labor on a work order, or time entries on a timesheet.

Once mobile users have added entries to a Repeatable SectionClosed A Repeatable Section is a subform that contains a set of related questions. The data captured is “repeating”, because the field user can complete the same subform more than once, which creates multiple entries., the entries are summarized in a table view in the main form in the Mobile App. This is called the "Summary Table." Every Repeatable Section has one, and its purpose is to give mobile users a summary of the work they have completed.

Info:The topic Repeatable Sections on the Mobile App describes the field user experience in more detail.

Video demo of a Repeatable Section Summary Table

In this video, you’ll learn about how Repeatable Sections and Summary Tables help you to:

  • Handle the complexity of work in the field.

  • Manage large amounts of data collected in the field.

  • Assess the field situation at-a-glance.

The video describes row-level features such as Custom Column Setup, Inline Editing, and how to set them up in the Form Builder.

Inline editing

You can set up a Summary Table with inline editing to make it simpler for users to edit answers. When a field user taps the edit icon, only the selected question opens, not the whole subform. Inline editing works in both the CompactClosed The term "compact view" refers to a Summary Table in a Repeatable Section. The compact view displays the Summary Table "inline" with the rest of the form. The "full view", by contrast, displays only the Summary Table. and FullClosed The term "full view" refers to a Summary Table in a Repeatable Section. When a field user selects the "View All" option, the table opens in full view, and no other part of the form is visible. The "compact view", by contrast, displays the Summary Table "inline" with the rest of the form. views.

Available on the Advanced and Enterprise tiers:

Essentials
Advanced
Enterprise

Supported question types

Inline editing is available for the following question types:

Display Value or Answer Text

You can set Button Group questions to show the Display Value, and Text Field questions to show the Answer Text. Users can still edit the question inline without opening the subform, but they edit the question in a separate window.

The following example shows how inline editing works when a Button Group question is set to the Display Value.

iOS view of the Summary Table that shows a pencil icon in the "Inspection results" field and the "Inspection Result" question open after the user taps the pencil icon.

Control

Available on the Enterprise tier only:

Essentials
Advanced
Enterprise

Users on the Enterprise tier can edit Button Group and Text Field questions directly in the Summary Table. To set these up, select Control as the Answer value to display.

The following example shows how inline editing works when questions are set to Control.

Enterprise tier options

Users on the Enterprise tier can further customize the display of Summary Tables in the Mobile App. The following image shows the display options available.

Wrap rows to new line

On a small screen, when a long row wraps to a new line, users can see all of the information without scrolling. This setting applies only to the compact viewClosed The term "compact view" refers to a Summary Table in a Repeatable Section. The compact view displays the Summary Table "inline" with the rest of the form. The "full view", by contrast, displays only the Summary Table. of the Summary Table.

This example shows what the Summary Table looks like when a row wraps to a new line. The headers are displayed within each table cell.

HVAC System Inspection summary table compact view that shows the third column wrapped to a new line and the column headings "Unit Type", "Part Wear or Damage" and "Inspection Result" inset in the cells. It's obvious from the user's answers ("Furnace, No Wear or Damage", "No Repairs Required") that the headers don't provide much additional context.

Hide headers

Choose the option to hide headers on the Mobile App if:

  • You want to simplify the display, especially on small screens.
  • Field users don't need the headers to understand what’s in each table cell.

HVAC System Inspection summary table compact view that hides the column headings. It's obvious from the field user's answers ("Furnace", "No Damage or Wear", that the headers aren't needed to provide context.

Hiding the headers also applies when you set the compact view to Wrap rows....

This example shows the Summary Table with both the Wrap rows… and Hide headers options selected. This simplifies the on-screen display and saves space.

HVAC System Inspection summary table compact view that shows the third column wrapped to a new line and the column headings "Unit Type", "Part Wear or Damage" and "Inspection Result" inset in the cells. It's obvious from the user's answers ("Furnace, No Wear or Damage", "No Repairs Required") that the headers aren't needed to provide context.

Sort by column

With this option, users can sort all the rows in the Summary Table Full ViewClosed The term "full view" refers to a Summary Table in a Repeatable Section. When a field user selects the "View All" option, the table opens in full view, and no other part of the form is visible. The "compact view", by contrast, displays the Summary Table "inline" with the rest of the form. based on a single column.

If the contents of the column are numerical, the column is sorted in an ascending or descending order. If the contents are text-based, the column is sorted alphabetically.

This example shows the Summary Table full view sorted by the Cost column in ascending (increasing) order.

Info:

Keep in mind that:

  • Sorting only changes the row display order, not the actual row order in the subrecord. To change the actual order, users drag a row to move it.

  • Field users can sort by values for specific data types:

    • Barcode
    • Currency
    • Date
    • Decimal
    • Duration
    • Email
    • Free Text
    • Integer
    • Phone Number
    • Time
    • Timestamp
    • URL
    • Yes No (for a Single Checkbox question)

Filter by column

With this option, users can enter a filter to narrow down the number of rows displayed in the Summary Table Full View. If the row partially matches the filter, then the row is displayed.

Users can add filters to multiple columns and further narrow down the data displayed.

This example shows the Summary Table full view filtered by the Availability column. Only the rows with matching values are displayed.

Tip:You can filter on more than one column to limit the results even more.

Info:Keep in mind that:
  • Filtering only hides rows from displaying in the Summary Table and does not remove them from the subrecord.

  • Field users can use filtersfor these specific data types:

    • Barcode
    • Currency
    • Date
    • Decimal
    • Duration
    • Email
    • Free Text
    • Integer
    • Phone Number
    • Time
    • Timestamp
    • URL
    • Yes No (for a Single Checkbox question)

Add a Column to a Summary Table

Prerequisites:

  • A Repeatable Section
  • At least one question in it that is not an Information Label or Resource Image question.

Steps to add a column to the Summary Table

  1. Navigate to the Repeatable Section.

  2. Select Edit Summary Table or Questions.

    Display of a new repeatable section

    Result: The Form BuilderClosed The Form Builder is the tool that form designers use to create forms. In the Form Builder, accessed from the TrueContext Web Portal, form designers can add and edit pages, sections, and questions, as well as attach data destinations and configure the form's settings. displays the Repeatable Section main editing window.

  3. In the Summary Table area at the top, select Add a column.

    "Add a column" in the summary table

  4. Choose the kind of column you want to add:

    Select "Add a column" and then the question name to add the question to the Summary Table.

  5. When you select Custom column (DREL), the Form Builder displays the configuration settings.

    • Enter a name for the Column Header.

    • Enter the Text Displayed in Cell. This can be a DREL expression, static text, or a combination of both.

      Info:The TrueContext Mobile App only accepts certain DREL expressions for custom Summary Table columns. The topic Overview: Repeatable Sections provides a list of supported DREL expressions for Repeatable Sections.

      Note:
      • DREL in a custom column can only reference questions within the same Repeatable Section.

      • DREL in a nested section can only reference questions within that nested section.

      • Fields in a custom column are read-only, and you can’t configure them for inline editing.

    • Set the column display properties.

  6. Select Save.

    Result: The Form Builder adds the custom column to the Summary Table.

Modify Column Settings

  1. Select the pencil icon inside of the desired column.

    You can edit the display settings of a Summary Table column when you select the pencil icon next to the question name.

    Result: The Edit Table Column window opens for the selected question.

    Select the action menu next to a Summary Table column to option the display settings. This example shows the default settings of a "Status" Button Group question.

    The following table describes each setting.

    Number Setting Description
    1 Column Header

    Enter the text that you want to display as the column header in the Mobile App. The column header doesn’t have to match the question text.

    2 Column display priority...

    Select a display priority for the column. Mobile devices can fit a different number of columns depending on their screen size. Priority determines which columns display on the device:

    • Low priority columns hide first on smaller device screens.

    • High priority columns stay visible even on smaller device screens. If a Summary Table has multiple High priority columns, smaller screens hide the rightmost columns.

    3 Text Alignment Choose an alignment for the column text. For example, you may want numeric columns right-aligned and text columns left-aligned.
    4 Minimum column width...
    • Choose a minimum column width based on the column contents. For example, set a Text Area question column to Large since it may need more space to display the text properly.

    • Device screens can display more Small columns at once than Large columns.

    5 Answer value to display

    Show field users either the dataClosed Options-based questions have a display value and a data (server) value. The data value is the answer submitted to the TrueContext server. The Form Designer can choose whether the display and data values are the same or different. or displayClosed Options-based questions have a display value and a data (server) value. The display value is the answer shown in the Mobile App. The Form Designer can choose whether the display and data values are the same or different. value of an answer.

    This setting is available for the following options-based question types:

    • Button Group

    • Card List

    • Dropdown

    • Multiselect

    • Radio Button (On the Enterprise tier, there’s also a Control option. This is useful for inline editing.)

    • On the Enterprise tier only, Text Field questions can display the Answer Text or the Control. These apply when you enable inline editing for the column.

    Tip:If you select the Display Value and your team has the Multi-Language add-on, the column shows the translated value on the device.

    6 Column can be expanded... Select the checkbox to let the column expand to fill any empty space. For example, if the Summary Table has three columns, but the device can display 3.5, the column fills the extra space.
    7 Allow users to edit answers...

    Available on the Advanced and Enterprise tiers:

    Essentials
    Advanced
    Enterprise

    Select the checkbox to let Mobile App users edit their answers from the Summary Table without expanding the whole row.

    The following example shows what inline editing looks like on the device. In this example, a Button Group question is set to show the Display Value. The question opens for the user to edit.

    The inline editing option is available for the following question types:

    • Button Group

    • Geo Location

    • Multiselect

      • No more than nine options
      • Manually-defined options only (not Data Sources)
    • Radio Button

      • No more than nine options
      • Manually-defined options only (not Data Sources)
    • Single Checkbox

    • Slider

    • Text Field

    Info:The section Inline editing includes more details about how inline editing works and how to set it up.

    On the Enterprise tier, you can set the Button Group to Control. The user edits directly in the table.

  2. Edit any of the column settings.

  3. Select Save to save your changes.

    Result: The system saves your changes and displays the Repeatable Section page.

Remove or Re-Order Columns

Remove a Column:

  1. Select the pencil icon on the desired column to open the edit window.

    "Edit Table Column" menu

  2. Select Remove Question from Table at the bottom of the pop-up.

    "Edit Table Column" menu

  3. The column will be removed (the question it referenced will still exist in the Repeatable Section).

Re-Order Columns:

  1. Select and hold on the dotted "move" handle in the column header.

    Move columns with the six-dot icon

  2. Drag the column sideways to the appropriate spot in the table.