Adding a Dynamic Table to a Form

How to add a dynamic table to a form

Dynamic tables should be used when the data requirements are variable or not fully known beforehand. A tech can add rows to a dynamic table as they enter information on a form. Creating a dynamic table requires only defining the columns of information. When a form is opened, the tech clicks (Add Row) to add a row to the dynamic table.  The row in the table is populated with defaults that are defined for the inputs in the table's columns. However, if the Use Minimum/Maximum Rows toggle is on, when the form is opened, the dynamic table displays the specified number of rows.

Let's say you have an Air Conditioner Inspection form that is used to inspect air conditioners while on a job. The following explains how to use a dynamic table to easily track this information:

1. From the Actions/Container menu in the Form Designer, click the Dynamic Table input.
   
2. The Dynamic Table input is added to the form. 
   
3. Click  (Edit) open the Edit Dynamic Table window.
   
4. On the Table Settings tab, mark Hide Field Label if you don’t want the field label to display in the app. Mark Hide Table if you don’t want the table to appear in the app. If you mark this option, the field label is also hidden in the app, regardless if you have the Hide Field Label option marked. Hiding a table is helpful when it's not useful to the tech but is useful in the backend. For example, you have a data set value that is not seen by the app user, but it is used to run a condition or a calculation. 
5. Enter a label for the table. Although it may seem unnecessary, the table label and column labels are important for retaining the field reference when creating reports.
6. In the Tooltip field, enter the tip/hint you may want to include for the dynamic table.

7. If you want to display a label next to the + (Add button) in the app, enter that label in Text Next to Add Button field.

8. Sub-tables can be a field type of a dynamic table, which is opened from a row or column. A sub-table can contain a sub-table and there is no limit, other than what is usable on the device and report. You have the option to not print labels for each table and sub-table on a report. From the Report Options section, mark the Hide Table and Sub-Table Labels after First Instance option to only display the table and sub-table labels in the first instance. Mark the Hide Column Labels after First Instance option to hide the column labels after the first instance. These options need to be marked before generating the report. Notice in the following illustration, the table and sub-table labels are hidden in the second entry:
   

9. Toggle Use Minimum/Maximum Rows on to specify a minimum and maximum table row count when the form is opened. You must enter a minimum of 1 to get a starting row in a table, otherwise only the column headers are displayed, and the tech needs to click (Add Row) to add a row to the dynamic table.

10. From the Highlight Row When Answer in This Column option, select the column heading for which you want to set a row to be highlighted with a background color based on the way a particular column or cell is answered in a table. The highlight color you set up also applies to the report, so you don’t need to set up functions for that purpose. 
    Note: Any unlabeled columns will not appear in the list to highlight.
11. Specify the table layout. Select Horizontal if you want the table headers to be at the top of the table and data to fill the rows. Select Vertical if you want the table headers to be in the first column of the table and data to fill the columns.
12. Mark Use Summary Row to add a totals row to the bottom of your table. Once you’ve added number field types (calculated field, number, or time span inputs) to your table the options for the Summary row appear. You can choose Average, Min, Max, or Sum to summarize the row numeric information. If you don't want the calculation label to display for the summary row, mark the Hide Calculation Label option on the Edit Calculated Field window.
    
13. Mark Hide Summary Row on Form to hide the resulting summary information from the app user.
14. Click the Styles tab to specify the style settings for the dynamic table. See Using the Styles Tab for more information. 
15. Click the Data Settings tab to use a data set in the dynamic table. See Adding a Data Set to a Dynamic Table/Sub-Table for more information.
16. Click OK to save your entries. Click Cancel to close the Edit Dynamic Table window without saving changes.
17. Back in the Form designer, add columns. You can add as many columns as you need for the data by clicking the More button and selecting whether you want to copy the column you’re on or insert a blank column. In this example, choose to insert columns for a total of 5.
    
18. Name the columns and define the field type for the data in each column. Using the Air Conditioner Inspection form example, enter the following:
    Inspection Date in the Column 1 Label field and select Date as the field type. 
    Make in the Column 2 Label field and select Lookup as the field type.
    Model in the Column 3 Label field and select Text as the field type.
    Condenser in the Column 4 Label field and select Radio as the field type.
    Filter in the Column 5 Label field and select Radio as the field type.
19. Click  (Edit) open the Edit Dynamic Table window again to adjust the column sizes.
20. Click the Modify Column Sizes button to open the Resize Table Columns window. This window displays a “preview” table where there is a number field at the top of the table header where you can enter a pixel number, or you can drag the column width to the size you want.
    
21. Click OK to save your changes and close the Resize Table Columns window.
22. You can use the More button and move columns right and left as well.
23. Click OK to save your entries. 

TIP: Keep the device size in mind while designing your table. Although you can rotate a dynamic table in the app, if the table has many columns, you might want to reconsider the format of the table.