Region Types

Region Types

Overview

There are various types of Regions that to allow you (the Form Designer) to customize each Region to allow a specific type of entry when used in the Mobile Forms app. Each Region type has unique properties and is designed to accept a certain type of input in the Form. For example, a Camera Region allows the User to take a picture with their device to include as part of the Form. This article describes the specific properties for each Region type. For general information on creating Regions, see the article on Creating Regions.
 

Audio Region



An Audio Region is used to record a sound bite as part of your Form. For example, you could record a verbal approval from a customer. 


Once you have chosen Audio as the Region type, you will have the General, Work Order and Layout tabs available in the Create Region dialog box. The General, Work Order and Layout tabs are available to all Region Types and are described in the Creating Regions article. Any grayed-out checkboxes or fields are not available for this Region type.

Barcode Region



A Barcode Region is used to scan a 1D, 2D, or QR Code barcode on autofocus enabled devices. For example, a service tag for a piece of equipment or an employee ID tag.  


Once you have chosen Barcode as the Region type, you will have the General, Display, Work Order and Layout tabs available in the Create Region dialog box. The General, Display, Work Order and Layout tabs are available to all Region Types and are described in the Creating Regions article. Any grayed-out checkboxes or fields are not available for this Region type.

Calculation Region



A Calculation Region is used to apply a formula using numeric values from other Regions in a Form. For example, a total price for list of materials used or the total hours an employee worked during the day on various jobs.


Once you have chosen Calculation as the Region type, you will have the General, Display, Formula and Layout tabs available in the Create Region dialog box. The General, Display and Layout tabs are available to all Region Types and are described in the Creating Regions article. Any grayed-out checkboxes or fields are not available for this Region type.

Display Tab - Format

The Display tab for a Calculation Region is similar to other the Display for other Regions but includes an additional Format property.


Click the Format button to select from the following formats for displaying the calculation result on the Form. The default format is "Normal" and allows unlimited decimals.
 

You can create a custom format by clicking on one of the blue custom format types. The article on Valid Date Time Formats for All Mobile Forms Platforms will be helpful if you want to create custom date/time formats. 


Formula Tab

You can create the calculation formula for your Calculation Region using numeric-based Region values, hard-coded numbers and operations.


A. Use zero in calculations if the region is empty - This option allows a value of 0 to be used in a different calculation if no data was entered. For example, if this Calculation Region is used in a formula for another Calculation Region, the result of that Calculation would be displayed even if no value was entered in this Calculation Region. This is checked by default.

B. Select a region name to use in calculation - Displays all valid Regions available in your Form. You can double click on a Region name, for example "Page1@Numeric1", to automatically insert that Region into your formula. The Page# refers to the Form Page number for the Region, while the @ is used to designate the specific Region. You can select a specific page from the list of the left to narrow down the list of Region names.

C. Operators - You can click on the available operator to automatically insert it into your formula.

D. Formula - Enter the formula for your calculation using Regions, numbers and operators. You can automatically insert a Region into the formula by double clicking on the Region name (B) or manually enter the Region name (using the format {Page#@RegionName} ) into the formula field. Likewise, you can manually enter your operators using your keyboard or simply click the operator buttons (C) provided.

E. Validate - Click on the Validate button to check your formula. You will be able to enter test values and make sure you get the expected result.


Using Conditions

You can use if/then conditions in a calculation as long as the conditions are numeric. For example, you can use the following formula to avoid "NaN" result when using a calculation that may divide by 0:
IF(condition, true, false)
IF({Page3@Operator1}>0,{Page3@CustomerNet1}/{Page3@Operator1},0)

Camera Region

A Camera Region is used to collect an image. For example, a field technician can a photo of a broken piece of equipment that requires repair. By default, the User can take a photo using the device's camera or can import photos from their local photo gallery. The allowed image formats include: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .bmp, .tif, .tiff, .gif. 
Forms Designer Preview Mode allows you to import an image file. 


Once you have chosen Camera as the Region type, you will have the General, Display, Camera, Work Order and Layout tabs available in the Create Region dialog box. The General, Display, Work Order and Layout tabs are available to all Region Types and are described in the Creating Regions article. Any grayed-out checkboxes or fields are not available for this Region type.

Display Tab



Maintain aspect ratio when resizing: This option keeps an image from getting distorted to fit into the whole Region. This is checked by default.

Camera Tab



Allow tablet users to import picture files from a disk:  This option allows Users to import image files from disk. This is checked by default. Uncheck this option if you don't want Users to have the option to upload existing image files. They will only have the option to take a photo for this Camera Region.

Drawing Tool

Available in Mobile Form 7.0 and higher
Camera Regions can be used to add drawings, shapes, and annotations. The Create Drawing option is available in all Camera Regions as long as the Form Template and the Mobile Forms app  is 7.0 or higher. You do not need to enable any settings in Forms Designer.
See the article on How to Use the Drawing Tool for details on how your Users can create drawings in a Camera Region.

Checkbox Region



A Checkbox Region is used to mark specified values. For example, indicating yes, no or N/A in response to a question. 


Once you have chosen Checkbox as the Region type, you will have the General, Display, Checkbox, Work Order and Layout tabs available in the Create Region dialog box. The General, Display, Work Order and Layout tabs are available to all Region Types and are described in the Creating Regions article. Any grayed-out checkboxes or fields are not available for this Region type.

Display Tab



Checkbox style: You can select an Ellipse, Filled ellipse, Scalable check, Check, or Circle as the shape to fill your Checkbox Region. For example, you can use an ellipse to circle words on a Form instead of checking a box next to a word. The default type is Check.

Checkbox Tab

 

A. Data value - You can edit the value of the checkbox when the Region is checked. By default, the value of a checked checkbox is "checked". An unchecked checkbox has no value.

B. Checkbox is initially checked -  Check this option if you want this checkbox to be checked initially. The User will need to deselect the value if needed.

C. This checkbox is part of a group - Checkboxes can be grouped together to control value selection. For example, the User must select either Yes, or No, or N/A but can only select one of those options. Only checkboxes in the grouping are affected by the selection rules set for that grouping. 

D. Group name - If your checkbox is part of a group, you can enter a name for a new group of checkboxes or select an existing group from the drop down if you want to include your checkbox in an existing group. The group name will be displayed during validation if the required number of checkboxes are not checked for that group.
 
E. The user must select - You can set rules for the minimum and maximum number of checks required or allowed in a group. For example, if you want the User to check exactly one location for a work order, you would set your minimum at one and your maximum at one. The User then has to check a location before submitting the Form and if they check a new location, any other location checkbox automatically gets unchecked since the maximum is set at one.
 

Datasource Region

A Datasource Region provides a drop-down list of options for the User to choose from. For example, the User can select an option from a list of job titles or materials.


Once you have chosen Datasource as the Region type, you will have the General, Display, Datasource, Work Order and Layout tabs available in the Create Region dialog box. The General, Display, Work Order and Layout tabs are available to all Region Types and are described in the Creating Regions article. 

Datasource Tab



A. Datasource type - There are six types of Datasources : List, Mapping, Local file list, Local file mapping, and SQL database. Each type is described below. The most commonly used are List and SQL database.
B. Allow users to enter a new value -  Check this if you want to allow Users to type in a value that is not part of the drop-down list. This is not checked by default.
C. Use zero in calculations if the region is empty - Allows a zero value to be used if this Region value is part of a calculation and the Region is empty. This allows the calculation to be completed if nothing is selected from the drop-down. This is checked by default.
D. Show search field - Allows the User to use the search for the drop-down list on the Form. This is checked by default.

Datasource Type - List

You can use a Datasource List to provide a static list of drop-down options in your Form. For example, you can provide the User a list of state abbreviations to choose from. The list is hard-coded into the Form so this is a good option for data that will not change often. We highly recommend using a SQL Database type (described below) for data that needs to be updated on a regular basis.

1. Select List as the Datasource type.

2. Enter each list item on a separate line. Optionally, you can import your list from an existing text file by clicking on the Import Text File button.


3. Click the OK button.

Datasource Type - SQL Database

You can use a SQL Database Datasource to populate the drop-down values from a Form Data File, typically an Excel file, that is uploaded to the Mobile Forms Portal. The drop-down values available to your Mobile Forms Users are then updated when the Excel file is updated in the Portal. This is a good option for data that changes often and needs to stay current.

For detailed steps on setting up a SQL Database Datasource Region, see the article and video on SQL Datasource Regions.


Datasource Type - Mapping

You can use Datasource Mapping to automatically populate one Region based on the value of another Region in the Form. For example, you could automatically display a zip code when a location is selected. This data is hard-coded into the Form so this is a good option for data that will not change often. We highly recommend using a SQL Database type for data and relationships that needs to be updated on a regular basis.

1. Select Mapping as the Datasource type.

2. Click the > button to select the input Region.


3. Select the desired Input Region. 


4. Click OK.

5. Enter the mapping data into the Input and Output columns. Optionally, you can import your mapping data from an existing CSV file by clicking on the Import CSV File button.


If you wish to test your mapping, click the Test button then enter various inputs and use the Lookup button to test your inputs. You can also test your mapped Datasource Regions by using Form Designer Preview Mode.

Datasource Type - Local File List

A Datasource Local file list allows you to populate drop-down options from a file that exists on the local device. 

1. Select Local file list as the Datasource type.

2. Enter the filename of the text file. When using Mobile Forms, the file will have to be in the app space on the device's hard drive. 


3. Click OK.

You can test that your list is working as expected by using a sample file saved in your Documents folder and clicking the Test List button.

Datasource Type - Local File Mapping

You can use Datasource Local File Mapping to automatically populate one Region based on the value of another Region from a file that exists on the local device. 

1. Select Local file mapping as the Datasource type.

2. Click the > button to select the input Region.


3. Enter the filename of the CSV file. When using Mobile Forms, the file will have to be in the app space on the device's hard drive. 

4. Click OK.

You can test that your mapping is working as expected by using a sample file saved in your Documents folder and clicking the Test Mapping button.

Date/Time Region

A Date/Time Region is used to collect date and/or time values. For example, recording the date a client signed an invoice or the date and time an employee completed work on a job.



Once you have chosen Date/Time as the Region Type, you will have the General tab, a Display tab, a Date tab, and a Work Order tab available in the Create Region dialog box. The General and Work Order tabs are available to all Region Types and are described in the  Creating Regions  article.  

Display Tab

The Display tab for a Date/Time Region is similar to other Regions but includes an additional Format property.

Format: Clicking the Format button allows you to choose from the following formats or to create a custom format for displaying the date on your Form.


 

Date Tab



Use the current date and time as the initial value: This option automatically sets the Date/Time Region to the current date/time when the Form is first opened. This value can be changed by the User if needed.
Enforce minimum value: This option allows you to determine the earliest date value which can be entered in this Region.
Enforce maximum region value: This option allows you to determine the latest date value which can be entered in this Region.
 

Document Scan Region

Note: This Region type is only available in Forms Designer versions 7.0 and higher and will only work with Form Template versions 7.0 higher.
A Document Scan Region type is similar to a Camera Region type, but allows for more cropping and editing options to allow for viewing the document as clearly as possible.




E-mail Region

Note: This Region type is only available in Forms Designer versions 6.5 and higher and will only work with Form Template versions 6.5 higher.



An E-Mail Region is used to automatically send a copy of the Form to the email address in the Region without the need for a Custom Workflow. The properties on the General, Display, and Work Order tabs are available to most Region Types and are described in the  Creating Regions  article.


E-mail Tab

The E-mail tab offers some options for an E-Mail Region. The e-mail format will be validated before sending the Form.



a. Allow users to enter an e-mail address - This option allows the user to manually type in an e-mail address.
b. Use the form sender's e-mail address - This option will automatically populate the E-Mail Region with the App User's email from the Field2Base cloud. For example, you can use this option to automatically send a copy of the Form to the User who is submitting it.
c. Mirror another region value - This option will automatically populate the E-Mail Region with an e-mail address from another Region. For example, if you have a Datasource Region with a drop-down of possible e-mail addresses, you can use the e-mail chosen as the source for your E-Mail Region and that address will receive a copy of the Form.
d. Include this address as a form recipient - Checking this option will add the e-mail address from this E-mail Region as a mandatory recipient for this form. The email in this region will receive a copy of the form when it is submitted.

GPS Region



A GPS Region is used to capture and display GPS location values. For example, to record the GPS location of a completed delivery or specific job site.



Once you have chosen GPS as the Region Type, you will have the General tab, a Display tab, and a GPS tab available in the Create Region dialog box. The properties on the General tab are available to all Region Types and are described in the Creating Regions  article.

Display Tab

The Display tab for a GPS Region is similar to other regions but includes an additional GPS format string field. The default format is set at latitude, longitude. (i.e. {lat},{lon})

GPS Tab

The GPS tab allows you to control when the GPS location is captured on your Form.


a. Update continuously while the form is open: This option allows the Form to receive updated GPS location readings while the Form is open and being completed. The final GPS location will be the one recorded when the Form is submitted. This option is convenient if the User needs current GPS locations while working in the form.
b. Take the initial location when the form is started: This option allows the Form to capture the initial GPS reading when the Form is opened.
c. Do not automatically update: This option does not automatically capture a default GPS reading on the Form. This option is useful if you are using scripting in Form Designer to capture the location of the Device only when a certain action is performed such an employee signing the form or clicking on a Get GPS button.
 

Label Region



A Label Region is used present to the User with data that cannot be modified. For example, to display the version number of the Form.


Once you have chosen Label as the Region Type, you will have the General tab, a Display tab, a Label tab, and a Work Order tab available in the Create Region dialog box. The properties on the General, Display, and Work Order tabs are available to most Region Types and are described in the  Creating Regions  article.

Label Tab

Label text is the only field in this tab and is where you can type the text for your label. If you plan to use scripting to automatically populate the label Region, you should leave this field blank.


Mirror Text Region



Note: In Forms Designer versions prior to version 7.0, this Region type is called "Mirror Region".

A Mirror Text Region is used to display values from another Region on the Form. For example, you can automatically fill in a User's name and information on the top of all Pages of a Form.


Once you have chosen Mirror Text as the Region Type, you will have the General tab, a Display tab and a Mirror tab available in the Create Region dialog box. The properties on the General and Display tabs are available to most Region Types and are described in the  Creating Regions  article.  

Mirror Tab

You can select the Region that you want to mirror the data from and click the OK button. This will automatically mirror whatever information is typed into the source Region into your Mirror Region.



Mirror Image Region 

Note: This Region type is only available in Forms Designer versions 7.0 and higher and will only work with Form Template versions 7.0 higher.
A Mirror Image Region is used to display an image from another Region (Camera or Document Scan types) on the Form. 


Once you have chosen Mirror Image as the Region Type, you will have the General tab, a Display tab and a Mirror tab available in the Create Region dialog box. The properties on the General and Display tabs are available to most Region Types and are described in the   Creating Regions  article.

Mirror Tab

You can select the Region that you want to mirror the data from and click the OK button. This will automatically mirror whatever image is available in the source Region into your Mirror Region. This tab will only list other image Regions  (Camera or Document Scan) .


Numeric Region


A Numeric Region is used to collect number values. Numeric Regions can contain only number values. For example, to display a price, hours worked by an employee or a zip code.
When accessed on a Mobile Device, a Numeric Region will present the User with a numeric keyboard.



Once you have chosen Numeric as the Region Type, you will have the General tab, a Display tab, a Numeric tab, and a Work Order tab available in the Create Region dialog box. The General and Work Order tabs are available to all Region Types and are described in the  Creating Regions  article.

Display Tab

The Display tab for a Numeric Region is similar to other Regions but includes an additional Format property.

Format: Clicking the Format button allows you to choose from the following formats or to create a custom format for displaying the number on the Form.


 

Numeric Tab



a. Region only takes whole numbers: Checking this option means that the User cannot enter a value that is not a whole number. For example, trying to enter 23.56 would not be allowed and an error message would appear.
b. Enforce minimum value: Checking this option allows you to set a minimum value for the Region. For example, if you set 100 as the minimum value, trying to enter 99 would not be allowed and an error message would appear.
c. Enforce maximum region value: Checking this option allows you to set a maximum value for the Region. For example, if you set 10 as the maximum value, trying to enter 11 would not be allowed and an error message would appear.
d. Initial value: This field allows you to set an initial value to automatically appear in the Region when the user opens the form. The User can change this value if they need to.
e. Use zero in calculations if the region is empty: This option allows a value of 0 to be used in a calculation if no data was entered. This allows calculations to be completed without error if a value is not required.

Pen Region



A Pen Region is used to collect signatures or drawings. For example, a client signature or drawings on a diagram.


Once you have chosen Pen as the Region Type, you will have the General tab and a Pen tab available in the Create Region dialog box. The properties on the General tab are available to all Region Types and are described in the  Creating Regions  article.

Pen Tab



Open a fullscreen canvas for drawing: Checking this option displays a full screen canvas where the User can sign instead of doing so directly on the Form. The height and width of the signature will automatically adjust to fit in the Pen Region on the Form.
On-page drawing options:  Only one of the following options can be selected. The always enabled option is selected by default.
The region is always enabled for drawing: This option allows the Pen Region to behave like a transparent drawing pad over an image which the User can draw upon. This is useful for drawings on top of floor plans, grid boxes, and other diagrams.
The user must enable the region for drawing: This option requires the User to initiate inking in the Region by using a long press in the area of the Region. This is useful when there are multiple Pen Regions on the page near one another.
 

Text Region



A Text Region is used to record text. Text Regions may contain alpha-numeric and/or special characters. For example, entering a street address or general comments. 
When accessed on a Mobile Device, a Text Region will present the User with a keyboard. Text Regions also support voice-to-text recognition. This feature allows the User to simply narrate multiple sentences into the Text Region and the Mobile Forms application will convert the User’s speech into text. 

 

Once you have chosen Text as the Region Type, you will have the General tab, a Display tab, a Text tab, and a Work Order tab available in the Create Region dialog box. The properties on the General, Display, and Work Order tabs are available to most Region Types and are described in the  Creating Regions  article.

Text Tab



a. Limit the maximum text length: You can use this option to set the maximum number of characters a user can enter in to a Region. For example, if you check this option and select 100 then the User will only be able to enter 100 characters in the Region. Spaces, punctuation, symbols, letters and numbers all count as characters. This option is useful for making sure text will fit into the Region and all the text will be visible on the Form.
b. Initial value: This value will automatically appear in this Region when the Form is opened. The User can change this value if needed.
c.  Data type: You can choose between Any or Digits as the type of data allowed in this Region. Choosing Any will allow the User to use the full keyboard on the Device to enter any characters. Choosing Digits will only allow the User to use the numeric keyboard on a Mobile Device. A text Region with only Digits differs from a Numeric Region in that no formatting is applied so it's stored as a string value. This can be helpful if your Text Region is expected to contain leading zeroes.
d. Trim leading and trailing whitespace: Selecting this option will remove any spaces before the first character and after the last character in a Text Region. This can be helpful when working with databases and making sure names match exactly.
e. Show popup for values that overflow region bounds: Selecting this option will allow users to see the full text in a region when it goes past the region size and no maximum text limit has been set to limit them to the region size.

Unique ID 

Note: This Region type is only available in Forms Designer versions 6.5 and higher and will only work with Form Template versions 6.5 higher.



The Unique ID region allows the number initially assigned to increment by one every time the Form is accessed, such as an invoice number or serial number. This is helpful to identify each submitted Form as unique when viewing in Admin Portal, email receipt of the Form, and in Analytics. For detailed instructions on how to set up a Unique ID Region and counter, see the article on  Unique ID Regions.



Once you have chosen Unique ID as the Region Type, you will have the General tab, a Display tab, a Unique ID tab, and a Work Order tab available in the Create Region dialog box. The properties on the General, Display, and Work Order tabs are available to most Region Types and are described in the   Creating Regions  article.

Unique ID Tab

The Unique ID tab offers some options for your Unique ID Region.


a. Unique ID Trigger - You can set when the Unique ID will be populated into your Form in this section. 
  1. The default is to populate the Region when your Form is initially opened.
  2. To populate the Unique ID when the Form is sent, choose When the form draft is sent
  3. To populate the Unique ID the first time a Region is changed, choose The first time a region changes then choose the desired Region from the Trigger region drop-down. For example, if you only want to get a Unique ID to be generated when a Form is signed, you could set that signature Region as the trigger Region.
  4. To populate the Unique ID every time a Region is changed, choose Every time a region changes then choose the desired Region from the Trigger region drop-down.
b. Trigger region - This Region will become enabled once a Unique ID Trigger that uses a trigger Region has been selected. Click on the > button to access the window of available Form Regions to use as a trigger to generate a Unique ID. Select the desired trigger Region and click OK to populate the Trigger region field.
c. Unique ID Source  - You must define the source for your Unique ID in this section.
  1. The default option is to Use a static counter name. 
  2. You can also Choose the counter dynamically using a region value. For example, if you have several department Unique ID counters that you want to access depending on which name is chosen from a Datasource Region on your Form.
d. Unique ID Source Field - Enter either the name of the Unique ID counter that you want to use (if you are using a static counter name) or select the Region value that contains the name of the counter that you want to use (if you are using a region value). If you have selected Choose the counter dynamically using a region value, the > button will be enabled and you can click on it to access the window of available Form Regions to use as a source.

e. Allow users to enter a new value - By default, Unique ID Regions cannot be changed by the user. If you want to give Users the ability to insert a value into a Unique ID Region (typically used when there is no Internet access for calling web services), check this option.
 

Video Region

A Video Region is used to collect a short video. For example, recording a video of a completed installation or a broken piece of equipment. Adding videos to a Form will quickly exceed the default filesize limit, contact your Account Manager to learn more about working with Videos.
When accessed on a Mobile Device, the video camera will be used to make the recording.



Once you have chosen Video as the Region Type, you will have the General tab and a Work Order tab available in the Create Region dialog box. The General and Work Order tabs are available to all Region Types and are described in the  Creating Regions  article.

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