Customizing data entry fields

The columns in Cloud Sheets directly mirrors the entry fields in the mobile app and you can remotely add, delete and control the fields by modifying the columns. No coding needed.

Field types

When adding fields, you can customize the field type and each type has different attributes.

For instance, Number fields have plus/minus buttons and some fields have the 'auto' generation element, like the Date (automatic) and GPS (automatic).

Selecting field types in the web app — Field attributes - click to zoom

Field types and attributes

Field name	Functionality
Date	Inserts a date value when tapping the calendar icon. You can configure the timezone format for each sheet.
Date (automatic)	Inserts or updates the date value automatically on scan.
Date Time	Inserts a date & time value when tapping the calendar icon.
Date Time (automatic)	Inserts or updates the date and time value automatically on scan.
Drop-down list	Lets you define a preset list of options that users can choose one option from.
Email	Has a normal text entry but will only accept the entry of an email format.
GPS location	Inserts the device latitude and longitude values when tapping the GPS icon.
GPS location (automatic)	Inserts or updates the device latitude and longitude values automatically on scan.
Number	Has plus and minus buttons to increase/decrease the quantity. Shows the deltas in yellow next to the quantity for ease of calculation.
Number (auto-increase)	Has the same attributes as the Number field and automatically increases the quantity by +1 for every scan.
Number (auto-decrease)	Has the same attributes as the Number field and automatically decreases the quantity by -1 for every scan.
Text field	Can contain text and numbers of any form. It also includes a barcode icon to open the camera and scan a barcode into the field.
Time	Inserts a time stamp when tapping the field.
True/false boolean	Displays as a YES / NO button and inserts a value of TRUE or FALSE in the final dataset.

Field settings

Every field also has settings that we can apply to control how they behave inside the mobile app. Here's the full overview:

Setting	How it works
Empty on scan	Does not populate previously entered values, making it easy to enter new values. This is useful when tracking entries with the audit trails.
Hidden	Hides the entire field from mobile users.
Read only	The field is greyed out and mobile users are unable to edit the value.
Required	Users must provide a value to save and continue.
Auto focus	Upon scan, the app will go to this field and open the keyboard to prepare for entry. It allows you to control the flow of entries.
Auto select value	Will mark an existing value with the cursor to quickly delete or overwrite.
Show in mobile list	Will display these values in the main list of items. Often, people will use descriptions rather than the actual barcode numbers.
Searchable in mobile list	Allows users to search by this value in the mobile list.

Hidden fields

The Hidden setting hides the field from mobile users. It's useful when dealing with sensitive data or removing fields users don't need to see.

For instance, many hide the Barcode field as it rarely important for the end-user to see.

Read only fields

The Read-only setting greys out the value in a field and keeps users from changing the values. This is useful when populating data only for informational purposes, like prices or descriptions.

Showing a field with the read-only setting active — Field with Read-only setting active

Show in mobile list

The barcode number often doesn't tell us much so you can configure which field to show on the mobile item list below the barcode.

You can currently show the Quantity values and one other field of your choice.

Showing the values displayed in the mobile list — Showing mobile item list

Required fields

The Required setting forces the user to enter a value in the field before they can save and continue.

Important: the setting only applies when fields are empty. If users are scanning the same items over and over, consider using the Empty on scan setting.

Showing reaction when fields are required — Error message for required fields

Empty fields

The Empty on scan setting ensures that the data in the Cloud sheet never populate for the mobile user.

It's useful when a new entry is required by users that scan the same barcode. It's often used with the Audit trail that log all the entries in individual rows.

Next steps

Questions about configuring the fields?

We're always happy to help, chat with us live or drop us an email.