What Types of Fields Can Be Created on a Form in Assurance

Who is this article for?
Administrators who want guidance on the types of fields that can be created on a form in Assurance.

Administration access is required.

The following types of fields can be created on Forms. They may also be used in the layouts of Actions, Checklists, Entities and Contacts.

Please note
This article provides an overview of the available field types. Use your Sandbox site to test before submitting real data on your Live site.

1. What field types are available?

Please note
A field type cannot be changed, once a record has been created with that field.

Field Type	Description
Short Text	A Short Text field allows the user to enter freeform responses that are less than 255 characters. Format Text: best suited for general text Numeric: best suited for general numbers Character Length Set character length between 0 and 255 characters
Long Text	A Long Text field are not limited by the number of characters. They also allow the user to apply rich text formatting, such as bullet points, bold text, images and hyperlinks.
Single Select	A Single Select field allows you to present multiple answers, and then the user is able to select one of those answers. There are two display types for Single Select fields: Radio Buttons and Dropdown Menus. Radio Buttons Radio buttons can be displayed in a number of columns. Various functionality like default answers (D.), freeform text (F.) and ability to make answers active or inactive (A.) are available by selecting: Edit > More > Toggle Advanced Options To create an answer allowing the user to specify another option not listed, select the dropdown arrow next to the Add Answers button then select the Add 'Other, Please Specify' Answer button. This will create an other option with the ability to specific the answer in a freeform text box. Note: once an answer is selected the user cannot deselect the answer. Dropdown Menus Dropdowns are ideal when there are a large number of answers as the user is able to type into the search box to search for the answer they need to find.
Multi Select	A Multi Select field allows you to present multiple answers, and then the user is able to select multiple answers. There are two display types for Multi Select fields: Checkboxes and Dropdown Menus. Checkboxes Checkboxes can be displayed in a number of columns. Various functionality like default answers (D.), freeform text (F.) and ability to make answers active or inactive (A.) are available by selecting: Edit > More > Toggle Advanced Options To create an answer allowing the user to specify another option not listed, select the dropdown arrow next to the Add Answers button then select the Add 'Other, Please Specify' Answer button. This will create an other option with the ability to specific the answer in a freeform text box. Note: with Checkboxes, the user may select more than one answer. Dropdown Menus Dropdowns Menus in Multi Select fields work the same way as they do with Single Select fields, except that the user may select multiple answers.
Numeric	The Numeric field only accepts numbers which are displayed in a numeric format with commas. You can specify the number of decimal places to be displayed. Is Currency will show a $ next to the number, so the person filling it in knows that it is a currency-based field. Is Percentage will show a % next to the number. Formula enabled allows you to have the field contain a value that is calculated based off other field values. Note: If your data does not pertain to one of the above scenarios, we suggest using a Short Text Field Type with Numeric Format for inputting general numbers.
Date	A Date field allows the user to select a date, either by typing in the answer or using the date picker. You can limit the selectable date range based on past or future dates. Past Dates limit date selection to dates before today's date. Future Dates limit date selection to dates after as well as today's date. Note: By default, all past and future dates are selectable.
Time	A Time field allows the user to select a time using the time picker.
Url	A URL Field requires the user to enter a valid URL. This can be used to link to other websites or even to internal intranet files.
Attachments	Attachment fields allow people to upload attachments directly to the field, the user is able to upload as many attachments as they want (Maximum File Size for each Attachment is 25MB). This is particularly useful where you want attachments to a particular section, such as Evidence of Performance. On a Form, uploaded attachments will also appear on the Attachments tab as well as on the field. File Types that are accepted by Assurance include common office, images and email file types among others.
Address	Address fields provide the user with the fields required for a address. This includes field boxes for Country and State/Province dropdowns. In reporting you are able to extract each individual component of the address, or the address as a whole.
Scale	This allows an answer across a scale. This has the added sophistication of being able to set the maximum value, select the default response and the steps that are available to be selected i.e: If the scale is from 0 to 5, if you select a step of 1 - then 0,1,2,3,4,5 are available to be selected.
Hierarchy	A Hierarchy field is similar to a Multi Select field in a dropdown, but the answers are set up in a tree structure. The user can select from multiple responses, where the answers can be parent or child responses.
Instruction	An Instruction field is used when you want to provide a message or instruction to a user on a Form, such as a Data Collection Notice at the bottom that you want the user to read before they submit. These instructions can be highlighted in different colours, and are visible in both the View and Edit modes.
Email	A Email field is used when you want the user to enter an email. The Email field type requires the answer to be in an email format, containing an `@` symbol and a `.com` or equivalent. For example, John.Citizen@example.com
Signature	A Signature field allows the user to digitally sign their name in the provided space using a computer mouse, trackpad or touchscreen.
Image Annotation	An Image Annotation field allows a user to highlight and annotate an adult or child body image.