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Field Types - Template Creator
Field Types - Template Creator

This article reviews all of the form fields that can be used in your GoFormz form Templates – like Text fields, Signatures, and Barcodes.

Updated over a week ago

GoFormz supports many different field types for forms, ranging from standard text-driven fields like text boxes and drop-downs, to less traditional form fields like sketches and images.

This article reviews all GoFormz form fields from the perspective of a form user — i.e. somebody filling out the form. See here to review these field types from the perspective of a form user.

Auto Number

Description: A read-only field that automatically generates a unique ID number upon form creation. IDs are generated by incrementing the previous ID by 1.

Common Usage: Use for tracking or referencing your forms. This is a great choice for a form identifier.This field is typically used in auto-fill mode.

Notes:

  • Enter a Seed Number to start the auto-numbering from a number other than 1.

  • You can also connect Auto Numbers across multiple templates using the Custom Key property. Each Auto Number field that shares the same Custom Key will increment in the same sequence, regardless of template.

  • If the Custom Key property is changed or deleted, the Auto Number field will start from the Seed Number.

Barcode

Description: A placeholder for scanning in a barcode using your device's camera and storing the barcode number. If your device does not have a camera, you can input the barcode number manually.

Barcode Fields support the following types of barcodes on the Windows, Android, iOS apps and Web Form Editor:

  • UPC-A

  • UPC-E

  • EAN-8

  • EAN-13

  • Code 39

  • Code 93

  • Code 128

  • ITF

  • Codabar

  • MSI

  • RSS-14 (all variants)

  • QR Code

  • Data Matrix

  • Aztec

  • PDF-417

If you are using the Native Barcode Scanner on the iOS App (set in the settings tab of the iOS app) the supported barcode types include:

  • UPC-E

  • EAN-8

  • EAN-13

  • Code 39

  • Code 93

  • Code 128

  • QR Code

  • Aztec

  • PDF-417

Common Usage: You will typically use this field in conjunction with a GoFormz DataSource that has barcode numbers as one of its columns. For instance, you might set up several read-only Text Boxes to auto-populate with relevant product information from other DataSource columns (product name, description, price, etc.), keying off the scanned barcode number.

Notes: Make sure your DataSource column containing barcode numbers is marked as an index (or key) column. See DataSource documentation for more.

Checkbox

Description: A field that can be either marked or left blank. The mark may be a check, an X, a circle, or an oval; the field can take the form of a box to be checked, or an item to be circled. Click/tap the field to add or remove the mark.

Common Usage: Use for capturing binary input — yes/no questions, on/off switches, indicating state (like “Job Completed”), etc. Also use if your form has items that are meant to be circled.

Checkbox Group

Description: A set of related fields using the Checkbox interface described above. Checkbox Groups can be single select (only one item in the group can be marked) or multi-select (any number of items in the group can be marked).

Common Usage: Use when requiring the user to select from a small number of options, typically 5 or fewer. For instance, you may use this as a status indicator — e.g. Complete/In Progress/Incomplete. For more than 5 options, a dropdown should be used.

Notes: When you specify a list of checkbox names for your Checkbox Group, the individual checkboxes will not automatically appear in your preview. In order to add them to the preview, you will need to find your group in the Template Fields section in the left sidebar of the Template Editor, and drag each one into the preview area individually.

Database

Description: A menu showing a list of items from a GoFormz DataSource column. This is similar to the Drop Down, except the items in the menu come from a database rather than an ad hoc list. It can include all items in the column, or a filtered list of items.

Common Usage: You will often use this field in conjunction with several Text Box fields. For instance, you might have the user select a customer’s name from a Database field, and then set up several read-only Text Boxes to auto-populate with relevant customer information from other DataSource columns (address, phone number, etc.), keying off the customer name that was entered.

Notes: When selecting a DataSource column, you are limited to columns that have been set as indexes, or keys, in the DataSource. See DataSource documentation for more.

Date

Description: A placeholder for selecting a calendar date using a standard set of calendar controls.

Common Usage: Use to capture a date when exact time is not important, e.g. a customer’s date of birth. Use in auto-fill mode to automatically capture the date when the form was created.

Date Time

Description: A placeholder for selecting a date and time using standard date/time controls.

Common Usage: Use to capture both date and time at once, e.g. when scheduling an appointment. Use in auto-fill mode to automatically capture the date and time when the form was created.

Drop Down

Description: A menu showing a list of items, of which the user can select only one. Drop Downs can be set up to allow write-in entries.

Common Usage: Use when requiring the user to select a single item from a preset number of options, typically 4 or more — e.g. a list of all field technicians in your company. For fewer options, a Checkbox group should be used.

Notes: You can save your list of Drop Down choices and reuse it in another Drop Down elsewhere in the form.

Image

Description: A placeholder for uploading an image into your form. This can be an image from your device’s camera, or an image already stored on your device. JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP image formats are supported.

Common Usage: A picture is worth a thousand words! For instance, if you are a mechanic fixing a dent in a car, you may want to include “before” and “after” images of the car.

Location

Description: A placeholder for adding your location to the form, as determined by the GPS on your device. The location can be shown as latitude/longitude coordinates, or as a pin on a map. The map can be a street or satellite map, and you can control zoom level

Common Usage: This can be very valuable for forms filled out in the field, because it lets the field worker record the exact location where a job was performed.

Note: You can include a timestamp along with the location, recording exactly when the location was taken.

Number

Description: A write-in text field that only accepts numbers.

Common Usage: Use for any numerical values like counts and dollar amounts. Use as a read-only field for calculation results. For instance, you may have a series of Number fields with item costs, followed by a read-only Number field displaying the sum of those costs.

Signature

Description: A placeholder for recording a signature. The signature can be recorded using a stylus, a finger, or a mouse — depending on the device you are using to fill out the form.

Common Usage: Use to capture any signature — e.g. customer signatures, supervisor signatures, inspector/reviewer signatures, etc. For approval workflows, you can set up the signature to be required, and to be automatically removed whenever any other form fields are changed. This way, changes cannot be made after the approver signs off on the form.

Sketch

Description: A placeholder for the user to add a sketch using standard drawing tools (e.g. brush, fill, line, various shapes, etc.) and controls (e.g. brush size, color changer, layering, etc.).

Common Usage: Uses include:

  • Position Sketch field on top of an existing diagram in your form, allowing users to draw on top of the diagram (e.g. indicate where a dent is on a car drawing);

  • Instruct users to upload an image into the Sketch field and draw on top of it (e.g. take a photo of a dent on a car and circle it); or

  • Leave the Sketch field blank for users to draw on.

Table

Description: A set of fields arranged into rows and columns. Each table cell is a separate field of one of the other types described here.

Common Usage: Use when you want to capture the same set of parameters about several related items. For instance, your form may have a table letting the user input tasks performed on a job along with who performed the task, task description, how long it took, and the hourly rate. A table makes sense here because the job may have multiple tasks, and we want to capture the same set of inputs for each task.

Text Box

Description: The most basic field, allowing users to input text. It can range from a single-line text box with room for just a few characters to a large multi-line area.

Common Usage: Use for any write-in text, such as a customer’s street address. Use as a read-only field for displaying a database value based on a key from a Database field. (See Database field description for more details.)

Time

Description: A placeholder for selecting a clock time using standard controls.

Common Usage: Use to capture a time of day when the exact date is not important, e.g. the best time of day to reach a person on the phone.

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