Question and Data Types in the Form Builder

Available on all tiers, with more options on the Advanced and Enterprise tiers:

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Question and Data Types in the Form Builder

About

Forms are made of questions and answers. When adding questions, choose the right Question and Data Types to improve the usability of a form, and to control the data that will be collected.

Question types describe what format a question is in. For example, a question where a user selects a single name from a list would likely use a dropdown question type.
Data types describe what format the user answers a question in. For example, a user might need to have a name (Text) in one question, and a dollar amount (Currency) in another.

This article will discuss question and data types and show which data types can be used with different questions.

Form Builder Question Views

The views and tabs shown when you add a question depend on the question type. Standard tabs include:

General: Features the question’s general configuration and appearance. This includes:
- Question Text displayed on the device
- Customers on the Enterprise tier can choose to Hide question text on device. This saves space in a Regular Section A Regular Section is a set of related questions grouped together for easy reference. The data captured is “non-repeating”. That is, field users enter a single instance of each answer. with an over-under or Multicolumn layout.
- Unique Identifier for Question used to reference the question in the form
- Data and Control Type to define how the question is displayed and how the field user enters information
- Restrictions, specifically, Required, Read only, Hidden on device, Hidden on reports, and Keep question width to 100% (questions in Side-by-Side sections only)
Options: Used with certain question types to set question-specific options (such as Button Group options).
Properties: What properties are displayed depends on the question and data type chosen. Common ones might be:
- Validation Type
- Default Value
- Allowing certain actions based on the data type

Question Types

These icons are used to show what kind of question is being used in a form. They show up when you select Add a Question.

Icon	Description	Icon	Description
	Text Field: Capture text input in a single-line field.		Text Area: Capture text from a multi-line field.
	Dropdown: Choose one option from a list.		Button Group: Choose 1-5 options from a list.
	Radio Button: Choose one option from a short list.		Multiselect: Choose multiple options from a list.
	Information Label: Show an informational message.		Calculation: Calculate any number.
	Image: Capture or attach photos.		Sketch Pad: Annotate on top of photos, diagrams, or a blank canvas.
	Signature: Capture a signature.		Single Checkbox: A question with a single checkbox.
	Date/Time Selector: Select a date/time.		Date/Time Stamp: Automatically collect a date/time.
	Geolocation: Capture your current location.		Duration Field: Enter a time duration (hours, minutes, seconds).
	Stepper: Use + and - buttons to choose a number.		Slider: Choose a number or range on a slider.
	String Concatenation: Build a string using answers and static text.		Digit Extraction: Isolate numeric digits from mixed characters
	Duration Calculation: Calculate a duration based on other durations or numbers.		Duration Math: Calculate the duration between two date or date/time entries.
	Time-Based Math: Calculate a date/time based on another date/time and a duration. Enterprise customers have additional options.		Audio Recording: Capture an audio recording.
	Barcode: Scan a barcode with your device's camera.		File Upload: Attach a file.
	Recap: Count the number of triggered Exceptions of a certain type within the form. This question type is available on the Advanced and Enterprise tiers only.		Aggregation: Perform various calculations on Repeatable Sections entries. (Repeatable Section Footer only)
	Card List: Choose one option from a list of 2-10 media cards. This question type is available on the Advanced and Enterprise tiers only.		Document Editor: Annotate PDF documents. This question type is available on the Enterprise tier only.

Data Types

These icons describe what kind of answers go into the question types. Data types determine the sort of data a question will be collecting. For example, different icons will show in the Form Builder if the question expects text, an image, or GPS coordinates from the mobile user.

	Integer: This is an integer (whole number) data type.		Decimal: This is a numeric data type. You can set the number of decimal places.
	Currency: This is a numeric data type.		Free Text: This is a data type that can contain alphanumeric characters.
	Email: This is a data type that checks if your mobile users have entered a valid example@email.com address.		Date: This is a data type that uses a date selector to store answers as a Date value.
	Time: This is a data type that contains a Time value in standard UTF encoding.		Date/Time: This is a data type that uses a standard UTF encoded date/time value.
	Duration: This is a data type that records a span of time.		URL: This is a data type that contains an http:// or https:// type URL.
	Phone Number: This is a data type that collects a phone number.		Attachment: This data type covers all attachments: image files, file upload, and audio files.
	Document: This is a data type that enables you to annotate a PDF file. This data type is available on the Enterprise tier only.

The data type affects the Properties tab of the question selection in the Form Builder.

Question-Relevant Icon Display

The question and data type are shown on the right-hand side beneath the question text. Icons on the right-hand side show links to other questions or Conditional Logic, and any restrictions chosen for the question.

Question and Data Type Compatibility

Most question types can use particular data types. This section has a list of each with their compatible data types, and what control types they can be changed to.

Question Type	Compatible Data Types
Text Field	Integer, decimal, currency, email, URL, Phone Number, Free Text
Text Area	Free Text
Dropdown	Integer, decimal, currency, email, URL, phone number, free text
Button Group	Integer, decimal, currency, email, URL, phone number free text
Radiobutton	Integer, decimal, currency, email, URL, phone number, free text
Multiselect	Integer, decimal, currency, email, URL, phone number, free text
Card List	Integer, decimal, currency, email, URL, phone number, free text
Information	N/A
Single Checkbox	Yes/No
Image	Image
Sketch	Image
Document Editor	Document
Signature	Image
Audio	Audio File
File Upload	File Attachment
Date/Time Selector	Time, Date, Date/Time
Date/Time Stamp	Date/Time
Geo Location	Geo Location
Geo Stamp	Geo Location
Duration Field	Duration
Stepper	Integer, Decimal, Currency
Slider	Integer, Decimal, Currency
String Concatenation	Free Text
Digit Extraction	Integer
Calculation	Integer, Decimal, Currency
Duration Calculation	Duration
Duration Math	Duration
Time-Based Math	Date/Time, Date (Enterprise tier only)

Question Restrictions

Restrictions control whether a question shows up for users, in reports, or whether it must be filled out to continue with the form submission process. These restrictions can interact with Conditional Logic to create workflow refinements. Available restrictions vary depending on the question and data type.

	Required: Required questions must be answered before proceeding to the next page of a form or submitting a form. If a user attempts to move to the next page or submit the form without answering a Required question, an error message will appear advising the user that there are unanswered Required questions.
	Read only: Read only questions cannot be edited on mobile devices. These fields usually either contain data filled out by an administrator in the case of a dispatched form or are auto-populated/prefilled based on selections made earlier in the form.
	Hidden on device: Hidden on device questions cannot be seen by mobile users. These questions may contain sensitive information, or data used by questions later in the form.
	Hidden on reports: Hidden on reports questions are not kept on completed documents and are not saved.
	Keep question width to 100%: Keep question width... questions in a Side-by-Side Section override the section’s question-answer ratio. These questions fill the whole width of the page instead of the Side-by-Side Section two-column layout.

These icons will show up to the right side in the Form Builder.