Create New Report Field

To create a new report field, click the Create button in the top right corner of the screen. A popup will appear on screen to enter information about the new report field:

• General Tab Name – The Name textbox is a mandatory field, as denoted by the *. It is used to name the report field and should be indicative of the field's intended purpose.
  • Description – The Description textbox allows the admin to provide more details if necessary for the report field.
  • Control Type – The Control Type dropdown is a mandatory field, as denoted by the *. It determines how the report field will be seen and used. It can be a dropdown, a textbox, or a logo.
    • The "Logo" selection is used if the admin wants the agency's logo, or another logo, to be able to be included on forms.
      Note: If "dropdown" is selected and saved, a new tab Field Choices will appear to allow the admin to create the selectable options within the dropdown. Additional controls for dependent dropdowns will also appear. If "logo" is selected, the Data Type dropdown and Character Max textbox will disappear because they are not applicable.
  • Dependent Dropdown – If "Dropdown" is selected from the Control Type dropdown, the following controls will appear:
    
    • The Child Dependent Dropdown checkbox determines whether the currently selected field is a dependent dropdown child. This means that the selections available in the dropdown will be dependent on what is selected in another dropdown the parent dependent dropdown.
    • If the box is checked, a new tab Dependent Field will appear to allow the admin to determine the parent dependent dropdown and the available child dependent dropdown field choices.
      Note: Forms with dependent dropdowns must include all dropdowns in the relationship in order for the function to work properly.
    • The Parent Dependent Dropdown listbox displays all of the fields for which the currently selected dropdown is a parent dependent dropdown.
  • Calculated Field – The Calculated Field textbox will appear when "Text" is selected from the Control Type dropdown.
    • Checking the Calculated Field checkbox indicates that the field's value will be determined by a calculation. This reveals the Calculated Field tab.
  • Data Type – The Data Type dropdown is a mandatory field, as denoted by the *. It indicates what kind of data will be entered into the field: decimal, integer, or string.
  • Character Max – The Character Max textbox is a mandatory field, as denoted by the *. It allows the admin to determine the maximum number of characters permitted to be entered into the report field.
  • Precision – When "Decimal" is selected as the data type, the Precision textbox will appear. This determines how many decimal places will be allowed in the field.
  • Save and Cancel – The Save and Cancel buttons are located at the bottom right of the screen and are available in all of the tabs. The Save button saves the changes made to the report field.
  • The Cancel button cancels any changes made to the report field.
  • Delete – Once the report field is saved, the Delete button becomes available in the bottom left corner of the screen and is available in all of the tabs. Click Delete to delete the currently selected report field.
    Note: If the report field is currently being used, the deletion cannot be completed.
• Calculated Field Tab – As noted above, if the Calculated Field checkbox is checked on the General tab, the Calculated Field tab will appear.
  
  • The Calculated Field tab allows the admin to populate a field based on a calculation. To begin, the admin must determine what kind of calculation will be used by making a selection from the Interaction Type dropdown.
    Note: The available interaction types will be dependent on the current field's data type.
    Note: Forms with calculated fields must include all fields in the calculation in order for the function to work properly.
  • Average Calculation – Selecting "Average" from the Interaction Type dropdown on the Calculated Field tab means the selected field will automatically be calculated based on the average of the fields added to the equation on this tab.
    
    • Click the button to select the desired fields. Selecting a field means that within the inspection report, the value that is entered into that field will be used for the calculation.
      • Next, click the button to add another field to the equation.
    • To delete an item line in the equation, click that item's button.
  • Conditional Calculation – Selecting "Conditional" from the Interaction Type dropdown on the Calculated Field tab means the selected field will be populated based on a conditional "If, Then" statement. This is the most flexible of all of the interaction types.
    
    • "If" – To begin, the admin must develop the "If" portion of the conditional equation. The "If" portion can have multiple items added.
      • Use dropdown #1 to determine whether the first part of an item will be a field or a value.
    • If "Field" is selected, click the button to select the desired field. Selecting a field means that within the inspection report, the value that is entered into that field will be used for the calculation.
    • If "Value" is selected, use the textbox to enter the desired value.
    • Next, use dropdown #2 to determine which symbol or expression to use in the equation:
    • Symbol Meanings

    • Section	Description
      =	The value of the first part of the item is equal to the value of the second part of the item.
      <	The value of the first part of the item is less than the value of the second part of the item.
      >	The value of the first part of the item is greater than the value of the second part of the item.
      <=	The value of the first part of the item is less than or equal to the value of the second part of the item.
      >=	The value of the first part of the item is greater than or equal to the value of the second part of the item.
      In	The value of the first part of the item is in the value of the second part of the item.
      Not In	The value of the first part of the item is not in the value of the second part of the item.
      Contains	The value of the first part of the item contains the value of the second part of the item.
      Does Not Contain	The value of the first part of the item does not contain the value of the second part of the item.
      And	Used to combine sections of the equation.
      Or	Used to compare sections of the equation.
      Not Equal To	The value of the first part of the item is not equal to the value of the second part of the item.

    • • Once the symbol is chosen, use dropdown #3 in the second part of the item to determine whether it will be a field or a value. Follow the steps listed above to complete the selection.
      • Perform these same steps for every additional item added to the "If" portion.
    • "Then" – Once the "If" portion of the conditional statement is created, the admin can determine what will result from it in the "Then" portion.
      • To begin, a selection must be made from dropdown #4 to determine what action the "Then" portion will take: = , editable, or read only.
      • If "=" is chosen, the "Then" portion of the condition will operate exactly like the numeric interaction type. The admin can make it equal to a specific field or value, or the admin can make it equal to the result of an equation. For more information on how to formulate this type of item, review the "Numeric Calculation" portion of this manual section.
      • If "Editable" is chosen, the "Then" portion indicates that if all of the conditions of the "If" statement are met, the selected field will be editable in the form.
      • If "Read Only" is chosen, the "Then" portion indicates that if all of the conditions of the "If" statement are met, the selected field will be read only in the form.
    • "Else" – The outermost button allows the admin to add "Else" and "Else If" sections to the calculation. Every additional "Else" after the first will become an "Else If" and operate the same as the "If" section.
      • If "=" is chosen from dropdown #5, the item will operate exactly like the numeric interaction type. The admin can make it equal to a specific field or value, or the admin can make it equal to the result of an equation. For more information on how to formulate this type of item, review the "Numeric Calculation" portion of this manual section.
      • If "Editable" is chosen, the item indicates that the selected field will be editable in the form.
      • If "Read Only" is chosen, the item indicates that the selected field will be read only in the form.
      • To remove the "Else" option, click the option's button.
    • Date Calculation – When "Date" or "DateTime" is selected from the Data Type dropdown on the General tab, the "Date" option is available from the Interaction Type dropdown on the Calculated Field tab. The date calculation is used to populate the selected field with a next date based on a previous date and a frequency field or value.
      
      • To begin, click the button to select the field that contains the previous date.
      • Next, use dropdown #1 determine whether the frequency being added to the previous date will be from another field or a specific value.
      • If a "Field" is selected, click the button to select the field that contains the frequency. If "Value" is selected, use the textbox to enter a frequency value.
      • Use dropdown #2 to determine the unit of time (days, months, or years) for the populated field.
    • GPS Conversion – Selecting "GPS Conversion" from the Interaction Type dropdown on the Calculated Field tab means the selected field will populate with the converted coordinates of another GPS coordinate field. The coordinates can be converted to either the decimal degrees format or the degrees minutes seconds format.
      
      • To begin, use dropdown #1 to indicate whether the field being converted will be converted to "Degrees" or "Degrees Minutes Seconds."
      • Next, click the button to select the field that will be converted.
    • Max Calculation – Selecting "Max" from the Interaction Type dropdown on the Calculated Field tab means the selected field will return the highest numeric value from a given list of fields/values. Non-numeric values will be ignored.
      
      • If "Field" is selected, click the button to select the desired field. Selecting a field means that within the inspection report, the value that is entered into that field will be used for the calculation. If "Value" is selected from the dropdown, use the textbox to enter a value.
      • Next, click the button to add another item to the equation.
      • To delete an item line in the equation, click that item's button.
    • Min Calculation – Selecting "Min" from the Interaction Type dropdown on the Calculated Field tab means the selected field will return the lowest numeric value from a given list of fields/values. Non-numeric values will be ignored.
      
      • If "Field" is selected, click the button to select the desired field. Selecting a field means that within the inspection report, the value that is entered into that field will be used for the calculation. If "Value" is selected from the dropdown, use the textbox to enter a value.
      • Next, click the button to add another item to the equation.
      • To delete an item line in the equation, click that item's button.
    • Numeric Calculation – Selecting "Numeric Calculation" from the Interaction Type dropdown on the Calculated Field tab means the selected field will automatically be calculated based on the designed numeric equation using fields and values.
      
      • To begin, determine whether the first item of the calculation will be a field or a value using dropdown #1.
      • If "Field" is selected, click the button to select the desired field. Selecting a field means that within the inspection report, the value that is entered into that field will be used for the calculation. If "Value" is selected from the dropdown, use the textbox to enter a value.
      • Next, click the button to add another item to the equation. When another item is added, dropdown #2 will appear to allow the admin to choose which mathematical symbol will be used in the calculation.
      • The admin can continue the process of adding items and selecting the mathematical symbol between items until the desired equation is complete.
      • To delete an item in the equation, click that item's button.
    • Weighted Average Calculation – Selecting "Weighted Average" from the Interaction Type dropdown on the Calculated Field tab means the selected field will automatically be calculated based on the average of the fields added to this equation and accounting for their weighted factor.
      
      • Click the button to select the desired fields. Selecting a field means that within the inspection report, the value that is entered into that field will be used for the calculation.
      • Next, click the button to add another field to the equation. To delete an item in the equation, click that item's button.
    • Field Choices Tab – As noted above, if "Dropdown" is selected from the Control Type dropdown on the General tab, the Field Choices tab will appear.
      
      • Clicking the Add Field Choice button will create a new entry in the table.
    • Name – The Name textbox is used to name the field choice and is what the user will see when they go to make a selection from the report field.
    • Value – The Value textbox determines whether or not the field choice will have a value associated with it. If selected, this value is then stored in the database.
      • Example: If the dropdown is being used to determine a deck rating with a scale of 0-9, the values 0-9 would need to be entered into their respective field choice's Value textboxes to ensure that the value is stored if selected.
    • Order – The Order textbox determines the order in which the field choices will appear in the dropdown, starting with "1."
    • Delete – Click the icon to delete the field choice.
    • Dependent Field Tab – If the currently selected field has been indicated as a child dependent dropdown, the Dependent Field tab will appear to allow the admin to determine the parent dependent dropdown and the available child dependent dropdown field choices.
      
    • Click the Browse button to choose an existing field to be the parent dependent dropdown. Once chosen, the Field Selection dropdown will appear and will contain all of the field choices for the selected parent:
      
    • When a field choice is selected from the Field Selection dropdown, the admin can then check the boxes of the child dependent dropdown's field choices that should be available. Only child field choices that are linked to a specific parent field choice (their checkboxes are checked in the table) will appear as selectable fields in the child dropdown when the specific parent field choice is selected in a form.
      • Example: A dependent dropdown system could be established for bridge elements and defects. If the parent dependent dropdown was for bridge elements, the child dependent dropdown could display the defects possible for the selected element.
      • Parent Selections (Element):
        • 12 Reinforced Concrete Deck
        • 120 Steel Truss
        • 331 Reinforced Concrete Bridge Railing
        • etc.
      • •Child Selections (Defect):
        • 1090 Exposed Rebar
        • 1130 Cracking
        • 1190 Abrasion/Wear
        • 1900 Distortion
        • 7000 Damage
        • etc.
      • The admin would then check the checkboxes of the appropriate defects for each element. This would ensure that when a specific element was selected from the parent dropdown on a form, only options relevant to that selection would appear in the child dropdown. Note: Child dependent dropdowns are restricted to having only one parent, but the child field choices can be tied to multiple field choices within the parent. For instance, defect 1090 in the above example could be made available in the child dependent dropdown if either element 12 or element 331 were selected.
• Manual Pages Tab – AssetWise Inspections’ design allows agencies to add manuals or reference guides to specific fields to aid inspectors and maintenance crews. These reference materials are uploaded in the Manage Documentation feature of the Site Configuration tools.
  
  • Use the Add buttons for the PDF Pages, Text, and Image sections to add the desired files and information to the field. These items will then be available to view when the field is selected in an inspection report.
• Role Security Tab – Role security can now be applied to individual fields within a form. Users within a role can either be given full control of the field or read-only access. The access level "hidden" is not applicable for fields.
  
  • Use the Access Level dropdown for the desired role to determine whether the role's access to the field will be Full Control or Read Only. By default, all roles will be set to Full Control.
• Advanced Settings Tab:
  
  • Regular Expression – Regular expressions are sets of characters that determine specific acceptable formats for a field. Within AssetWise Inspections, the regular expression is a set of characters that determines a specific format for the field, such as how the user might format a telephone number.
  • Required Field – Checking the Required Field checkbox indicates that the field is required and must be completed. If the field is not completed in the inspection report, the report cannot be submitted.
  • Values identical for asset and all its reports – The radio buttons for Values identical for asset and all its reports indicate whether or not the field can have unique values among any report and asset values. Select no if each report (and asset values) can have its own value for this field. Typically, a report's value will be written back to the asset value upon report approval. This is the default field functionality. Select yes if the value will always be identical between the asset and all of its reports. All reports, regardless of their approval status, will always display/reference the asset value for this field. Reports will not save their own values for this field at all, and updating the value for this field anywhere (whether through asset values or through a report) will always update the asset value.
  • Pre-populate new reports with the Asset Value – By default, a new inspection report is created with asset values filled in for fields. If there are certain fields that inspectors update every time there is a new report and the last value is irrelevant, then you can select No as the option for Pre-populate new reports with the Asset Value so that the field is blank every time a new report is created.
  • Default Value – AssetWise Inspections permits administrators to establish default values that will automatically populate within fields in the inspection report.
    • Use the Field Has a Default Value dropdown to determine when the field will populate with the default value. Additional options will then appear (options vary based on selection):
      
    • Checking the Overwrite checkbox will overwrite the existing report value for the field with the default value when a new report is created.
    • Use the Default Value field (depends on the field's control type) to enter the value that will automatically populate the field.
  • Query And Filter Settings – The radio buttons in this section allow the admin to determine whether or not the report field should be available on queries, report filters, and/or maintenance filters. This means the report field can be used both as a display field for search results and as a search criterion.
    • If selected to be available on Collector filters, the Display Value Type dropdown appears to allow the admin to determine which value will be displayed in the Collector filter. The field can have its report value, asset value, or both displayed in the filter. If both are selected, the Collector filter will contain two columns for each report to display the field's report values and asset values.