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Creating a "Checklist" Style Form type Entity - Idea and Design
TL.DR: Sorry there is no summary as I would like to use this in the future to possible write a guide to. Apologies for long winded, but I thought the more information the better the flaw.
Hi all,
I am planning to create a Check List type of Form or Data entry. Yes I can use PDF (which I am already using), Words can too but it is restrictive in the sense it is it Windows only. PDF is restrict in way that I update the form is a hassle to do, retrieving data is also annoying and many more complication.
I decide, why not just use EspoCRM for this and will be doing just that. My issue at the moment is long term sight, my design currently might be very stupid and will cause headache in the future and was hoping to hear discussion on this topic. Maybe I will get some idea, design changes and perhaps hear better method that can be done.
Now let break down to it. First is to share a sample of the first type of form I will be creating.
I want to replicate a form similar to this:
As you can see there is Multiple Column and a "Comments" field, but that is just one area. In a property you can have multiple area, a minimum would be: Bedroom, Kitchen, Living room, Bathroom.
So this entity can get quite massive and if I don't design it well, it can be static and making changes will be difficult.
Something you would have Property with 1, 2, 3, 4 Bedroom. In odd case there is 5,6,7 bedroom then what can I do? But for property that only have 2 Bedroom, if I design a form with 4 bedroom then there is 2 bedroom is blank and useless.
Next is the Column (or checkbox list). How should this be design, there is usually 2 option, TRUE or FALSE. Should I make that you can choose both, or there is only option, "It is either FALSE unless you choose then box so it become TRUE". But designing this way you might miss an item, by checking everything you don't miss any.
Next is field type, for comments should I use Varchar? Text? Wysiwyg? Varchar is good because it good for exporting and important, it is restrictive so anything can read it. Not sure what the difference between Text and Varchar is though. Wysiwyg? is great to highlight information, Allowable good documentations and able to show more then just text, it is less restrictive but exporting might be difficult.
Next is visibility. Should using the Field Logic condition be wise to hide irrelevant information. Such as I can have one extra field with number selection for example 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. If I choose 3 then 3 option of Bedroom will be available. But how will that look in the CRM? Would that be a large empty space area when I design with 8 Bedroom in the layout, 5 will hidden while only 3 will show.
For those Clean or Not Clean column. Would it be better to merge it instead? By having two option using Enum(?). Clean or Not Clean. But will this affect search, exporting data via PDF or Email, or CSV. Would a more realistic approach of using Field: Int be more advisable. Where 0 = False and 1 = True. But when you read this in EspoCRM is it difficult to read, it not like a "Tick Box" or a "Cross Shape" where you can easy understand it. Having 0 and 1... we are not computer we can't picture that.
Would a Boolean would be ideal, as it might combine both the Enum and the Int function? Boolean. But how will it look visually, and exporting?
Multi-Enum is quite good, you can use it like a tagging system, so you can use the pre-populate option or add in your own, but the weakness is you might end up with junk data. Furthermore exporting it is a hassle, the search also impossible to use as well.
Checklist sound like what I should be using but it seem to have been change slightly in design. I can't choose the colors anymore?
---
Here is some issue I believe:
1) This Entity is only good for one type of forms. That mean in future if I want to create more form then I would end up with TOO MANY entity.
2) This mean more linking relationship and more data entry. Do I really want that? Possibly as that the whole purpose.
3) There is other tools that is better out there for this sort of thing? I haven't find any.
---
Have you done something similar? How did you do yours?
I will prototype a few design and see how it goes, then just decide on using one until a solution come up and migrate from there.
Hi all,
I am planning to create a Check List type of Form or Data entry. Yes I can use PDF (which I am already using), Words can too but it is restrictive in the sense it is it Windows only. PDF is restrict in way that I update the form is a hassle to do, retrieving data is also annoying and many more complication.
I decide, why not just use EspoCRM for this and will be doing just that. My issue at the moment is long term sight, my design currently might be very stupid and will cause headache in the future and was hoping to hear discussion on this topic. Maybe I will get some idea, design changes and perhaps hear better method that can be done.
Now let break down to it. First is to share a sample of the first type of form I will be creating.
I want to replicate a form similar to this:
As you can see there is Multiple Column and a "Comments" field, but that is just one area. In a property you can have multiple area, a minimum would be: Bedroom, Kitchen, Living room, Bathroom.
So this entity can get quite massive and if I don't design it well, it can be static and making changes will be difficult.
Something you would have Property with 1, 2, 3, 4 Bedroom. In odd case there is 5,6,7 bedroom then what can I do? But for property that only have 2 Bedroom, if I design a form with 4 bedroom then there is 2 bedroom is blank and useless.
Next is the Column (or checkbox list). How should this be design, there is usually 2 option, TRUE or FALSE. Should I make that you can choose both, or there is only option, "It is either FALSE unless you choose then box so it become TRUE". But designing this way you might miss an item, by checking everything you don't miss any.
Next is field type, for comments should I use Varchar? Text? Wysiwyg? Varchar is good because it good for exporting and important, it is restrictive so anything can read it. Not sure what the difference between Text and Varchar is though. Wysiwyg? is great to highlight information, Allowable good documentations and able to show more then just text, it is less restrictive but exporting might be difficult.
Next is visibility. Should using the Field Logic condition be wise to hide irrelevant information. Such as I can have one extra field with number selection for example 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. If I choose 3 then 3 option of Bedroom will be available. But how will that look in the CRM? Would that be a large empty space area when I design with 8 Bedroom in the layout, 5 will hidden while only 3 will show.
For those Clean or Not Clean column. Would it be better to merge it instead? By having two option using Enum(?). Clean or Not Clean. But will this affect search, exporting data via PDF or Email, or CSV. Would a more realistic approach of using Field: Int be more advisable. Where 0 = False and 1 = True. But when you read this in EspoCRM is it difficult to read, it not like a "Tick Box" or a "Cross Shape" where you can easy understand it. Having 0 and 1... we are not computer we can't picture that.
Would a Boolean would be ideal, as it might combine both the Enum and the Int function? Boolean. But how will it look visually, and exporting?
Multi-Enum is quite good, you can use it like a tagging system, so you can use the pre-populate option or add in your own, but the weakness is you might end up with junk data. Furthermore exporting it is a hassle, the search also impossible to use as well.
Checklist sound like what I should be using but it seem to have been change slightly in design. I can't choose the colors anymore?
---
Here is some issue I believe:
1) This Entity is only good for one type of forms. That mean in future if I want to create more form then I would end up with TOO MANY entity.
2) This mean more linking relationship and more data entry. Do I really want that? Possibly as that the whole purpose.
3) There is other tools that is better out there for this sort of thing? I haven't find any.
---
Have you done something similar? How did you do yours?
I will prototype a few design and see how it goes, then just decide on using one until a solution come up and migrate from there.
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