topic Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey in ArcGIS Survey123 Questions

DateTime now() not working for second survey

FredMitchell — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 13:34:37 GMT

I have two survey's that respond to one hosted feature service. One is a request that is submitted in the browser and the other is how inspectors respond to that request using the app. The now() on the DateTime field for the request works but it doesn't work on the inspection side in the Survey123 app. Please let me know if this is a bug or if I have something wrong with my code. Thanks!

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

ABishop — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 13:38:35 GMT

@FredMitchell

Try reading up on the way the time works in Survey123 here:

https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-survey123-blog/dates-and-time-in-survey123/ba-p/895528

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

FredMitchell — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 13:50:18 GMT

I read the article but still am arriving at the same problem. The article states:

"Survey123 accepts three possible values in the XLSForm default column:

now() This function returns the current time in your device. Typically you apply this function to questions of type datetime."

I have placed this expression in the default column of the unique DateTime fields for both surveys and it's oddly not auto populating for the second one.

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

ABishop — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 13:56:36 GMT

@FredMitchell

When you test both of these forms are they from the same device and using the same connections, etc? Seems as if one is from a browser and the other is from an inspector response, could be the connection or device the problem?

Maybe try changing the inspector form to choose the time and date manually instead of autocalculating it.

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

FredMitchell — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 14:02:07 GMT

That's an interesting observation. I tried the inspector form in the browser and the now() function worked. It is likely that this is a bug with capturing the device time from iOS 15. Inspectors are currently populating the field manually ever since now() stopped working.

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

ABishop — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 14:04:12 GMT

@FredMitchell

If there is a bug, ESRI has it documented. I did a search for you here... maybe you can find something:

https://support.esri.com/en/Search-Results#search?q=iOS%2015&content-type=Bugs

Good Luck!

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

FredMitchell — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 14:07:02 GMT

Thanks! I wasn't aware of the bug tracker page. I may submit a support ticket in case this is a bug and hasn't been logged yet.

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

ABishop — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 14:09:03 GMT

@FredMitchell

You're welcome! Hope this helps.

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

ZacharySutherby — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 21:28:09 GMT

Hello @FredMitchell,

I don't think this is so much an IOS 15 issue I can reproduce on my Android device and on an IOS 14 device. I had also tested with 3.12 and was able to reproduce with that version as well. I think the issue is more so around calculations not triggering when opened via the inbox. We have an enhancement (ENH-000134563) logged to enable calculations to always work on load from the inbox which I think would address this issue. One workaround would be to add a simple yes_no choice question at the beginning of the form and make the inspection information group relevant based on 'yes' being selected. Making the group relevant will trigger the calculation when the survey is opened from the inbox. I've attached a slightly modified Mosquito Control form for reference.

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

FredMitchell — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 18:52:41 GMT

Hi @ZacharySutherby,

Thank you for your thorough response to my question. I didn't realize that when a form is loaded from the inbox it's treated differently than if it's opened in the browser. I see what you did there with addition of the prior question making the group relevant depending on the response to that question. It's a neat idea but I think for now I'll keep the now() expression in the calculate column instead of the default one. Whether it's in calculate or default it works once the user taps on the DateTime field but I like that when it's in calculate it gives the refresh option icon to the right of the field. From a UI/UX standpoint it's a little more intuitive for our field workers since it's an actual icon for them to click. Also, one of the downsides of having the group be relevant is that if they select no on start survey they could possibly still go through and submit the survey but bypass the first group of questions which is a risk I'm hesitant to take.

In regards to the ENH-000134563 enhancement is there an estimated idea of which future release this would be included in? Thanks again for your time! I really appreciate it.

Respectfully,

Fred

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

FredMitchell — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 19:28:43 GMT

@ZacharySutherby, just in case the enhancement you mentioned doesn't fix the issue I'm having I've logged a separate one under ENH-00143976. Thanks again for all your help!

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

Anonymous User — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 23:57:16 GMT

Hi @FredMitchell @ABishop,

Just letting you know we have recently updated the 3.14 beta builds on the Early Adopter Community and the next release will include major improvements to the expression calculation engine, new calculation modes, improvements to loading relevant questions and repeats, and other fixes to repeats, nested repeats and repeat count. With these improvements we see faster loading surveys, increased stability, less crashes and ability to optimize calculation workflows.

The issue you reported above can now be solved using the new calculation modes available in the latest 3.14 beta builds, where you can set calculations to always run or be manual or auto.

Please refer to this blog post for more details: https://community.esri.com/t5/arcgis-survey123-blog/arcgis-survey123-3-14-beta-now-available-for/ba-p/1124459

Direct link to EAC announcement: https://earlyadopter.esri.com/project/article/item.html?cap=e69ef91f45744b98882c651f7b518eb7&arttype...

Regards,

Phil.

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

JeremieCote — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 07:26:48 GMT

Thank you thats exactly what I was looking for! I just encountered the bug where the now() function is not working in the calculation column when loading the survey from an inbox.

By chance, is the release of 3.14 still expected for the end of the month??

Thanks again

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

Anonymous User — Wed, 19 Jan 2022 23:50:24 GMT

Hi @JeremieCote,

Currently the 3.14 release is scheduled for mid to late February, however that could change based on final development tasks and testing. Keep an eye out for updates on the ArcGIS Survey123 - ArcGIS Survey123 (esri.com).

Regards,

Phil.

Re: DateTime now() not working for second survey

VanessaSimps — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 22:50:24 GMT

Hi- I am having a very similar issue .

I have two surveys linked to the same hosted feature. One is for the field staff to collect information and the other is for a committee to review the information from within a Dashboard.

I am using s123 Connect 3.13.239.

I have a dateTime field with the default field set to now() .

Should also note that I tried today() in the default field, as well as change the field type to date instead of dateTime.

In both the s123 Connect preview and when I launch the survey independently in browser, the Date of Review value is populated as expected.

But, when I put this survey into my Dashboard (where review staff will be able to see and jump around from issue to issue to review, the Date of Review field it is empty:

Testing out a few things, when I did add the now() to the calculate field it gets me a bit closer to auto filling the value, but I still have to hit the "reload" button to get the date to populate as expected.