Controlling when field validation happens

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03-05-2019 09:40 AM
DougBrowning
MVP Esteemed Contributor

My users have been getting pretty confused with field validation.

Most of my forms have several pages with a middle page having a repeat.  If a user enters a bad value in a repeat and tries to add a repeat they are stopped right away.  This makes sense to them.

But if I have an error on page 1 the form waits all the way until I hit the submit button before it gives an error.  This is sometimes 5 pages back.   This means a user hitting submit on page 5 has to tap back through to page 1, fix, then submit again.  Plus it does not go to the field or even page with the error.  So the user is having to go back page by page trying to find the field to fix.  With 100s of fields this gets frustrating.

It can also cause problems using that field later in the form since it is invalid the whole time.

Is it possible to have the field validation occur at the page level?  That would make so much more sense workflow wise I think.  An option on when to do validation would be even better.  I could see a global setting such as Field, Page, or Submit or a field by field level setting.

thanks

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8 Replies
by Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi Doug,

As has been discussed on other similar posts here recently https://community.esri.com/message/831767-re-after-updating-survey123-app-required-fields-are-not-en...  there is currently some issues related to when required validation occurs, and due to some recent changes and improvements, depending on the type of question, the validation may occur at a different point in time, ie on focus change out of that question, or submit. Currently we do not enforce required page validation to move to next page, as many users want to be able to navigate between pages without having to answers all the questions or only do some then save as a draft for later to complete.

With our next release we are aiming to resolve some of the known issue with required validation, the different question types and also the different behaviours and when things get validated. Hopefully this will address some of the issues you have raised above.

I have added your comments to the relevant issues for further consideration.

Phil.

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DougBrowning
MVP Esteemed Contributor

Thanks for the answer.  Hopefully this will get added soon.  My users keep telling me that the old Access on a tablet has it .

DougBrowning
MVP Esteemed Contributor

Just have to add to this since I am now getting a LOT of support calls on this.  The required checks seems completely random to the users now.

I think I traced it down to being any field with a relevant does not get checked for required until the form is submitted.  But if it does not have a relevant on it then it will check when advancing the repeat.  So users see some blank requireds get through and some do not.  They are actually calling me to tell me my form is wrong.  We have 150 repeats so the end submit is going to be a nightmare!  Just imagine having to fix 150 one by one - having to hit submit 150 times - and that is PER FIELD!!  I could see our users now having to hit submit over 1,000 times.  Am I missing something here?

Please consider these workflows and how it affects users and IT/GIS staff.  These forms being created are getting really big now and that needs to be accommodated for.

Adding a page check and a repeat check seems like the easy way to fix all of this.

When can I expect a fix?  

thanks

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by Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi Doug,

Thanks for the feedback, and sorry to hear it is causing issues with large number of your field workers and surveys. We are aiming to make improvements to required validation in the 3.4 release, however this will likely not include required validation on pages, which is a separate enhancement. Our main focus is to get the current required validation working as expected and similar to how it previously was working.

Phil.

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DougBrowning
MVP Esteemed Contributor

Thanks Phil.  Field validation is the heart and soul of a form making it a big priority.  As another user mentioned - when this goes wrong my phone rings 200 times.

If you are starting with fixes I think the advancing in a repeat should check all fields is the big one.  If it checks some fields but not others the users get very confused.  And as I mentioned the having to dig back through 100s of repeats to fix errors will be difficult to sell.  Esp since our 15 year old program had this.

Going forward here is an idea on validation.  Add a column called Validation that controls at the field level.  That column would have these values.

Field - validation as the user leaves the field.  they cannot move on until that field is corrected.  This one may require a tab type interface to provide a field level flow.  Input Masks seem to work this way.

Page (or Group)- user cannot go to the next page/group until all validation passes.  All of my users assumed this was the case by the way the app is laid out.

Repeat - user cannot go to the next repeat until all passes

Page-Repeat - both of the above

Submit - check on submit

All - does all of the above

Thanks for looking into it!

by Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi Doug,

We have just updated new 3.4 beta builds to EAC which include fixes for required questions when using relevant, constraints, and validation in repeats. Please test these fixes out and let us know if it addresses your issues above.

 

You can find the latest 3.4 beta builds here: Survey123 Early Adopter Community

Phil.

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by Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi Doug,

Can you please test out the latest 3.5 beta builds with required questions and when they validate (as well as constraints), as I think the latest 3.5 beta will further address this issues you noted in the original post on this thread. 

Latest 3.5 beta builds are here: New Survey123 3.5 Beta Builds Announcement on EAC

Regards,

Phil.

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DougBrowning
MVP Esteemed Contributor

I have been testing for a few days.  It seems ok so far but I hesitate to say fixed because all my forms are now hacked trying to get around all the 3.3 issues (like the wrapping in a group trick).  I would have to tear them back apart to make sure.  I will try to get to it but I am currently fielding lots of support calls due to the 3.3 bugs still (this is really costing us a lot now).  We have a form that keeps saying there are errors randomly.  

I really need 3.5 out soon.  thanks

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