Creating and managing fields

You can create or modify fields in a form at any time. All changes take effect as soon as you save them, but if a user has a form open when you modify its fields, the user must close all instances of the form and reopen it to see your changes.

To create table fields, see Creating table fields.
To create panel fields, see Creating panels.
For detailed descriptions of each field, see Field Properties.

When you add, modify, or remove any field on the form, we recommend;

To backup your database before making the changes.
To make changes when the system has minimum load.

Determining what types of fields to use

The way you add fields to a form should be guided by the planned use of the fields. Some possible uses include:

Data fields that all users need. These fields should be grouped together.
Data fields used by selected groups of users. Consider grouping these fields on separate tabbed panels.
Data fields that contain information not presented to users. Consider hiding these fields from all views.
Temporary workflow fields. These fields store temporary, working values used during workflow processing. Consider hiding them from all views because users do not need to interact with these fields.
Visual cue fields. Trim fields, panel fields, view fields, and images on button fields provide cues to users on how best to use each form.
List-oriented fields. Use table fields when presenting data lists on forms.

Add fields carefully because you might find it impractical to eliminate a field after users have come to rely on it. In addition, how you administer fields can affect performance.

For more information about fields, see:

Creating and managing fields

Determining what types of fields to use

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