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 Creating and managing fields.

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.