Key Concepts

When you build a data collection form in Coreo it will consist of one or more questions. Questions can be one of many different types (e.g. location, yes/no etc) and these are listed below.

Short Answer

The short answer question types allows you to enter any text (characters). The short answer question format uses a single line format and has the option to enable “Autocomplete”, which the long answer question type doesn’t.

Autocomplete

When checked, autocomplete displays previously recorded answers for you to select from. This is useful in situations where you wish to enter codes, job numbers, names etc whilst out in the field and have the option to select them in future surveys. For fixed lists of items, collections are the better option for creating ‘select’ lists. However, autocomplete allows you to dynamically create lists.

Format

A regular expression can be placed here to validate the entered text. If a user’s answer does not meet this regular expression, they will not be able to submit their answer. This could be used to enforce the entry of text in a specific format, for example, in uppercase and always comprising two letters and a number.

Long Answer

In contrast to the short answer question, the long answer question type uses a text area (multiple line input). It lacks the “Autocomplete” feature but is otherwise the same.

Yes/No

The Yes/No question type simply allows a user to select either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ in response.

Check Box

Presents the user with a single check box.

Signature

Provides a box within which the user can sign, using either a stylus or their finger.

Select-type questions

These question types allow users to select one or multiple answers from an Answer Set. An Answer Set is based on a Collection.

Multiple Choice

Multiple Choice presents your answer set as a complete list. Each item in the list has a radio button select.

Searchable List

Searchable lists are presented as a scrollable (where needed) list of searchable items. The list has a search box at the top.

Items may be presented in one of two ways; list and card view. The default can be set within Coreo.

• List view. This is an economic way to view longer lists. Where collection items have images associated with them they will appear as a thumbnail to the left of the item’s label.
• Card view. This is a good option for collections where items have images associated with them and/or where making it easy to select options is of paramount importance.

Selected options will be shown with a tick next to them.

Geometry Picker

Coreo allows you to work with geometries in various ways. The Geometry Picker question type allows the app user to search for and/or choose a geometry visually or from a list. For example, you could upload a list of local authority boundaries and enable the app user to choose one from within your form.

Geometry related questions

Location/Geometry

This question type is used to enable the user to submit a location with their record. It has the following options:

Geometry Types

Manage Map Layers

This option enables you to select which layers you wish to show on the map when adding locations. This might include data from another form, collection or your own static imagery (e.g. GeoTIFF).

Enforce Project Bounds

If you have set a project boundary (in Configuration > Project Settings) this option allows you to restrict the addition of records to within the bounds of the project.

Coordinate Projection

When added to your form the Coordinate Projection block takes any lat/long data and produces a transformation into one of four additional coordinate systems:

• what3words
• Ordnance Survey National Grid
• British National Grid (EPSG:27700)
• Irish Grid (EPSG:29903)

Reverse Geolocation

The Reverse Geolocation block can provide you with a variety of more human readable location identifiers based on the location coordinates provided. Examples include nearest address, postcode, country etc. You can add multiple blocks to your form to provide a combination of location identifiers.

Area Lookup

The Area Lookup block can help you to return the value of a containing geometry when a record is made. For example, if you have a Collection in Coreo which contains county or site boundaries, you can lookup the name of the county or site boundary when a record is added that falls within that boundary.

This block has two main sections to it:

1. Query
2. Geometry Collection

1. Query – This allows you to choose one of two options:

• Within. This is used to return the “value” of the collection item when a record is made that falls within the polygon’s bounds. (When importing a Collection you will have to specify a unique identifier for each item, which is the “key” and a “value”, which is the human readable name for that item).
• Contains.

2. Geometry Collection – This is the collection that you wish to lookup in the query.

Numeric questions

Slider

The Slider question type allows the user to input a number. With this option the user is required to input their answer via a slider and the question always has a range (a minimum and maximum possible value).

Whole numbers only?

Specifies whether the answer is an integer or not.

Min / Max

These can be used to set constraints on the values entered into the question. If a user’s answer does not meet these constraints, a message is displayed relating to the required range and the answer will not be submitted.

Numeric Answer

The Numeric Answer question type allows the user to input numbers by input directly from the keypad. No minimum or maximum number is required.

Whole numbers only?

Specifies whether the answer is an integer or not.

Min / Max

These options can be used to set constraints on the values entered into the question. If a user’s answer does not meet these constraints, a message is displayed relating to the required range and the answer will not be submitted.

Media questions

Single Photo

This question type allows the user to upload a single photo from the camera or device’s photo gallery.

Multi-Photo

This question type allows the user to upload any number of photos from the camera or device’s photo gallery.

Min / Max

These options can be used to set constraints on the number of images required or allowed. If no values are set, any number of images may be added to a record and no minimum is required (it is therefore not a mandatory question in this instance).

Date/Time related questions

Date Picker

This question type adds a date only

Autocomplete

This will populate the question with the current date, or date and time using the system clock (i.e. settings from the device). This is useful if the user is generally interested in recording the current time. This setting can be adjusted as required.

Date/time Picker

This question type adds date and time to the record

Autocomplete

This will populate the question with the current date and time using the system clock (i.e. settings from the device). This is useful if the user is generally interested in recording the current time. This setting can be adjusted as required.

‘Association’ related questions

Sub-form

This question type enables you to nest (link to, or insert) forms within your current form. This is useful in a number of situations, such as reducing the repetition of data entry if you are collecting many records which all contain the same general information. For example, if you are collecting records of the cars you see from a fixed location on a particular day you might have one form (we’ll call it a ‘parent’ form) collecting Date, Start time, Stop time and Location. This data is input only once. It links to a second form (we’ll call this a ‘child’ form) which collects data on the cars themselves. Data on many cars can be added, as required. This data is then linked within Coreo.

Lookup

This question type is used to enable the user to refer to another record of a specified form, creating an association between the chosen record and the new record the user is entering. For example, you might initially require users to collect information on a feature, such as the location of a traffic signal, on first using the app. On subsequent uses of the application you might require users to select the traffic signal in question and create a record detailing its condition. The location of the traffic signal will never change, but multiple surveys are done on its condition.

Providing text information in a form

The Text block

The text block is not a question block as such, but a means for you to provide instructions or context about elements of your form to the users of the app.

Calculations

The Calculated Field block

Calculated Fields allow you to generate responses within your form based on inputs to other fields within that form. This might be as simple as summing the total number of e.g. individual animals being recorded within your survey, or providing area measurements based on length and width. Or it could provide more complex mathematical functions, return text or dates and so on. Because calculated fields run within the app, unlike cloud functions, they work offline and provide you with immediate results for use in the field.