Converting entities and objects into forms and establishing relationships

In today’s digital age, organizations are constantly seeking ways to streamline their operations and increase efficiency. One crucial step in this journey is the transition from paper-based checklists to dynamic, digital forms. This article will guide you through the process of converting paper-based checklists into various types of mobile forms using Axonator, focusing on organization modeling and form interlinking.

Step 1: Identifying Entities and Choosing Form Types

The first step in digitizing your checklists is to identify the key entities in your organization and determine which type of Axonator form best suits each entity. Axonator offers three main types of forms:

1. Data Collection Forms: These forms are designed to gather various types of information. They can be used for tasks such as site inspections, inventory checks, or customer surveys.
2. Object Forms: Object forms represent specific entities within your organization, such as equipment, locations, or clients. These forms serve as a digital representation of these entities and store their relevant information.
3. Action Forms: Action forms are created to initiate tasks or processes related to specific objects. They are particularly useful for assigning tasks, scheduling maintenance, or triggering workflows.

Identifying the appropriate form type for each entity is crucial for effective organization modeling. For example:

• Locations and clients might be best represented as Object Forms
• Regular inspections or audits could be set up as Data Collection Forms
• Maintenance requests or approval processes could be implemented as Action Forms

Step 2: Interlinking Forms for a Cohesive Data Ecosystem

Once you’ve created your forms, the next crucial step is to interlink them, creating a robust and interconnected system that accurately reflects your organization’s structure and processes. Axonator offers two powerful methods for establishing these connections:

Reference Choice Lists

This feature allows you to pull information from one form into another, creating dynamic, data-driven fields. For instance, you can populate a dropdown list in a Data Collection Form with equipment numbers or model numbers from an Object Form.

Example: In an equipment inspection form, technicians can select from a list of equipment IDs pulled directly from the equipment inventory Object Form, ensuring accurate identification and streamlined data entry.

To set up Reference Choice Lists:

1. Create your Object Forms (e.g., Equipment Inventory).
2. In your Data Collection or Action Forms, add a field and select “Reference Choice List” as the field type.
3. Choose the Object Form you want to pull data from and select which field should be displayed.

Child Forms

This method allows you to establish hierarchical relationships between forms, where a “child” form is linked to a “parent” form. This structure enables you to enter multiple related records that are all associated with a single parent record.

Example: For equipment inspections, you might have a parent form for the overall inspection process, with child forms for each piece of equipment inspected. This allows you to record multiple equipment inspections all linked to a single inspection event.

To create Child Forms:

1. Design your parent form with the primary information.
2. Create a child form with fields for the detailed, repeatable information.
3. In the form builder, establish the parent-child relationship between the forms.