References on Forms

The References standard form element indicates that the current object has been referenced on other objects through a relationship. Administrators can configure how the information is displayed, as well as what tasks end-users can do through the element. Before a reference can be added to a form, the form's object type must be added to a relationship on another object type. Read more here: Add References to an Object Type.

The data available in the References element belongs to the object type(s) where the relationship was originally saved. For example, if the Vehicle object type is saved in a relationship on the Incident object type, the data displayed on the form will be from Incident.

Format & Display Options

By default, references are added to the form canvas as a dropdown menu, displaying its name (versus the long name), but you can configure the element to choose how the reference is displayed, which functionality is available, and which form is displayed when creating a new object. 

Format options include: 

• Enable Search: End-users can search for and view existing objects to add to the reference.

• Include Archived Data in Search Results: Admins can control whether archived objects will be visible when end-users are searching for existing objects from the reference element. Archived data will not be visible if the Enable Search option is not selected.

• Enable Create: End-users can create new objects and add them to the reference.

• Enable Unlink: End-users can remove objects from the form reference and unlink them from the reference object.

• Enable Advanced: End-users can search for, select, or create objects from a palette after clicking Add Existing [Object] or Create New links on the form.

  
  The highlighted reference table demonstrating how the advanced display appears on a form, whereas the reference above it is displaying the default interface

Display options include:

• Dropdown: Shows the reference as a dropdown menu.
  A reference dropdown menu.
• Table: Shows the reference as a table. The objects are displayed in descending order based on their Unique IDs.
  A reference table.
• Map: Displays a map with pins representing any recorded locations of the relationship object and/or reference objects. If location data isn't enabled or recorded, the map will not display any data. Read more here: Locations.

To configure a reference on a standard form:

1. Click theicon in the top bar > Configurable Forms.Views section, then select the relevant form.
2. Add the reference element to the form, hover your cursor over the element on the canvas, then click the icon to open the Edit Component Display window. 
   The Edit Component Display window.
3. Click Display ‘Long Name’ to display the long name of the originating relationship on the form. To add or edit the relationship's long name, open the Edit Object Type page where the original relationship was created, click the Relationships tab, then click the relationship to open the Edit Relationship palette.
4. Select one or more of the following options:
   • Enable Search: End-users can search for existing reference objects.
   • Include Archived Data in Search Results: End-users can search for or view archived objects through the form element. This option won't be visible unless the Enable Search option is enabled. See the Archived Data section for more information. 
   • Enable Create: End-users can create new objects through the reference.
   • Enable Unlink: End-users can remove objects from the reference on the form and unlink them from the reference object.
   • Enable Advanced: Displays the advanced user interface for the reference on a form. When this option is enabled, clicking Add Existing [Object] will open a palette that allows users to search for and select one or more objects or assessment objects (if any) to add to the reference.
5. To display the reference as a dropdown menu, leave Dropdown selected under View Relationship as: This option is selected by default.
6. To display the reference as a table:
   1. Select Table under View Relationship as: then click to select the properties and fields from the reference object type that you want to include on the table as columns (e.g., if the Vehicle object type is referenced in a relationship on the Incident object type, you can display properties and fields from Incident in the table). The columns will appear on the table in the order they were selected in the Build Relationship Table settings.
      Selecting the properties and fields that will appear on the table as columns.

      Reference tables with more than 10,000 rows of data will not load correctly. For larger data sets, it's recommended that a Form Action element is added to a form to redirect users to view the data in a report.

   2. Optional: Select the Display colored cells as ovals checkbox to show formula or select list cells as text with colored circles instead of full background color. When this option is not selected, cells are displayed with text and full background color, if any.
7. To display the reference as a map, select Map under View Relationship as: Selecting this option will display a map with pins representing any recorded locations of the relationship object and/or reference objects. If location data isn't enabled or recorded, the map will not display any data. Read more here: Locations.

   Selecting the Map option disables the Enable Create and Enable Advanced format options.

8. For both the dropdown and table options, below Object Type Forms, select the form the users will complete if they're creating a new object through the reference.

   Selecting the configurable form that will be displayed when an end-user creates a new object through the reference.

   If no configurable form(s) have been created for the object type(s) in the relationship, the default form will be selected automatically.

9. Click Close when finished.