Altova RecordsManager

Fields

Data Fields

In each data container of your app created in RecordsManager, end users enter records to build up the data stored in the database. Every record is defined by a number of fields.

Fields defining a record in RecordsManager online databases

RecordsManager offers a wide variety of field types, including:

  • Text
  • Multiline text
  • Date
  • Time
  • Number
  • Auto-increment number
  • Files
  • Images
  • Reminders
  • Link to (data container)

To speed development while defining fields, you can copy any number of previously defined fields from other data containers as a starting point, and then modify them as needed.

Copy existing fields as a starting point

Data Formatting Options

RecordsManager includes detailed formatting options for number, date, and time fields to simplify data entry and ensure data consistency.

Data Validation

You can define multiple validation checks per field using XPath expressions, which also define the error message to be shown to the user. Validation issues can be set to error (record cannot be saved) or warning (message shown to user but the record can be saved).

Configuring validation for user data entry

In addition to per-field validation, you can define per-record validation where multiple fields are validated against each other.

Entered data can be constrained by the following options:

  • Required
  • Read-only
  • Unique within all records
  • Unique within records with the same parent
Validation with data entry constraints

You can supply editing hints that will be displayed when a field is empty to help guide valid data entry, and it’s also possible to supply a list of predefined values. These can be listed manually by the admin during set up, imported from a CSV or XML file, or imported from data previously entered by users in the same field. The list values can be sorted automatically, for instance to show recently used values first.

It’s easy for the admin to allow the selection of only one or multiple values and whether the end users can extend the list on the fly when entering data. You can even configure which user groups can see which part of a given list for granular customization.

Pre-filled Fields

You can specify certain fields to be automatically populated with values based on an XPath calculation with a choice of when that calculation should be done:

  • For new records (for instance, to populate a record ID or record creation date)
  • When saving records (for instance, a last-edited date or a calculation of entered data)
  • Always (for instance, to calculate a value that should always be shown to the user, like days-to-expiration)

Identity Fields

Each record can be identified by one or more fields; in each container, you will configure one or more fields to be Identity Fields. For example, in an HR application, employees will typically have unique ID numbers, so the ID number field can be used to identify records in the Person data container. In the case of some data containers, more than one field might be necessary to come closer to uniqueness (for example, a person’s First, Middle, and Last names as shown below).

Identity fields

Identity fields are needed to link from one data container to another and used to show parent records within a child record.

Identity fields in detail

Make Changes to Structure on the Fly

As with all structures in RecordsManager apps, the admin can reorder, add, delete, change types, update autofill and validation rules for fields at any time, even if data has previously been entered.

Reorder or change fields at any time

What’s Next?

After defining fields and validation rules, you can configure the various forms used in your app for searching, entering, emailing, and reporting data.

Get Started with RecordsManager

RecordsManager is a free, pre-built MobileTogether solution that is available for you to start using when you install MobileTogether Designer. Use the link below to download and install the free Altova MobileTogether Designer to get started on your first RecordsManager app.