All console users with permission to modify form submissions can edit the responses received to any field in a form. In general this is acceptable. However, there may be several good reasons why a particular response should not be edited. In these cases you might want to lock response editing to prevent other users from editing the responses to these fields.


For example: 

  • A response may be a numeric value used for repeating sections. Modifying this value will change the number of repeats which might lead to invalid or missing data.
  • A response may have been used somewhere else in the form for performing calculations or defining branching logic. Editing the response may create a serious data inconsistency you wish to prevent.
  • A response may have been pre-populated (e.g. by using variables or using the API) and not physically captured by a fieldworker. Allowing the value to be modified does not make sense.
  • The form may be linked to a third-party system using the API and modifying the response could have workflow and/or protocol impact on other systems which need to be considered.



Note: Only console users with permission to modify the form's design can lock and unlock response editing. 



To lock (disable) response editing:

  1. Click on the name of the field you want to lock for response editing to open the drop-down. 
  2. In the drop-down, select 'Lock response editing'.
  3. A lock icon will appear in the top right corner of the field box. Even a console user with permission to modify submissions will not be able to edit the responses to a field which has been locked. 





 To unlock (enable) response editing:

  1. Click on the name of the field you want to unlock to open the drop-down. 
  2. In the dropdown, select 'Unlock response editing'.
  3. The lock icon will disappear and any console user with permissions to modify submissions will be able to edit responses to the field.