This article covers the basic field types only. For a full list of available field types, see here. 


There are four Basic field types that you can use. 

  1. Information field
  2. Text field
  3. Number field
  4. Date/Time field



Note: Once the form has been published, you cannot change the answer format - i.e. you cannot switch from a Text field to a Number field type, or switch from Single line to Paragraph type text field.


Information field


This field type is used to display instructions, warnings, or confirmations to your data collectors/respondents. No input is required. This field does not store data, i.e. no data is captured and displayed in the analytics.


Example: If a participant gave certain responses, the respondent must remind the participant to seek support from a nearby clinic.  



Text field


Use this field type to capture free text responses. It allows the user to type in their answer using letters, numbers or symbols.


You can choose between two answer formats:

  1. Single line - if you are expecting short text responses 
  2. Paragraph - if you are expecting longer text responses, such as descriptions or comments


If you want the field response to be pre-populated with specific text when it is displayed to the respondent, you can set a default value in the Basics tab. This is optional. If nothing is entered, the response will be blank. 


Note: If a field that has a default response is skipped, the default value will be still be captured and the responses displayed in the analytics grid. We'd recommend not adding default values to fields that also have skip logic applied to them.


Example: Capture the name of the head of the household.



Number field


Number fields allow the user to type in their answer using numbers only.


You can choose between two answer formats:

  1. Integer - expects only integers (whole numbers) as responses
  2. Decimal - excepts decimal values (as well as integers) as responses 


Example: Capture the number of household members living in the household you are visiting. There should not be no default response.



Date/Time field


Use this field to capture date and time related responses. 


You can choose between three answer formats:

  1. Date - if you are expecting a date as response (YYYY-MM-DD)
  2. Time - if you are expecting a time as response (HH:MM:SS)
  3. Date and time - if you are expecting a combination of a date and time as response (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)


You cannot set a default value for this field type.


Example: Enter the date and time that the participant arrived at the clinic.



Tip: To see what the fields will look like to the data collector or respondent, make use of the 'Preview' button on the far right in your top toolbar before publishing the form.



Note regarding default responses:


If you want the field to be pre-populated with a specific response when it is displayed to the respondent, you can set a default value in the Basics tab. This is optional. If nothing is entered, the response will be blank. 


If a field that has a default response is skipped, the default value will be still be captured and the response displayed in the analytics grid. We'd recommend not adding default values to fields that also have skip logic applied to them.