Auxiliary Table Questions
Auxiliary table questions are selection questions whose options come from an auxiliary table, and not from a list typed into the form. There are two:
| Question | The respondent can choose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Single selection (Auxiliary table) | One option. | "Collaborator responsible for the inspection" |
| Multiple selection (Auxiliary table) | Several options. | "Collaborators who attended the training" |
When the table is updated, the question options follow the change automatically, without editing the form.
You need the Manage forms permission. The questions appear blocked if the workspace plan does not include Auxiliary Tables. Learn more...
1. Add the question to the form
- Open the form in the form editor and click Add element;
- Choose:
- Single selection (Auxiliary table), in the Single selection (several options, one answer) section; or
- Multiple selection (Auxiliary table), in the Multiple selections (several options, several answers) section;
- Write the question statement, as in any other question;
- Click the gear icon (Configure auxiliary table) next to the question to open the configuration.
The configuration is split into seven tabs, described below. When you finish, click Save configuration. Only the Source and Display template tabs are required; the others are optional.
Adding a Single selection (Auxiliary table) question and choosing the table
2. Source tab
Under Data source, choose the table that will provide the options. The list shows the workspace tables and the company tables, with the number of fields and records of each; use the search to find the table by name.
Then choose the Display mode of the options for the respondent:
| Display mode | How it appears |
|---|---|
| Option list | All options visible in a list, with search and more options loaded as you scroll. |
| Dropdown menu | The options appear when the field is tapped, with search. Recommended for large tables. |
| Buttons | Each option is a button. Recommended for a few options with short texts. |
When you choose another table, the settings of the other tabs (filters, display template, value, mapping and export) are erased, because they depend on the fields of the previous table.
3. Filters tab
Filters define which table records will be offered to the respondent. Without filters, "every record will be considered".
Example: in the "Collaborators" table, the filter "Department equals Maintenance" makes the question offer only the maintenance collaborators.
- Click Add condition;
- Choose the field, the comparison and the value;
- If there is more than one condition, choose under How to combine the conditions:
- All conditions must be satisfied; or
- A single satisfied condition is enough.
The available comparisons depend on the field type:
| Comparison | Text | Selection | Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| equals / not equals | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| contains / does not contain | ✓ | ✓ | |
| starts with | ✓ | ||
| greater than / less than / greater than or equal to / less than or equal to | ✓ | ||
| is filled | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
About the values:
- In Text fields, you can enter several values separated by commas: the condition is met if the record matches any of them;
- In Selection fields, the values already registered in the table appear in a list for you to check;
- Number comparisons accept a single value;
- is filled asks for no value: it accepts every record that has the field filled in.
The Preview data panel shows how many records match the filters in this workspace. Click See records to see a sample of them (up to 200), already with the text that will be displayed as the option.
In Company tables, the question filters add up to the filters per workspace: the question only offers records that meet both.
4. Display template tab
The template defines the text of each option. Write the desired text and insert the table fields between braces, using the Internal name of each one. The Insert field buttons put the field into the template with one click.
| Template | Displayed option |
|---|---|
{name} | Ana Souza |
{employee_id} - {name} | 1001 - Ana Souza |
{name} ({department}) | Ana Souza (Production) |
The Preview shows how a few options look with the current template. If the template mentions a field that does not exist in the table, the system warns that it will render empty.
If, for some record, every field in the template is empty, the option appears at the end of the list, without text, and cannot be chosen. The respondent sees the notice "Some options have no description. Please let the person in charge of the form know." Prefer fields that are always filled in, such as the Name.
Configuring the filters and the display template of the question
5. Value tab
Besides the displayed text, the answer can store a value, taken from a table field. It works like the value of the options of a regular selection question and can be used in formulas and scripts.
- Turn on Assign a value to the items;
- Under Value field, choose the table field.
If the chosen field is not of the Number type, the system warns that the value cannot be used in formulas that require a number.
6. Others tab
Turn on Show "Others..." option to add, at the end of the list, an option for the respondent to enter a value that is not in the table. Under Option label, you can replace the text "Others..." with another one, such as "Not in the list".
7. Mapping tab
Mapping makes choosing an option fill other questions automatically with the record data. For example, when the collaborator is chosen, the "Employee ID" and "Department" questions are filled on their own.
For each table field, choose the form question that should receive it, or leave Do not map.
The rules, examples and behavior while answering are in Automatic filling.
8. Export tab
When an answer is saved, Hashdata stores the data of the chosen record along with it, so that the data follows the answer in the integrations. In this tab you choose which table fields are included when exporting the data of the question (API, HD Reports and BI). Use Select/clear all to speed things up.
If the plan does not include exporting data to external integrations, the configuration is saved, but only takes effect once the feature is contracted and enabled.
9. Multiple selection specifics
Multiple selection (Auxiliary table) has the same configuration, with two differences:
- the respondent can choose several records; the options already chosen leave the list and appear as selected;
- mapping only fills the other questions when a single item is selected.
Configuring a Multiple selection (Auxiliary table) question
10. Common problems
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Auxiliary table questions appear blocked under Add element | The workspace plan does not include Auxiliary Tables. Learn more... |
| "Select an auxiliary table." when saving | Choose the table in the Source tab. |
| "Set the display template of the options, in the appropriate tab." | Fill in the template in the Display template tab. |
| "There are incomplete filters: set the field and at least one value." | Complete or remove the conditions in the Filters tab. |
| A notice says that fields "changed type or were removed from the table" | The table structure changed, and some conditions no longer apply. Fix or remove those conditions. |
| "This question references an auxiliary table that was deleted." | The table was deleted. Choose another table in the Source tab and redo the configuration. |
| The desired table does not appear in the Source tab | Tables of another company or another workspace cannot be used. Check the name in the search and the table scope. |
| The preview shows 0 records | The question filters, added to the workspace filters, leave no record. Review the conditions. |
Next steps
- Learn more about automatically filling other questions;
- Learn more about how the questions appear to the respondent.