iSheet column types have a number of configurable settings that allow you to tailor the data fields to your use cases. Certain configuration settings apply only to specific column types are noted below.
Description
Applicable column types - Configurable for all iSheet column types except Auto-increment
Site Admins may add a description that, depending upon the iSheet configuration, will either display in a smaller font beneath the column name, or appear in a right slide-in view upon clicking the question mark icon. See Field descriptions in the Creating an iSheet article.
Inline:
Slide-in:
The description can provide guidance to the user about how to fill in the field. For example, it might describe the preferred format of the information, such as a US social security number in the format ###-##-####. Or, the description field may be used to ask a lengthy question that need be answered. It is best practice to keep column names short and concise, so the description is an ideal place for a sentence length question.
The description field provides basic formatting features such as bold, italic, underline text, as well as bullets, numbering and hyperlinks. A site admin could use the description to add a link to a page either within or outside of the collaborate instance that may provide information related to the field.
For many columns, descriptions are not necessary and this configuration may be left blank.
Default value
Applicable column types - Single line text, Multiple line text, Choice, Number, Date and time
A Site admin may enter a default value for a column, which will appear in the column by default when a new iSheet item is created. This default value can be changed by the user, assuming the user has permissions to edit the column.
When a new column is added to an iSheet that already has rows of data, it can be useful and is good practice to include a default value in that new column to ensure that the existing rows have data in that column. If such data is only relevant for the initial data population, the default value can subsequently be removed from the column by the Site admin so that is no longer populates that column for newly added rows.
If a column is created and saved in an iSheet with data, and at a later time a Site admin adds a default value to that column configuration, the default value will not populate the default value into existing items.
Default values only automatically populate a column if they are included in the initial column configuration and save. This ensures that any existing data entered into a column prior to a default value assignment in a column configuration is not over-written.
Each column type has certain restrictions on the what may be entered as a default value:
- Single line text - The default value must be 80 characters or less.
- Multiple line text - The default value may only be plain text, even if Allow rich HTML text is enabled. However, there is no character limit for multiple line text default values.
- Choice - The default value must be one of the existing choices defined, even if Include "Other" option is enabled. Also, only one choice option may be populated by default, even if checkboxes (to allow multiple selections) are enabled.
- Number - A maximum of 15 digits is allowed for whole numbers, and a maximum of 17 characters are allowed for decimals (including the decimal point). Default number values must also fall within any minimum and/or maximum values defined in the number column configuration.
- Date and time - Default date may either be set to Today's date or a date defined using the date picker.
Column width
Applicable column types - Configurable for all iSheet column types
This setting controls the width of a column in pixels, as it appears when viewed in the iSheet module. (This does not affect the width of the input field.) Some columns will need to have this number increased or decreased, depending on the content so that the iSheet table will display all data clearly and visibly.
Column width must be between 20 and 650 pixels.
Mandatory
Applicable column types - Single line text, Multiple line text, Choice, Number, Date and time, User lookup, Hyperlink, Image
This option can be used to enforce rules upon the user when entering a record into the iSheet. With this option checked, a user will have to populate this field before the iSheet record can be saved.
The following column types that cannot be made mandatory: Lookup, Attachment, File link, Folder link, iSheet link. Likewise, column types that require no user input cannot be made mandatory, though they need not be as they are automatically populated: Join, Calculation and Auto increment.
Allow search
Applicable column types - Single line text, Multiple line text, Choice, Number, Date and time, User lookup, Hyperlink, File link, Folder link, iSheet link, Calculation, Auto increment
This setting is checked by default, making columns searchable and available as separate searchable fields in the advanced search form. You may uncheck this setting if you do not want the column contents to be searchable or available via the advanced search.
Only the text that appears in columns is searchable. For example, only the iSheet link text is searchable, not the underlying data held in the link. Likewise, only the text of folders or documents linked via file link and folder link columns are searchable.
The following columns may not be included in the search form: Image, Attachment, Lookup, Join.
Lookup column values may be searched via the quick search box and the text search fields in the advanced search form (All of these words, Any of these words, Exclude these words).
Choice column additional settings
For choice columns, you may also configure how the search will function, by selecting one of the following radio options:
- Single selection in search
- Multiple selection in search
See the Choice article for more information.
Add to the default view
Applicable column types - Configurable for all iSheet column types
By default, each column you create will automatically be added to the iSheet's Default view. Uncheck this option during column creation if you don't want it to be included in the default view.
If the default view is later changed to another view, columns that were set to be added to the default view will not be added to the new default view, only newly added columns created after the default view is changed.
As a best practice, first determine which view will be the default in the iSheet, and check this configuration only for columns that should be included in the default view.
Allow the field to be populated from another iSheet
Applicable column types - Single line text, Multiple line text
This setting, if enabled, allows single and multiple line text fields to be populated with the value found in a selected column in the record of a source iSheet, the Lookup glossary.
When this checkbox is ticked, a Site Admin must select a source iSheet and a view of the selected iSheet as the source of the lookup glossary:
When adding or editing an iSheet item that includes a text field with this feature enabled, a Lookup glossary button will appear:
Clicking the Lookup glossary button opens a new window with the source iSheet and view that was configured by the Site admin. The user can then navigate to the appropriate record of that iSheet, and click on a column value:
The value of the column clicked will be copied back into the text field.
If multiple columns are displayed in the lookup glossary view, whichever column of data is clicked will be copied back to the item:
The text field can be further edited if needed. The imported text is not connected to the source iSheet, so changes made to the text in the item will not feed back to the lookup glossary source iSheet.
There are some limits on the types of columns from the source iSheet that can be used to populate a text field. Only the following column types may be used to populate a field via the lookup glossary:
- Single line text
- Multiple line text*
- Choice
- Number
- Date and time
- User lookup
- Hyperlink
- File link and folder link
- Calculation
- Auto increment
* Multiple line text is only available from the lookup glossary source iSheet if the column configured as multiple line text. If both the source column and the configured column are multiple line text and have rich text enabled, then links and formatting from the source are copied.
With the exception of the specific multiple line text scenario described above, all fields copied via the lookup glossary will be copied as text. For example, file and folder names as text will be copied over without links back to the files module. Likewise username or email address, depending upon the user lookup column configuration, will be copied as plain text without modal links to user profiles.
Enable inline editing
Applicable column types:
- number fields
- single line text fields
- choice columns (drop-down, radio and multi-select, but NOT user lookup) and
- multi line text
Any new columns added that are compatible will automatically have inline editing enabled by default. However, you also need to enable inline editing on the View also. When viewing the list of iSheets click on More Actions and then choose Manage Views. In the Columns section you will see Enable inline editing and this needs to be set to Yes.
This is set at the view level as if you have particular conditions set up on a particular view, you may not want users to edit this while viewing the iSheet. The view may not automatically get refreshed and then the condition would be broken. To find out more about inline editing click here.
Column condition settings
Applicable column types - Configurable for all iSheet column types.
By default, every column is displayed when a new iSheet item is added. BUT a column can be made visible or be hidden when adding or editing an item if certain conditions are met. See the article on configuring column conditionality for more information.
