At Nafundi (http://nafundi.com/), we have made a commitment to
improving ODK Collect, and for this new v1.3 release, we are excited
to add features that make data collection easier for users. These
features include auto sending of finalized forms, forward/backward
buttons for navigation, and bulk configuration of devices.
Auto sending of finalized forms
In our consulting work, we've had a few clients request that we change
ODK Collect so it automatically sends finalized forms to the server.
This feature is needed because it ensures data is immediately
available for reports. Auto send also reduces training requirements.
Thanks to eHealth Nigeria (http://ehealthnigeria.org/), we are now
able to provide this feature to the ODK community.
To enable auto send, go to the main screen, tap the menu button, and
then tap General Settings. Scroll to the Auto Send section, and choose
to auto send with Wi-Fi or the cell network or both.
Once enabled, auto send will try to send all finalized forms whenever
any form is saved and finalized. It will also try to send finalized
forms whenever a Wi-Fi or cell network connection becomes available.
This feature works even while ODK Collect is not running.
Forward/backward buttons for navigation
Historically, ODK Collect has used swipes to move between form entry
screens. This is because when the ODK project started, Android devices
were small and so there was little screen real estate for buttons.
While swipes required more training, that design saved precious
on-screen space.
Today, Android devices are getting larger and we saw an opportunity to
make form navigation more intuitive for novice users. To do this, we
added an option for placing forward and backward buttons on the bottom
of the form entry screens.
To try this feature, tap the menu button while on the main screen. Tap
General Settings and scroll to the User Interface section. Tap on
Navigation to choose between horizontal swipes (the default),
forward/backward buttons, or both. We think you'll find that the
buttons make navigation easier for users. Thanks to The Taskforce for
Global Health (http://taskforce.org/) for making this feature
possible.
Bulk configuration of devices
Nafundi supports a number of ODK deployments with thousands of
devices, and as you can imagine, configuring that many devices can be
a chore! To improve that process, we created a feature that makes bulk
configuration of many devices easier.
From the main screen, tap the menu button. Tap Admin Settings, tap the
menu button again, tap Save Settings to Disk. This will save your
general and admin settings to /odk/settings/collect.settings. Copy
this settings file to /odk/collect.settings of any other device
running ODK Collect v1.3, and when you re-launch ODK Collect, it will
automatically load those settings, and delete that file.
Upgrade to ODK Collect v1.3 today to start using auto send, navigation
buttons, and bulk configuration. And remember, you can hide any of
these options from your users using admin mode
(http://opendatakit.org/2012/11/admin-mode-arrives-in-odk-collect-1-2-2)
-- a feature we added only a few months ago.
