1. What is the general goal of the feature?
Create a shareable link allowing a user to edit a specific submission to a form
2. What are some example use cases for this feature?
Use case 1
I am using ODK to monitor PhD student progress at a university
The data are updated regularly by (1) the faculty admissions officer, (2) the research degree coordinator and (3) the student
The two faculty staff can look at and edit any record/submission, but the student should only be able to access and edit their own record.
In order to allow the student to view and edit their own data, ODK Collect creates a private access link.
This URL leads to a single submission of a form.
At the start of their PhD studies, the faculty staff create a link for each student, which the student then uses throughout their studies to view and update the form with new data.
Ideally the link could be switched on and off as needed (rather than being made and revoked repeatedly).
For instance, at key timepoints the coordinator could flexibly either
- block all access by the student
- allow viewing of the submission
- allow editing of the submission
In function, this would look a lot like the checkboxes currently used on the form access tab, but would be accessed from the submission detail page
Use case 1 is based on a real implementation of ODK Central editing features that I am working on right now.
Use case 2
My charitable welfare scheme is working with a group of displaced families (clients) living in temporary accommodation in London.
Each week, one of our team of volunteers (partners) who run the welfare scheme aims to visit the clients in their current residence and looks up the current address on ODK Central.
Across time, our clients may move or be moved between different temporary locations without any warning or notification to the team of partners, so we ask the clients to use a private access link to update their current address and gps location each time they move or are moved.
As in use case 1, the clients can access and edit their own data, but not that of other participants
The partners can access and edit data for all clients
This rudimentary databasing solution allows a plurality of partners and clients to remotely access and edit the system either at the level of project, or at the level of individual submissions.
Use case 2 is based on a real request for support from a charity and local government authority that I received during COVID-19 pandemic.
3. What can you contribute to making this feature a reality?
Conceptualisation, field testing