Fundamentally, I think making nested data easier to work with is really important. I see a number of goals:
- user can quickly see a list of existing nested record
- user can quickly jump to a specific nested record
- user can quickly add a nested record
- user can use nested records comfortably on any device form factor
I'm using the term "nested record" because while repeats are the current way to handle this, Linking different forms could be an alternative.
A sidebar could be a good solution for devices with large screens but I think it would be problematic on smaller devices. @tomsmyth, do you know who built the Collect fork with the sidebar that you shared a screenshot of? Is it open source? It would be interesting to be able to try it on different device form factors and see how that challenge is addressed.
An alternative might be using a whole screen for the beginning of a repeat showing a list of existing records and a + button for adding a new one. The user could either tap an existing record to edit it or the + to add one.
Something line this screen could replace the dialog box currently used to add repeats.
Your other proposal at Separate screen in jump screen for listing repeat items could also potentially address the issue. For example, the jump screen could be changed so that if a repeat only contains a field-list, tapping the jump menu goes to the summary of all records rather than into the specific record the user is in. Perhaps a button to add repeats could be included there.
Similar concept as above but accessed through the jump menu.
All this to say that there are a few ways to address the core problem. @tomsmyth do you see the sidebar as a must? Do any of these other approaches resonate with anyone? Any others that should be considered?