Wish list for a newbie

Support
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Goal: Would like to use ODK for collecting data on trees in permanent plots (repeat measurements over time). My wish list of features includes:

  • Hierarchical structure (parent-child-grandchild data forms): for example, Site -> Plot within site -> Tree within plot
  • Child forms or sub-forms that open when a particular value has been entered (for example, when a previously living tree has died we would like ODK to open up the tree mortality form)
  • Seeing previously recorded data when we enter a tree's tag number
  • Default values for data fields that rarely change, so we don't have to enter data for every field
  • Real-time quality control (i.e., data limits) to catch data entry errors
  • Tracking which trees have been measured and which have not (for example, it's easy to miss trees in our forests, so after we think we've measured all the trees in a plot, it would be helpful to see a list of the ones we missed)
  • Editing capability – going back into a record to change a value
  • Database synchronization and “interleaving” when more than one device is used within a plot
  • Pulldown lists and pulldown comments to minimize typing

That's probably a tall order but if anyone out there has experience coding some of these features and functions, please let me know. If this coding project comes to fruition, I'd be happy to share our forms/scripts with anyone who's interested. Thanks!

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Seeing previously recorded data when we enter a tree's tag number

I also need this feature. I'm attempting to close in on a solution by using an external csv and pulldata() / search() in tandem to reference data in an external sheet. Then you can update the external CSV with the data every so often, rather than the whole form.

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Is this (http://xlsform.org/#cascade) not sufficient? Assuming you have a relatively fixed set of plots and sites it should help out, at least.

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Matt - yes, thanks...the cascade option in xlsform should do the trick, as we have a fixed set of plots and sites.

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Thanks @RJP! I've moved your post to the support category for now so we can keep features really focused on individual feature threads that can eventually be implemented and closed.

Some of these you should be able to do today as @MattFoy has mentioned. Others are already in features and I encourage you to vote and comment on those. If there are some you really can't find addressed anywhere, please do open one new feature thread for each. Thanks!

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Thanks for doing that, Helene! I was wondering about that (posting about more than one feature on Features), so appreciate you taking care of it.

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I think virtually everything you have mentioned can be accommodated with the existing ODK software. I used to manage a PSP programme (prior to any experience with ODK) so understand some of the issues. If you need some assistance, let me know

1 Like
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Paul, that's very encouraging to hear, particularly given your experience in a permanent plot program. I appreciate your offer of assistance and will likely take you up on that when I move forward with this. Cheers!