The OpenCDMS Create application comprises three main sections that are viewable in the main design window.
On the leftmost pane of the main window, there are two tree views. When a study is opened or newly created, it appears in the tree views here. For names in the tree that are longer than the visible area, a tooltip is provided. A scrollbar is provided when study documents or entries extend beyond the visible portion of the tree. It is also possible to expand or contract the tree display area horizontally by clicking on the dividing scrollbar and dragging it to the left or right.
The first view is the Design View. This is the most commonly used view and it shows all the documents and entries for the study. Double-clicking on a document or entry will open it in the document panel. Right-clicking on the study will provide functionality to create a new document in the study and to display the basic properties of the study. (For right-click operations relevant to the Library, see the section on the Library below.)
The second view is the Schedule View. This view shows how documents have been configured for particular stages in the study. There are no double-click operations supported in this view. To change the allocation of documents to study stages, you should use the Manage Study Schedule option in the Study Menu. It is not possible to manipulate documents and entries from this view; use the design view for viewing and editing individual documents and entries.
The document panel is the central component of the main openCDMS Create window. Documents can be viewed and edited in this view. Multiple documents may be opened (by double-clicking on them in the study tree) and will be displayed in the document panel in unique tabs. Entries can be dragged from the Entry Panel (on the right hand side of the screen) and dropped into the Document Panel to add new entries to the document. Right-click within the document panel on entries provided functionality such as the ability to copy and paste entries, to edit the entries and reorder the entries within the document (by moving them up and down). When a document is opened, it is rendered similarly to how it will appear in the openCDMS Collect application with a sections view on the top of the panel and the entries displayed below.
The Entry Panel is the rightmost component of the main openCDMS Create window. Entries are displayed as icons - for new users, hovering the mouse over individual entries will provide a tooltip detailing the type of entry the icons represent. Entries can be added to documents to dragging the icon into the document to the position required. When an entry is added to a document, the configuration dialog for that entry will be opened automatically.
Use this entry type to create a non-editable textual description. This is a useful entry to use if you wish to provide a short description of the section or document. Drag the icon onto the main document panel to add it.
Use this entry to create a question with a text-based response. You will prompted to choose between a single-line text entry (for questions requiring a short response) or a multi-line text entry (for questions requiring a longer response). Drag the icon onto the main document panel to add it.
Use this entry to create a question with multiple pre-defined responses. This is the appropriate entry type to use if you wish to give users the ability to select the appropriate answer from multiple options and can be presented either in as a drop-down box or as a list. Drag the icon onto the main document panel to add it.
Use this entry to create a question that requires a numeric response. You will be prompted to choose between an integer entry and a basic numeric entry. An integer entry is an entry that requires a positive or negative whole number to be input by the user (i.e automatic validation will take place to ensure the input number is a positive or negative whole number). A basic numeric entry places no restriction on the numeric value entered (although you can restrict user input using a validation rule; see the section on validation rules below). Drag the icon onto the main document panel to add it.
Use this entry to create a question the requires a date response (e.g. Date of birth). Using this option will provide the user with the option to enter a date either by typing in a date in the required format or by selecting the date from a drop-down calendar panel. Drag the icon onto the main document panel to add it.
Use this type of entry to create a question that requires a simple yes or no response. Using this option will provide the user with the a single check box that can be selected or deselected.
Use this entry to create a question that requires responses in tabular format. The table entry combines a number of basic entry types detailed above and presents these as one table. Entry choices available include a text entry, number entry, option entry and date entry. These entries must be added to the table in the order with which they are to appear in the table (i.e. from left to right). Additionally, is possible to add a Fixed Label Entry. The Fixed Label Entry is a special type of entry only for use with the table entry and it is used to provide row labels for the table. if the Fixed Label entry is used, it will not be possible for the user to add additional rows to the table but instead they will be required to complete each of the the entries for each label. The Fixed Label will always assume the rightmost position in the table because it is used as a row label.
Use this entry to automatically calculate a values based on responses to preceding questions. You will be asked to choose between a calculated entry and an 'external calculated entry'. Calculated entries are useful for performing predefined calculations on specific entries (e.g. for summing up the responses to the previous entries in the sections). An 'external calculated entry' requires that you have a web service in place to perform specific calculations. Drag the icon onto the main document panel to add it.