Adding Tracking ID Fields

Tracking ID fields include a value that uniquely identifies each record.

On this page

Task 1: Create the field

  1. From your application, go to Designer tab > Layout tab > Objects panel > click Add new.
  2. Select the field type, enter a name, and click OK.

    3. Field name guidelines:

    • If possible, keep names under 20 characters. For example, use Description instead of Description of the Asset.
    • Capitalize the first letter of each word in the field name. For example, use Predicted Impact instead of Predicted impact.
    • Avoid redundant wording in field names. For example, using the word Asset is unnecessary in the following series of fields: Asset Name, Asset Type and Asset Value.
    • Use noun-based field names whenever possible. Avoid verb-based field names, for example, Set Asset Name.
    • Do not use the names: Version, Level ID, or Content ID for fields that you add to an application or questionnaire. Field do not display properly with these names.
  3. In the General Information section, enter a description.

    4. Note: When you save the field, the system strips any HTML tags <?xm>l, <form>, <textarea>, <option>, <select>, <meta>, and <body> that you may have inserted in the description because they may constitute vulnerabilities in the system. The following example shows how you can correct the cascading style sheet (CSS) syntax for the <body> tag so that it will function correctly:

    <html>
    <head>
    <style type="text/css">.c0 { font-family: 'Arial' } .c1 { margin: 0px; background-color: #ffe4e1 } </style>
    </head>
    <body class="c0">
    <p class="c1">This is a text field.</p>
    </body>
    </html>

    Note: Do not use absolute positioning in HTML content.

Task 2: Configure options

In the Options section, select all of the following options that apply to this field.

Option

Description

Make this a searchable field

Makes this field available for display in all search results.

Display this field in global search results

Makes this field available for display in global search results. This option is only available if this field is set as searchable.

Make this the key field

Designates the field as the key field in the application.

Search results display the key field as a hyperlink, which users can click to view the details of a record. When you select this option, the required field and search results options are automatically selected.

The key field must be on the page layout of the application. After saving the field, you can only clear this checkbox by selecting another field as the key field in the application.

Task 3: Set configuration options

In the Configuration section, set the following options:

Option

Description

ID generated based on system records

Specifies the order in which records were added in all applications across Archer.

For example, in the following diagram, two applications, App A and App B, with two records each, have this option configured. Records were added in the following order: App A - Record 1, App B - Record 2, App B - Record 3, and App A - Record 4. The tracking ID for all four records, regardless of application, were specified in sequential order - 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively.

ID generated based on application records

Specifies the order in which records were added within an application.

This option allows records in separate applications to share Tracking ID values. For example, in the following diagram, two applications, App A and App B, with two records each, have this option configured. Both applications use ID: 1 for the first record and ID: 2 for the second record. The tracking ID values represent the order in which a record was added to the individual application, not the order in which it was added to Archer database.

Sequential tracking IDs of Applications

Leveled applications

If you select this option for Tracking ID fields in leveled applications, the tracking ID value is based on the order the record was added in the context of the entire application, not a specific level. For example, add a record to the top-level application, add a record to the second-level, and then add another record to the top-level application. The records in the top level have tracking ID values of 1 and 3, respectively, and the record in the second-level has a tracking ID of 2.


Sub-forms

If you select this option for Tracking ID fields in sub-forms, the tracking ID value is based relative to the individual sub-form field.

For example, in the following diagram, two applications, App A and App B, both have sub-form fields that reference the same sub-form. Each sub-form field in each application generates its own series of tracking ID values.

sub-form with sequential tracking ID for records from separate applications

Prefix and suffix

Allows users to further customize how the system identifies record tracking numbers.

The prefix and suffix strings, both up to 10 characters each, can be used with the system generated tracking ID number. The prefix specifies the text that appears in front of the numeric value and the suffix specifies the text that appears after the numeric value.

For example, if you specify "ABC-" for the prefix and "-XYZ" for the suffix, the application generates the following tracking ID number: ABC-447632-XYZ.

Task 4: Configure help text

Field-level help provides additional guidelines and instructions to ensure users enter appropriate information in the field. This Help text displays for users when they add, edit, and view records in the application where the field resides.

Consider the following general guidelines when writing field-level Help:

  • Use short, concise instructions that direct the user to take a specific action. For example, "Enter your name" is preferable to "This field is used to enter your name."
  • Use complete sentences whenever possible.
  • Avoid jargon (unless terms are critical and are familiar to your users).
  • Consider the technical aptitude of your audience, and author your help text at a corresponding level.
  • Use “you” and “your” as if you are speaking directly to the user.
  • Consider posing Help text in the form of a question, for example, "What is your level of interest?"

In the Help text section, do the following:

  1. Select a display option for both edit and view modes.
    2. Option

    Description

    None

    Help text does not display.

    Tooltip Icon

    Help icon displays beside the field in edit and view modes. Click this icon to display the field Help. The application dynamically sizes of the Help box based on the number of characters in the text.

    Field information on help icon hover

    Below

    Help displays below the field in edit and view modes.

    Field information below field

  2. If you are using help text, enter the text.

Task 5: Configure field access

Access rights determine whether all users or only select users or groups have access to the field.

In the Access section, do the following:

  1. Select Public or Private.

    2. Note: Key fields must be public.

  2. If you selected Private, maximize the pane and click Add to select the users and groups to whom you want to grant access.