Connect your Projects, Customers, and Sites to your GoCanvas forms so users have efficient and consistent data to populate their submissions.

Customers, Projects, and Sites

For users that are familiar with Reference Data, this process will be much easier than traditional reference data as the step, "Properly Format a Google Sheet or CSV File for Reference Data," is replaced with simply adding your Customers, Projects, and Sites directly to the GoCanvas portal.

Step 1: Adding your Customers, Projects, and Sites

In order to learn more specifics about adding these datasets to your account, please refer to the following Help Center articles:

• What is GoCanvas Project Management View?
• How do I add a Customer?
• How do I add a Project?

Step 2: Mapping the Fields

GoCanvas Jobsite Management type Project View accounts start with several template forms that are conveniently mapped to Projects, Customers, and Sites already. To get started quickly with a new form, Copying one of these existing forms may allow you to skip the mapping step. Each form starts with the Project as the Parent Field that populates the Customer and the Site.

The graphic below shows the order that the fields are displayed in the form and how they are mapped to pre-populate correctly. Please note this is a complicated method required only if you need to connect points across files. If you wish to populate data from one file, i.e. Customer Name, Phone, and Email, that will be a simple reference data mapping. Please visit the Help Center article, "Map Reference Data to your Fields in the Builder."

*Click the image to expand.

In order to start with Customers or Sites as the Parent field, we will explain that step-by-step next.

Mapping the Parent Field: Customers

From the Forms page, open the particular form where you will be mapping your reference files OR select Create New if you are building one from scratch.

This solution uses two or more files, i.e. Projects and Customers or Projects and Sites. In order for this to work, there needs to be a data point that is shared across the two lists. To learn more specifics around the two-file method, please visit the Help Center article, "Solution for the 15 Column Limit in the Builder."

First, you will need to map the parent field. This will be a Dropdown field labelled "Customer Name."

1. Select "Customer Name" in the center workspace to open Field Settings in the left panel.
2. Expand the Reference Data menu.
3. For Reference Data File, select the 'Customers' file.
4. Reference Column is the data point that will populate the first drop down menu. For this example, we will use Customer 'Name.'
5. Leave Reference Screen and Reference Field empty.

   

Mapping the Second Data Point: CustomerID

Now in order to connect the Customer 'Name' to another dataset, i.e. Projects or Sites, we need to choose a data point that is shared in both files. 'CustomerID' is listed in both Projects and Sites, so it is an an easy connection point.

This will be a Single Line Text field, labelled "CustomerID."

1. Select "CustomerID."
2. For Reference Data File, select the 'Customers' file.
3. For Reference Column, select 'CustomerID.'
4. For Reference Screen, select the screen in your form that contains the parent field.
5. For Reference Field, select the parent field, i.e. "Customer Name."

   

Mapping the Third Data Point: SiteID

SiteID can be pulled from either the Projects or Sites file so choose the file that has a connecting data point that will be the fourth data point. For example, if you will be mapping the 'Address' of the Site, chose the 'Sites' file. If you will be using the Project 'Name,' use the 'Projects' file.

This will also be a Single Line Text field, labelled "SiteID."

1. Select "SiteID."
2. For Reference Data File, select the 'Sites' file.
3. For Reference Column, select 'SiteID.'
4. For Reference Screen, select the screen in your form that contains the "CustomerID" field.
5. In the Reference Field drop down select "CustomerID."

   

Mapping the Fourth Data Point: Project Name

As you can probably tell by now, mapping these data points relies entirely on creating a continuous path through all the data sets using shared data points. Your form can use as many or as few data points as is needed, across one or all three datasets. The last field we will map is Project 'Name' from the SiteID.

This can also be a Single Line Text field, labelled "Project Name."

1. Select "Project Name."
2. For Reference Data File, select the 'Projects' file.
3. For Reference Column, select 'Name.'
4. For Reference Screen, select the screen in your form that contains the 'SiteID' field.
5. For Reference Field, select "SiteID."

   

Save and Publish to test on mobile before making the form available to your users.

Now you have a continuous connected path through all three datasets, starting with Customers, that can now populate any of the data points in the three datasets. Remember to map any subsequent fields, i.e. Address or Email, by referencing a field mapped to a datapoint that is also in the same file.

And don't forget to use dropdown fields when there may be more than one datapoint associated with the Reference Column. Since a Customer may have more than one Site, a dropdown will be needed to allow a user to make that choice.

To learn more about this style of reference data, otherwise known as Dependent Reference Data, visit the Help Center article, "Configure Dependent Reference Data in the Builder."