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Fields & forms

Set up a layer's fields — types, labels, pick lists, limits and defaults — record who edited what and how accurate the GPS was, and build a data-entry form with required and conditional questions.

Every feature in a layer holds the same set of fields. Set them up once and data entry gets faster and cleaner, whether you’re typing into the table at a desk or adding points in the field on a phone.

A layer’s settings split this into three places:

  • Fields: the schema. Every field, its type, label, format, pick list and default.
  • Form: which fields the add/edit form asks for, in what order, and the rules for each.
  • Popups and the table each choose their own fields and order, so a field can be in the form but not the popup, or the other way round.

Open them from the layer’s swatch or ⋯ ▸ Settings, or from the attribute table: its Fields button chooses the table’s columns, and Field settings on a column header (or Field settings… in the Fields window) jumps to that field on the Fields tab.

Add a Condition field with a pick list, make it required, and show a Notes field only when it's Poor.

The Fields tab

The list shows every field with its type. Drag to set the order fields appear in by default. Add field creates a new one with a name and type; each existing field can be renamed or deleted. Select a field’s tune icon to open its settings:

  • Label: a friendly name shown in the table header, popups and form instead of the raw field name (for example cond_2024 → “Condition”).
  • Type and format: see below.
  • Pick list, number limits, hyperlink and default value.

App-managed fields (longitude, latitude, length_m, area_m2, perimeter_m and the tracking fields) are filled in by DropMaps and can’t be renamed, deleted or typed into.

An edit-locked layer freezes its fields. On a layer shared with you, the owner’s collaborator rules may stop you changing them too.

Field types

A field can be Text, Number, Date, Time, Date & time, or Yes/No (boolean). The type drives how values are formatted and edited: numbers get decimals, thousands separators, prefixes and suffixes; dates and times get format options and a picker; booleans display as a checkbox or Yes/No.

Pick lists

Give a Text or Number field a pick list (one allowed value per line) and everywhere that field is edited (the table, the popup, the selection card and the form) offers a dropdown of those values instead of a free-text box. It’s the simplest way to keep categories clean and typo-free.

Existing values that aren’t on the list are kept: open the dropdown on one and it appears as an extra choice, so adding a pick list to a populated field never rewrites your data.

Number limits & steppers

A Number field can set a Min, Max and Step. The step drives the up/down spinner, and a value outside the range is pulled back to the nearest limit when it’s saved.

Tick Show as hyperlink on a Text field to make its values clickable in the table, the popup and the selection card. Values starting with http:// or https:// are linked as-is, and bare www. addresses get https:// added. Anything that isn’t a web address stays plain text.

Default values

A field’s default value fills in on every new feature. Dates and times can default to Now (stamped when the feature is created), Yes/No fields to Yes or No, and text and number fields to a fixed value (from the pick list, if it has one).

Tracking

The Tracking section at the bottom of the Fields tab adds fields that fill themselves in:

  • Record who and when adds created_by, created_at, edited_by and edited_at, stamped with the signed-in account and the time on every add and change, including edits from collaborators.
  • Record GPS accuracy adds gps_accuracy_m (and gps_altitude_m on point layers) for features placed with My location, or with GPS streaming on lines and polygons, where the worst vertex is kept. Features placed by hand leave it empty.

Tracked fields are read-only, and work like any other field in styles, filters, charts and exports.

The Form tab

The form opens when you add or edit a feature. On the Form tab, tick the fields it asks for and drag to set their order. Then select a field’s tune icon for its rules:

  • Optional: can be left empty.
  • Required: the form won’t save while it’s empty.
  • Read-only: shown, but can’t be edited by hand. Defaults and the Field calculator still fill it.
  • Help text: a line shown under the field in the form, such as “Measure at chest height”.
  • Show only when: ask this question only when another field is or is not certain values, has a value or is empty (or is Yes / is No for a Yes/No field). Otherwise the form skips it.

How the rules play out

  • When a layer has required fields, adding a feature opens the form straight away so nothing is missed.
  • Records that are missing a required value are tinted in the table, the popup and the selection card, so gaps are easy to spot and fill later.
  • Selecting Done on an incomplete record asks before leaving it unfinished.

Form rules belong to the layer, so they travel with it to other maps, devices and collaborators.

Next steps