Section headers & organization
Group fields into sections, and choose whether each prints as text, a table or a data table.
Every field lives in a section. A section gives a group of fields a heading, and its Display on report as setting decides how they print: one under another, as a question and answer table, or as a data table with a row per item.
Step by step: add and set up a section
- Click Section under + Add Sections.
- Select it, and type its Heading.
- Choose Display on report as (below).
- Add fields to it from + Add Fields.
Each section’s header on the canvas carries a small label saying its type - Text, Table, Data Table, Heading Only or Page Break.
Display on report as
| Type | How it prints | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Text Section | Each field one under another, no table | Free-flowing answers, notes, descriptions |
| Table Section | A table, question in one column and answer in the next | Checklists and certificates |
| Data Table | A grid, one column per field and one row per item | Anything repeated - see Data tables |
On the phone all three look the same, apart from the Data Table’s + Add button for rows.
Table Section settings
- Fields across - 1, 2 or 3 question-and-answer pairs per row, so short questions do not waste a line each.
- Example Field Layouts and Column Sizes - how wide the question and answer columns are.
Table Styling
For Table Sections and Data Tables: Table border, Border weight, Border colour, Use section heading as first row of table, Header background colour, Header text colour, Font size override, Show Yes/No as tick/cross symbols and Compact row height.
Settings every section has
- Heading, Heading font size and Text Alignment.
- Display Heading On Form and Display Heading On Report - show the heading on the phone, the report, both or neither.
- Section heading underline, with its colour, thickness and width.
- Apply theme to this section - a saved theme for this section only.
- Under Position: Space after section (points), and Position section absolutely on page with page number, X, Y, width, height and overflow, for laying a section over a fixed spot on a pre-printed layout.
Heading Only and Page Break
Add these from + Add Sections:
- Heading Only - a heading with no fields, for splitting a long form into parts.
- Page Break - starts a new page in the report. It does nothing on the phone.
Tips
- One subject per section - “Isolation”, “Testing”, “Sign-off”. The headings become the shape of the report.
- Check the Report Preview after changing a section’s type; it is the quickest way to see which suits.
- Within a section, a Sub Heading splits fields into smaller groups without a new section.
See also
- Data tables - the repeating-row section type.
- Sub headings & dividers - breaks inside a section.
- Report Designer screen & layout - Form and Output views of the layout.