5.3 Element ID And Reference
Element ID
Element ID´s makes it possible to label multiple elements the same, without disturbing rules and export of a form.
The element ID input field can be found in the settings tab in element properties. see: 4.2 Element Properties
The name you set as an element ID will not be visible anywhere except when designing a form.
Elements are like identical twins—they may look alike but each has a unique Element ID. This distinction allows for specific rules to be applied to each element individually. Use concise Element IDs as short descriptions; this approach makes it easier to find elements when creating rules and results in a well-organized document when exporting forms to Excel.
If two elements share the same Element ID, a warning will appear in the Elements tab.
The affected elements will have a yellow outline and description.
To view the warning details, press the “View Error” button.
Automatic Element ID
The ‘Automatic Element ID’ option auto-generates an ID by combining the label name, a $ symbol, and a set of numbers.
However, it’s recommended to get into the habit of assigning manual Element IDs from the start for better organization.
In the example below, the left side shows a form with automatically generated Element IDs, while the right side displays manually assigned IDs.
This setup mirrors how the export document will appear when the form is exported.
Automatic Element ID´s | Manual Element ID´s |
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Element ID Template
Combine automatic and manual Element IDs by using an Element ID Template.
Use {parent} and {sibling} references to generate IDs based on an element’s position. 6.4 Description Formula
Reference
There are currently two ways to reference an element in functions, which look similar and can be confusing.
The Designer software is working on auto-detection to simplify this. For now:
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Use the Element Reference: Drag the desired element from the Form Elements tab to the drop zone.
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Use the Element ID: Drag a [Text/String] element into the drop zone, click to set its value to the case-sensitive Element ID as found in Element Properties – Settings.