Searchable fields configured for a form or flow are the fields that may be used to filter submissions in the submissions view. By default, all your data is saved as an XML document. This is the most efficient way to store/access your data both in terms of speed as well as storage. However, if you prefer to view your data via the submissions user interface, you can choose which fields are available to the user as search criteria in addition to the XML data.

Considerations when deciding which types of fields to configure are listed below.

• Searchable fields are indexed for easy search of form/flow Submissions. They can also be used when searching Tasks on a user's Task List. You will see columns for the controls in your form/flow designated as Searchable fields in the Submissions table. This is helpful when trying to locate a particular submission from a long list. Searchable Fields are downloaded into the Submissions Download to a CSV file along with the submission default columns.

  • Cloud customers can configure up to 20 Searchable Fields.

  • In-house customers can change change the default value by adding the frevvo.max.searchable.fields configuration parameter to the <frevvo-home>\tomcat\conf\Catalina\localhost\frevvo.xml file.

• Saved fields do affect performance as they are independently stored in addition to XML data. This can significantly reduce performance, especially for large forms and require additional storage in the repository. Saved fields are not rendered in the submission table and cannot be used as search criteria for submissions. The only reason to configure Saved fields is if you want to use the Export to Excel feature which is available on the Legacy Submissions view

  Warning

  The Export of submissions to Excel feature has been replaced by the Download to CSV. If you have not used the Export to Excel feature in the past, we recommend that you become familiar with the Download to CSV . You can still use the Export to Excel feature by accessing it from the Submissions Legacy view. However, the Legacy Submissions view and the Export to Excel may be removed in a future release.

Designers should carefully consider which fields to designate as Searchable fields. The selection of the correct fields as search criteria can be very helpful with submission and Task List searches.

Clicking on the Click to setup Searchable fields link displays the setup wizard. This link is on the form's properties as shown below. If you have navigated away from the form's properties and instead see a control properties panel, just click anywhere on the toolbar to return to the form's properties.

Searchable Field wizard

The wizard displays the fields from your form/flow. Only controls that are considered form data will be listed. For Example, the link, signature, image, upload, trigger, section, PageBreak, Message, Form Viewer and video controls will not show up in the Searchable field lists as there is no value to save or query against. Also, group controls (tabs, panels, repeats) will not show up on the list of Available Fields.

Move the the fields listed in the Available Fields tab that you want to use as search criteria to the Searchable Fields tab. You can change the order of the fields when you move them into the Searchable Fields area. The order of the form fields will be reflected in the Submission Table and the export to a csv file once existing submissions are resubmitted or a new submission is created.

There are two ways to select/unselect or reorder Searchable fields :

• Drag and Drop - You can drag the fields from the Available Fields list and drop them into the Searchable Fields list if you re using Firefox, Chrome or Safari browsers. Items may be dragged between lists and within the Searchable Fields list. Items may be dropped between existing items and before the top-most item and below the bottom item. Only a single item may be dragged. Currently, the drag and drop function will not work in the Internet Explorer browsers. This issue will be addressed in a future release.

• Center arrow buttons

  • The > right arrow moves the selected field from the Available Fields list to the bottom of the Searchable Fields list.
  • The < left arrow moves the selected field from the Saved Fields list to the bottom of the Available Fields list.
  • The >> double right arrows move all the form fields in the Available Fields list to the Searchable Fields list.
  • The << double left arrow moves all the form fields in the Saved Fields list to the Available Fields list.

Click Finish to save. Selecting the X in the upper right corner cancels any changes. Remember to save your changes when you exit out of the designer.

Note the first five fields in the Searchable Fields list are marked with double asterisks. These 5 searchable fields will be the key fields for the submission in the legacy view.

Maximum Number of Searchable Fields

Cloud customers can configure up to 20 Searchable fields. In-house customers can change the maximum number of Searchable Fields with a configuration parameter. 

When an attempt is made to add more than the maximum configured number of Searchable fields, an error message ("Maximum Number of Searchable Fields Exceeded!"). displays on the lower right of the screen and will disappear after a short time. Any fields in excess of the maximum configured number will not be allowed.

Adding/Removing Searchable Fields

If you add or remove a field from the Searchable Fields tab, the change will only affect new submissions. In-house customers can manually run the Insight Batch job to update older submissions so the field can be used as search criteria.

Saved Fields tab

You will see a Saved Fields tab in addition to the Searchable Fields tab. This tab displays only when the Legacy Submissions view is configured as it is in the cloud. The only reason to configure Saved Fields for a form/flow is if you want to use the Export to Excel which is only available in the Legacy Submissions view. Remember, Saved Fields are stored in the database when the form/flow is completed. This can significantly reduce performance, especially for large forms and require additional storage in the repository.

In-house customers can choose to hide the Legacy Submissions view with a configuration parameter. If the Legacy submission view is not visible, the Saved Fields tab is not displayed in the Form/Flow designers and the Export to Excel feature is not available.