The XLSForm is a widely-used standard for defining mobile data collection questionnaires. Instead of adding and designing a Form in ActivityInfo’s form designer, you can import an XLSForm into ActivityInfo.
The XLSForm import function is designed to facilitate the migration from XLSForm-based tools by doing its best to translate XLSForm questions, choices, and formulas into ActivityInfo.
The XLSForm import is currently in beta. That means that it may not successfully convert every valid XLSForm workbook, or there may be errors in the translation from the XForm model to ActivityInfo’s relational model. If you encounter a problem, please share the affected XLSForm with us at support@activityinfo.org.
How to import an XLSForm into ActivityInfo
- On the Database List page, click on the Database where you want to import the XLSForm.
- Click on the 'Import XLSForm' button, select the XLSForm file and add click on 'Open'.
- The XLSForm has been imported and has been turned into a Form in ActivityInfo.
By default, a select_one question type in XLSForms will be treated as a Single Selection field type in ActivityInfo. However, under any these conditions, it will be translated into a reference form:
- If your select field contains over 100 choices.
- If your choice list includes additional attributes, commonly used in choice filters, the select field.
- When your choice list is referenced in another choice filter, a relationship is inferred. As a result, both the original choice list and the referencing choice list will be converted into linked reference forms. When a change occurs in one reference form, it will have a ripple effect or influence on the other form(s). For instance, if you have separate choice lists for provinces and territories, inferring a relationship between them will lead to the conversion of both into linked reference forms.