The summary field is used to provide the user with summaries of entered data during data entry. This can be useful to remind the user of information which was entered during earlier forms or visits in the study.
The summary field is used by specifying a template that references other fields for data. This is done by using the field's 'Variable name'. Before creating your summary field, please enter and note the 'Variable name' for the fields that are to be used in the summary e.g. gender (dem_sex).
Note:
No Data Storage or Export: Summary fields only display data dynamically in the user interface; they do not store data in the database and are not included in data exports.
Cannot be Referenced in Calculations: Because summary fields do not have their own variable names, you cannot reference them inside Calculation fields.
Do Not Use for Dependencies: Avoid making other fields dependent on summary fields. Since summary field values are not saved, they will not trigger field dependencies.
Create a summary field
1. Create a summary field by clicking the 'Summary' button in the list of field options:
2. In the 'Add a new field' dialog window, provide the field label and create the summary template as can be seen in the example below:
3. To reference fields, braces '{}' are added around the field's variable name. For instance, in the above example patient gender is referenced by entering {dem_sex}.
When a participant is created and filled out, the summary field will appear as seen below: