Item forms in action
When item forms get used
By default, all item attributes are shown, in the order they were added to its design. Attributes with an asterisk * require a value to continue.
If an item form exists for a design, it will automatically be used when someone creates, edits or views an item of that design (depending on the item form's configuration). If multiple item forms are available, the most appropriate one for the situation will be used, based on its screen tags.
When creating an item, you can switch between available item forms in the Advanced settings.
If an item form doesn't appear for a user, they may lack permission to read it.
Item forms for interfaces
If an item form exists for an interface, it applies to every design that implements the interface, unless overridden by a design-specific item form. This can be useful if you want to create an item form for multiple similar designs at once.
However, the item form can only contain controls for the interface's own attributes. It can't contain any design-specific attributes. Therefore, item forms are only suitable for interfaces containing many attributes common to the designs that implement them.
For example, an item form for the Assets interface would have too few attributes to be useful. By contrast, a custom Playground Equipment interface implemented by custom Slides, Roundabouts and Swings designs could be a good fit.
What if the design/interface changes?
If attributes are changed on a design or interface, any item forms based on it may be affected.
| Design/interface change | Effect on item forms | Action to take |
|---|---|---|
| Attribute is added | None | Consider adding a control for the new attribute to the item form |
| Attribute is removed | The missing attribute is hidden and skipped | Remove the attribute's control from the item form |
| Attribute becomes required | If the item form is submitted without a value for this attribute, it will fail | Edit the attribute control's properties to make it required too |
| Attribute becomes read-only | If the item form is submitted with a value for this attribute, it will fail | Edit the attribute control's properties to make it read-only too |
| Attribute is renamed | None | None |
Item forms on Alloy Mobile
If an item form exists for a design/interface, it will automatically be used when someone creates, edits or views a corresponding item. Users will only see attributes that have a control on the item form, displayed in the defined order.
If multiple item forms are available, the one most relevant to the user's situation will be used, e.g. an item form tagged as "Mobile" will be prioritised over one tagged "All platforms".
Item forms currently have these limitations on Alloy Mobile:
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Expressions aren't yet supported and will go unprocessed if present.
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Some control types aren't visible on Alloy Mobile. Please refer to the Control types table on Attribute controls.