Dynamic Field Properties can be used to guide mobile form data entry

One of the many fantastic benefits of using digital Timesheets is the ability to effortlessly track and manage employee hours via simple features and logic. Among the most useful features you can leverage to optimize your digital Timesheets are Dynamic Field Properties. 

Dynamic Field Properties (DFPs) look for certain values entered within a field, and when these values have been entered, can dynamically change another field’s Visibility, Background Color, or even make them Required. Dynamic Field Properties empower supervisors (or those managing input employee hours) to easily track employee hours and enforce payroll data collection processes, directly from their mobile forms. 

This is accomplished by adding Calculations to the Visible, Required or Background Color field properties, instructing the field to behave in a specific manner, based on the information input into the field. 

For example, you can add a Calculation to the Background Color field property of a ‘Hours Worked’ field, instructing the field to turn red if more than 40 hours are worked (otherwise, the field would be green). 

To change the Background Color highlighting input overtime hours add this Calculation to your field:
=IF([Hours Worked]>40,"FF0000","00FF00")

Additionally, you could add a Calculation to the Visible field, instructing an additional Text field to only become visible if a Checkbox signifying overtime hours are worked, has been checked. Within this Text field an employee can enter overtime details, explaining additional hours worked. 

Make additional fields appear when overtime Checkbox is selected:

1. Select the field that should only be visible if the overtime Checkbox is selected

2. In the Field Properties section (on the right hand side of the Template Editor) locate the Visible field property

3. Enter the following calculation into the Visible field property (add your Checkbox field’s name in the brackets below)

4. =IF([FIELD NAME HERE]="true","true","false")

Finally, make the overtime Text field mandatory, by adding a Calculation to the Required field property — ensuring employees input details describing their overtime hours, and why they were completed. 

Make overtime Text field mandatory (so overtime hours can explained):

1. Select your Text field you wish to make Required

2. Locate the Required field property (in the Field Properties section, on the right hand side of the Template Editor)

3. Enter the following Calculation into the Required field property (add your Checkbox field’s name in the brackets below):
   =IF([FIELD NAME HERE]="true","true","false")

Extra Credit: Automatically send a copy of completed Timesheets to supervisors, using Triggers and Events — expediting payroll processing.