Creating Tables in a Sonia Form

Designing a Table

 

Table fields are containers that group fields into cells, rows and columns.

Below is an example of a table in Word with 3 rows and 4 columns.

This is how a table looks in a Sonia form:

 

The above classic table in Sonia has a header row, a student column, and a supervisor column. Column widths are dynamic by default, adjusting to the widest value for compatibility across devices. 

 

Create the Table Field 

• Click the “add new field” button (1)
• Give it a name (2) and field type (3) - Table. 

 

While most fields need a Description, this is optional for tables.  The Description added here will display above the table. 

The form must be saved in order to edit the content of the table.  Once saved, click the edit icon available (4) to edit the table.
 

Setting the Table Size

In the Table tab, set the number of rows and columns (e.g., 4 columns, 1 header row, 3 body rows) and click Save. Add more body rows later if needed.

Use Column Widths to adjust column sizes by percentage (columns should add to 100%) or absolute units (cm, mm, inches, pt).

 

Header Rows

Header rows can be thought of as “column headings” in a spreadsheet. If the top row defines what is in its column, it can be a Header row. There is no visible difference; however, Sonia does recognize a difference in the coding.

 

For example, the table below has a header row because “Rating” and “Rating Description” are column headings that describe what is below.

 

 

The table below does not require a header row because no column headings are needed.

 

 

Creating the Layout

Click the Layout button (1) on the Table design ribbon to open the table layout editor.

 

Click a cell (2) to add a field (default is “Empty cell”). Define each cell in the Item Properties pane at the right, renaming fields from defaults like “A1,” “B1” for export purposes. Add a splash of color by selecting a color in the Background setting (3). The background shading is not visible in the design view; save the table, and preview the form to see the changes.

 

Save frequently.

 

Duplicate Cells with Similar Settings

If another cell adjacent to the one that was just defined will be the same field Type with the same permissions, click the cog icon in the middle of the table, choose Duplicate, and then an arrow for the direction in which to apply those duplicate settings.

The Duplicate function copies all settings (type, description, permissions) into an adjacent cell, useful for identical or similar fields.

Tips:

• Can only duplicate into a truly empty cell (i.e., the adjacent cell is completely white with no words)
• “Empty cell” fields count as occupied if formatted (e.g., shading)
• To duplicate into such a cell: delete it first via the cog, save, then duplicate
• Default values are also copied; update as needed

Example: three field types—labels (red), student responses (green), supervisor responses (blue).

Table Setup Phases:

• Red Phase: Duplicate cell A1 (“Q”) to all red cells; update each Description.
• Green Phase: In C2, add a Horizontal Multiple Choice field with values 1,2,3,4,5,N/A
• make Mandatory
• set Students as read/write
• set Supervisors as read-only
• Duplicate down
• Blue Phase: Duplicate C2 to D2
• change Students to read-only
• change Supervisors to read/write
• Duplicate down
• Mistakes can be corrected using the Cog to remove cells.

 

IMPORTANT: Save and preview your design regularly to be sure it is as expected.

 

Column and Row Action Buttons on Tables

Tables can include Action buttons, which do not trigger notifications when submitted.

 

Students complete the first (blue) column without touching the green column.

Column Action buttons in the last row submit only that column

• all mandatory fields must be filled. 

Row Action buttons work similarly, one row at a time. Found in the Type dropdown.

 

Table permissions

Once the table has been saved and closed, you will be brought out to the main part of the form.

Click on the table field, and check the permission in the Item Properties pane at the right. Ensure each role’s permissions reflect their highest-level permissions from within the table. For example, if a student has some fields that are read-only and some that are read/write, the “outside of the table” permissions should be read/write for the student.

Additionally, if any fields within the table are not mandatory, the “mandatory” setting on the outside of the table should be unticked.