July 2018 Update

Improvements

This is a snapshot of the main improvements to Enketo in the past 6 months:

• Added basic Range widget.
• Added Ranking widget.
• Added URL widget.
• Added randomize() function that can be used for choice options (select, rank). This function is exposed via a shortcut in XLSForm for easy use.
• Added decimal-time() function.
• Added distance() function.
• Performance of autocomplete widget with huge external data files (XML or CSV) has improved enormously in Chrome and Firefox (15,000 items is not a problem on most devices!).
• The expression ". < today()" should now work as expected across time zones (a 5 year old bug).
• The required asterisks (*) now update in real-time if an expression is used.
• All draw widgets now have a download function (like the file upload widgets).
• Drawing and annotate widgets now have an undo button.
• File upload widgets now support “new”, “new-front”, “new-rear” on some cutting-edge mobile browsers.
• Reset functionality for draw and file upload widgets now requires confirmation.
• New line and paragraph handling in labels and hints has improved.
• Many styling and accessibility improvements.
• API endpoints for PDF-creation of empty forms and records were added.
• Loading performance has been improved.
• Russian and Polish translations were added.
• Installation has been simplified and the instructions were updated. It is recommended to install a new Ubuntu 18.04 server and migrate the configuration and database file to ensure easy future updates.

All this work was sponsored by OpenClinica, KoBoToolbox, and by the Survey123 team at Esri.

Specifications

The documentation work under the DIAL “dirty jobs” Catalytic Grant on the XLSForm and XForm specifications has been completed. Many thanks to DIAL for this great boost to the ODK ecosystem!

Future

A proposal was submitted for a DIAL Strategic Grant. The proposed project entails turning the Enketo Project into a multi-stakeholder-managed project. The proposal was developed by a partnership between Enketo LLC, Medic Mobile, OpenClinica, and KoBoToolbox, with consultation by the ODK leadership.

Feedback

As always, we’d love to get your feedback! Comment on this blog, tweet @enketo, or post a message in the Enketo forum. If you discover a bug, please let us know what browser you are using.