Creating navigation steps in a mobile app

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1

Our heating and air conditioning company has a process we want our technicians to follow when conducting repair calls. There are approximately 25 steps to the process that are as simple as checkbox responses, text entries and uploading iPhone pictures.

We have a manager overseeing up to six active calls across that many techs. So, that person needs to see the data as it is being captured (versus waiting until the 25th value is submitted). The manager is watching a dashboard integration we built in Airtable (which is the base for this Glide app).

We have organized the steps according to where the tech should be in the customer’s home.

  • Pre-Arrival and Discussions

  • Indoor Inspection

  • Outdoor Inspection, etc.

So, as the first phase is completed and the data from the Glide app is submitted, we would like to have another sequential form be presented to capture data from the next phase in the process. Again, submitting groups of information allows the manager to see the process unfold and enables that person to guide the techs to successfully complete the job.

Finally, one more twist is that a given home can have 1, 2 or 3 systems. So, system related questions for Indoor Inspection tasks need to be presented in the order of: System 1 Indoor Information, System 2 Indoor Information, etc.

My problem is how to set up the navigation from one section to another. We have a # of Systems drop-down field for 1, 2 or 3. We want to use conditional logic to make only System 1 questions to appear for single system homes and to present System 2 and System 3 questions only when needed.

Ideally, we would like to capture data from the tech on the glide mobile app (e.g. Pre-Arrival and Discussions) and, upon submission, update the process record in Airtable AND present the next form (e.g. System 1 Indoor Inspection) for data capture and submission. Again the data updates the airtable base and presents the appropriate next form to the tech.

Any recommendations would be appreciated. It’s a long-winded description but I’m hoping the solution is simpler. Thanks!

2

I will try to give simple approach first. Then we can discuss further. To structure your tables in Airtable for this process, you can create separate tables for each phase and use linked records to connect them. Here’s a simple example:

Table 1: Repair Calls

  • Call ID (Primary Key)
  • Customer Name
  • Number of Systems (Dropdown: 1, 2, 3)
  • Current Phase (Single Line Text)

Table 2: Pre-Arrival and Discussions

  • Record ID (Primary Key)
  • Call ID (Linked to Repair Calls)
  • Pre-Arrival Notes (Long Text)
  • Pre-Arrival Photos (Attachment)

Table 3: Indoor Inspection

  • Record ID (Primary Key)
  • Call ID (Linked to Repair Calls)
  • System Number (Single Line Text)
  • Indoor Inspection Notes (Long Text)
  • Indoor Inspection Photos (Attachment)

Table 4: Outdoor Inspection

  • Record ID (Primary Key)
  • Call ID (Linked to Repair Calls)
  • Outdoor Inspection Notes (Long Text)
  • Outdoor Inspection Photos (Attachment)

Glide App Setup

  1. Create Different Forms for Each Table:
  • Use separate tables for each phase to create different forms in Glide.
  • Link each form submission to the corresponding Call ID to maintain the relationship.
  1. Form Navigation and Visibility:
  • After submitting the Pre-Arrival form, navigate to the Indoor Inspection form.
  • Use conditional visibility to show fields for System 1, System 2, and System 3 based on the Number of Systems field in the Repair Calls table.
  1. Conditional Visibility:
  • In the Indoor Inspection form, set conditions to display questions for each system based on the number of systems selected.

By structuring your tables this way, you can manage multiple forms and maintain the flow of data through the repair process, updating Airtable and navigating between forms as required.

BTW: I left out many things in the table structure to keep them simple. Ideally you would want to add more columns to these tables. For ex: On the Repair Calls table you could add columns for Date of Call, Call Attended By, Scheduled Date, Assigned Technician, Customer Address, etc. This is assuming that there will be someone to attend the repair calls and create a repair call entry first. Then on the day of visit, the technician will open the details view for the repair call. On the details screen, you can place a buttons row, with a button for each form to be completed. You should use visibility rules to show only one button at a time based on the Current Phase. You can change the Current Phase using an Action workflow.

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3

Hi @Bobby_Gay , welcome to Glide’s community forum.

When you create a new tab, you are offered the option to create a “multi-step form”. My suggestion would be to do that and study how it’s done.

It’s done using a custom form.

4

Thanks raajkumars. I think this structure is much simpler than the one I originally created. Tying the data records together using the Call ID would create a comprehensive approach to gathering data throughout the process by phase. Also, it will reduce redundancies. For example, if there are 2 systems, then two records would be created using the same fields.

I’m also considering creating a linked table (to Call ID) that solely captures pictures. This way, the tech can submit as many pictures as desired, all sharing the same Call ID.

Will give this a try.

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5

Thanks nathanaelb. I’m going to learn more about custom forms.

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