Version 15.12 of Smap is here.  It contains the long awaited Beta version of the online editor.  You are welcome to try out this editor both for the purpose of creating new surveys and also to edit a survey that has already been loaded.  However it is beta software and, due to its complexity, more than usually buggy.  We will be working on these bugs over the next few releases and also adding some more advanced functionality.   If you find any bugs yourself send me an email with the details.

Features

The new features are:

• Smap Online Editor
• Self registration of organisations on the https://sg.smap.com.au server
• Shared Resource page for files, pictures and maps used by multiple surveys
• Names of column headings are now shown un-modified

Smap Online Editor (Beta)

Yes finally an online editor for Smap.  This will allow you to:

• Create and test a quick survey
• Edit a survey after data collection has started
• Help get the questions translated into local languages
• Export to an xlsForm editor
• Import from an xlsForm editor

More details on the features are available here. The editor is a work in progress and there are still some things that either have to be done in the xlsForm editor or where its still simpler to use that editor. Using the export to xlsForm feature you can switch between editors depending on which is easier.

Self Registration on the Smap Shared server

You can now register your own organisation to use the Smap shared server. https://sg.smap.com.au.  Use of this server is free however it is restricted to “Not for Profit” organisations and individuals.  Support is available for $50 per month if you want it.  There is a “register” menu option on the home page.

Shared Resources

In previous versions of Smap you had to open the editor in order to add files that could be shared across organisations.  You still go into the editor to add files that are specific to a single survey but for all shared resources there is a menu in the admin module.

Here you can load:

• Media (images, video, audio) that are used in question and choice labels
• CSV files that contain data referenced from the survey
• New maps that are used during analysis.  Refer to here for details.

Column names in results tables shown un-modified

In previous versions of Smap if you named a question using characters that could not be used in the database column name they would be changed.  So “q1.4” would become “q1x4”.  This no longer happens so you will see the question names unmodified.

Bug Fixes

• Could not mark a record in a sub form as “bad”.  Thanks to Puskapa for finding this bug.
• If you opened a webform by clicking on a sub form record in the analysis page then the wrong record was opened. Opening a web form on a subform has now been disabled.  To edit a record you now need to open it from the main form. Again thank you to Puskapa for finding this bug.
• Exporting a PDF of a submission failed if the user had not changed their user settings, for example their title.