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After the Data Inventory Manager is customized customised to include all the necessary elements for data collection, the next step is to create Data Entry Forms templates. The Data Entry Form Template Designer provides the capability for information managers to create customised Data Entry Form templates for use with IMSMA<sup>NG</sup>{{IMSMANG}}. The primary purposes of this tool are to:
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|[[Remove Selected Elements from the Data Entry Form|Remove Selected Elements from the Data Entry Form]]
|[[Change Element Display Properties|Change Element Display Properties]]
|[[Customise Tables|Customize Customise Tables]]
|[[Add Required Fields on the Design Pane|Add Required Fields on the Design Pane]]
|[[Change Single Selection List Display Properties|Change Single Selection List Display Properties]]
With the drag-and-drop capability, the Data Entry Form Template Designer lets information managers select from all of the data elements available in the Data Inventory Manager and position them on a template. Information managers can create wholly new data collection forms and forms that mimic existing paper forms using only the data elements that are valuable to their programme’s workflow. The resulting, streamlined templates—free from tabs and other confusing navigational concepts—can then be printed and used for data collection.
Because the design process is critical to the proper functioning of the information management system, IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> {{IMSMANG}} provides several capabilities to facilitate the design and sharing of Data Entry Form templates. Information managers can save drafts to the file system prior to publishing. These drafts stored in .FFML format can then be exchanged with other IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> {{IMSMANG}} users or IMSMA<sup>NG</sup{{IMSMANG}}> systems and be used to design other templates so information managers do not have to start with a blank template.
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* After creating Data Entry Form templates in IMSMA<sup>NG</sup>{{IMSMANG}}, it is recommended to use another application to build the same forms for handwritten data collection in the field. The templates are built to accommodate typewritten data which requires less space than handwritten data. Using templates to record data in the field may impose limitations on the amount or extent of information collected.
* When a general layout and design is determined for a programme’s Data Entry Form templates, it is a good idea to save an .FFML file to the file system so it can be used as the basis for designing the rest of the programme’s templates. This should be done prior to adding item-specific data to the template
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===Include Standard Data Elements on All Templates===__NOEDITSECTION__
Some data elements should always appear on Data Entry Form templates to preserve data integrity and searchability. By standardising these data elements, information managers ensure that the elements at a minimum can be used to find data within IMSMA<sup>NG</sup>{{IMSMANG}}.
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===Remove Unnecessary Elements from Data Entry Form Templates===__NOEDITSECTION__
By removing unnecessary or invalid choices from forms, information managers can improve the quality of data collected and entered into IMSMA<sup>NG</sup>{{IMSMANG}}. For example, if a form is designed to be a Minefield form, then there is no need to keep other possible values for the “Land Classification ” that are not “Minefield.” In this case, values such as “SHA” and “Other” can be removed from the form, leaving “Minefield” as the only possible choice. This helps improve data quality while reducing the size and complexity of data entry forms.
===Use the Text Tool for Instructions and Versionning===__NOEDITSECTION__
==Template Publishing==__NOEDITSECTION__
When the Data Entry Form templates are designed, information managers can publish them for use. The publication process includes choosing an organisation that the template belongs to and providing a version number. When an individual template is designed to support the needs of a specific organisation, information managers can select the organisation as the owner of the template. For example, if organisation XYZ uses a specific template to collect information, the template can be assigned to XYZ when it is published. Note that setting the owner of the template does not restrict data entry personnel from using the template. The template that is published and assigned to XYZ is accessible to all IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> {{IMSMANG}} users, not just XYZ personnel. Also, if a template is for general use or not designed to support a specific organisation, the owner of the template can be set to “IMSMA” or any other organisation created in IMSMA<sup>NG</sup>{{IMSMANG}}.
When a template is published using the same name as another published template, IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> {{IMSMANG}} automatically deactivates the previously published template. Note that this does not change the format of any data already entered into IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> {{IMSMANG}} using the previously published template. IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> {{IMSMANG}} preserves the integrity of data as it was entered. Subsequent Data Entry Forms, however, are entered and displayed using the updated version of the template.
To ensure the most recent and useful templates are available for data entry, information managers should periodically review the status of the published templates and deactivate or delete any templates no longer needed. If a template has already been used to enter data into IMSMA<sup>NG</sup>{{IMSMANG}}, the template cannot be deleted from the system. But, information managers can deactivate the template so it cannot be used for data entry. Templates that have not already been used can be deleted.
==Translating Templates (Multilingual Environment)==__NOEDITSECTION__
When running IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> {{IMSMANG}} in a multilingual environment where different users run IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> {{IMSMANG}} in different languages, information managers have two options for creating templates:
* creating multilingual templates
* creating multiple versions of each template
Either approach works successfully and gives users of multiple languages full access to IMSMA<sup>NG</sup> {{IMSMANG}} data.
===Multilingual Templates===__NOEDITSECTION__
===Multiple Versions of Each Template===__NOEDITSECTION__
An alternative approach to template design is to create a separate version of the same template for each language. Benefits of this approach include reduced form size since each piece of text is only represented once and simplified template creation since users can change their locale settings and begin designing templates that take advantage of the translations already provided in IMSMA<sup>NG</sup>{{IMSMANG}}.
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