- Why to save data to the case as case properties
- How to save data to the case as case properties
In this tutorial we will continue where we left in the Basic Case Management Tutorial.
So far we have successfully we linked our registration, follow-up, and birth outcome forms. But, it is time to add some complexity and unlock the full potential of case management.
1. Save Data from the Registration Form
Go to your application and click on the "Registration" form, navigating to the Case Management Tab, as shown below:
So far you have only saved data to one case property- a special one called "name." Every case has a property called "name" which is important so that we have something not-technical to refer to each case. It doesn't have to be a person or village name- it could be an ID code or some other sort if identifier. And as noted in the previous tutorial, two cases can have the same name property.
Now that "name" is referred to in the registration form you can refer to it in any other form that uses the same case type. But our application will much more useful if we can refer to other case properties.
Case properties are useful because:
1- we can see them in the case list and case details, if we choose to
2- we can reference them in other forms
3- in some cases, they are useful for data purposes
Let's go ahead and save everything from the Registration form as case properties.
It may be useful to know each woman's village, so that the mobile user can use that in planning their visits, so let's choose "Village Name" in the second row:
Go to the drop-down menu that says "Select a Question" and choose the question "Village Name:"
You will see that CommCare automatically populates the Case Property column with the Question ID. You can manually change this if you want to call it something else in the case. Changing the name here will not affect the Question ID. However, if you want to refer to village in a different form you'll have to call it by the Case Property instead of the Question ID. Case Property names follow the same rules as Question IDs (i.e. you can't start with a number, you can't have spaces or special characters, etc.)
Go ahead and also add the questions about Date of Last Menstrual Period, Living Children, Feeling Sick, and Total Children so that your "Save data" box looks like this:
Make sure to save all of your changes.