Editing Subject Attributes

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Editing Subject Attributes

Add Subject Attribute Fields

Each field listed in the Subject Attribute editor tree corresponds to one subject attribute field that will appear in the Subject editor.   

To add new Subject Attribute fields:

  1. Press the Add Field button. The Field Properties panel will open on the right side of the editor. Users will also be able to toggle to the Value Properties panel from here.Add Subject Attribute fields
  2. Set the desired subject attribute field properties and value properties.Subject Field Properties
  3. Select Save from the File menu or press the Save button to add the field.  The new field will be available when adding subjects in the Subject Manager.

Add Subject Attribute Properties

The Subject Attribute Properties appear on the right side of the Subject Attributes editor when the user first opens the editor.

To add or edit the Subject Attribute Properties:

  1. Open the Subject Attributes editor for the desired study or click on the Subject Attribute value in the editor tree if the editor is already open and you have navigated away from the original properties panel. The following Subject Attribute Properties will be available for editing:
    • Subject Required - Setting this to True/Yes will require users to enter a Subject ID when adding specimens for the study.
    • Generated Format - Enter a desired format for the Subject IDs that can be generated automatically in Data Entry using the Generate Subject IDs tool.Add Subject Attribute Properties
  2. Set the properties to the desired value. Save the Subject Attributes Editor.

Field Properties

The subject attribute field properties determine what information can be stored in the field as well as how the data is displayed.  Users can define subject attribute properties for a new field by clicking Add Field on the toolbar of the Subject Attributes Editor. The Field Properties panel will then open on the right side of the editor.Field Properties

The following fields will be displayed on the Field Properties panel:

  • Field Name - The display name for the subject attribute.
  • Study ID - This field is uneditable and automatically populated with the study name.
  • Display Order - A number indicating the placement of the field.  The display order must be set in the Subject Attributes Editor for each field defined.  The order is entered from 1 to n, where n is the total number of rows in the table.
  • Is Required - When this property is set to true, the field will show as an error in all tables or forms used to enter subject data when empty.  This will force the user to enter a value for the field before saving new subject data.
  • Description - This property is used to enter a description of the subject field up to 255 characters in length.  This property is optional.
  • Field Type - Determines the type of data that is stored for the field. Only one type may be selected: Characters, Date, Boolean, Choice, Decimal, Integer, Multi-Choice, Scientific Notation, and Attachment 
  • Is Active - When True is set, the field is available when entering or editing subject data.  If this property is set to False, the field will not be available when entering new data or editing existing data.  Users will still be able to view or report on fields that are inactive.
  • Display on Manager - When True, the field is displayed as a column on the Subject Manager. The Filter for the Subject Manager must be set to the attribute's Study for specific subject attributes to be displayed.

Field Types

The subject attribute value properties allow users to set which information can be entered in a subject field on the Subjects editor. When a new field is created by clicking Add Field, the Value Properties tab can be toggled to by clicking on it in the right side of the Subject Attributes editor. Users must define a Field Type on the Field Properties panel before they can edit Value Properties. The Field Type will determine what kind of Value Properties can be set.

For each Field Type, users can define the following Value Properties:

  • Characters - Size of the field and the Valid characters. Size is defaulted to a length of 255 and valid characters is defaulted to all letters and numbers.
  • Date - Users can choose whether they will allow future dates. This property is automatically set to allow future dates to be entered.
  • Boolean - No value properties can be set for this Field Type.
  • Choice - Users must set the Code List for this field type on the Value Properties panel. For instructions on creating a code list, see the Define Code lists for Choice Attributes article.
  • Decimal - Users can set the minimum allowed value and maximum allowable value for this field. Users can also set how many decimal places can be given. The Value Properties for this Field Type are automatically set to a minimum of  -2147483647.00000 and 2147483647.00000 with 3 decimal places allowed.
  • Integer - Users can set the minimum and maximum allowed values for this field. The Value Properties are default to a minimum of -2147483648 and a maximum of 2147483647.
  • Multi-Choice - Users must set the Code List for this field type on the Value Properties panel. For instructions on creating a code list, see the Define Code lists for Choice Attributes article.
  • Scientific Notation - Users can set the minimum exponent and the maximum exponent for this Field Type. Users can also set the allowed decimal places and indicate whether to allow negatives. The Minimum Exponent value is automatically set to -300 and the Maximum Exponent value is automatically set to 300. The Decimal Places value is defaulted to 3. Negatives are also not allowed by default.  
  • Time - The Value Properties section will not be displayed. When entering data, the Time field is accepts values entered in the form "0000" and automatically alters it to the form "00:00".
  • Attachment - No value properties can be set for this Field Type.

Define Code Lists for Choice and Multi-Choice Attributes

Users must define a code list for choice and multi-choice attributes through the Value Properties panel.

To define a code list for a Choice or Multi-Choice attribute:

  1. In the Subject Attributes Editor, select the attribute with a field type of Choice or Multi-Choice. The Field Properties panel will open for that field.
  2. The Value Properties panel will show a table view of code options attached to the field. Enter the options for the code list.
    • Each row in the table is one option.
    • The Value and Label columns must be unique for each row.
    • For Multi-Choice fields, the Required Value field must be filled in and will indicate that the user must fill in a physical value if they choose that multi-choice option.Define Code lists for Choice
  3. Select Save from the File menu or the Save button to save the changes to the editor.

Edit Subject Attribute Fields

When the Subject Attributes Editor is opened for an existing set of attributes, all attributes will be displayed in the tree on the editor.  

To edit existing Subject Attributes:

  1. Select the desired field to edit from the tree under Subject Attribute in the editor.Edit Existing Subject Attributes
  2. The field properties will appear in the right side of the editor for that field. Edit the desired properties. See Subject Attribute Field Properties for a description of the fields in the editor.
  3. Some fields offer a code list from which to choose values.  To open this list, navigate to the Value Properties tab next to the Field Properties tab. The existing code list options will appear on the Value Properties panel. Users can add fields to this code list as they would in any other table.  
  4. Once the user is finished editing subject attributes, press the Save button to save the changes.

Delete Subject Attribute Fields

Subject attribute fields can be removed if they have not had any data entered for them through the Subjects Manager or data entry.  If a field has data entered, but is no longer needed for future subject entries, it can be set to inactive by editing the Is Active property.  A field that is set to Inactive will not be displayed on tables or forms that are used to enter subject data.

To delete a subject attribute field:

  1. Open the Subject Attributes editor for the desired study.
  2. Select the field  to be removed from the tree in the editor.
  3. Select Delete Field from the editor toolbar. The row will then be deleted.Delete Field icon
  4. Select Save from the File menu or the Save button to save the changes to the editor.

To set a subject attribute field to Inactive:

  1. Open the Subject Attributes editor for the desired study.
  2. Select the desired Subject Attribute field to be set to Inactive.
  3. Change the Is Active field to False/No for the desired attribute.Set subject attribute field inactive
  4. Select Save from the File menu or the Save button on the toolbar to save the changes to the editor.

Add Subject Attribute Verifiers

To add a subject attribute verifier:

  1. Press the Add Verifier button on the toolbar or choose Add Verifier from the Edit menu. A new verifier will open in the right panel of the Subject Attribute editor.
  2. Fill in the following information for the Verifier.
    • Name: This will name the verifier in the Subject Attribute tree.
    • Severity: There are two options for this field—Warning and Error. The value chosen for this field will determine what type of message is generated if the verifier criteria are not met in the Subject editor. If Warning is chosen, then users will be able to save even when there are violations of the verifier criteria (the warning message will still appear though). If Error is chosen, users will not be able to save the Subject editor when violations of the verifier criteria are present
    • Message: This field allows users to enter the message that a user will see when they violate the verifier criteria in the Subject editor. This field is required.
      • Below the fields listed above is a panel that is similar to the Standard Search dialog. This panel will be used to define the verifier. In the Fields section, only fields that have already been added to the Subject Attributes tree will be available. Highlight the field you would like to add a verifier to. Using operators and the values field, you will be able to define when a warning or error will appear.Subject Editor Properties
  3. Press Save when finished.

Users can test that the verifier criteria is entered correctly by pressing the Test button. The Test button appears to the right of the verifier Criteria panel. This button will launch a dialog with the subject attribute fields appearing as they would in the Subject editor. Users can enter example values in these fields to see which values will produce a warning/error to test that their verifier criteria is set correctly.

Edit Subject Attribute Verifiers

To edit an existing subject attribute verifier:

  1. Find the name of the desired Subject Attribute verifier in the tree on the left side of the editor under Verifiers and click to highlight.Edit Subject Attribute Verifiers
  2. The Verifier Properties will open in the right panel. Edit the desired information.
  3. Pres Save when finished editing the verifier.

Delete Subject Attribute Verifiers

To delete an existing consent form verifier:

  1. Find the name of the desired Subject Attribute verifier in the tree on the left side of the editor under Verifiers and click to highlight.
  2. Press the Delete Verifier button on the toolbar or select Delete Verifier from the Edit menu.Delete Subject Attributes Verifiers
  3. The verifier will be deleted. Press Save to save the changes