Introduction
The default KoboCollect settings work, but adjusting them can make fieldwork faster, safer, and more reliable. KoboCollect settings control everything from the server connection and app language to offline maps and automatic submissions. This tutorial walks you through each settings area you can open from the K icon. You will learn how to configure server details, the user interface, maps, form management, and user and device information. We will also cover admin passwords and access control, which stop data collectors from changing important settings.
- Introduction
- Server settings in KoboCollect
- Project display settings in KoboCollect
- User interface settings in KoboCollect
- Maps settings in KoboCollect
- Form management settings in KoboCollect
- User and device identity settings in KoboCollect
- Set admin password
- Project management settings in KoboCollect
- Access control in KoboCollect
- Conclusion
To access the settings, open Kobo Collect, then click on the Kobo icon (K) in the top far right corner.
Click on the settings button.
This will display a list of all possible settings, including project settings and protected settings.
Server settings in KoboCollect
Server settings include the server URL, your username, and your password.
Project display settings in KoboCollect
The project display settings include the project name, the project icon, and the project color. A user can change these settings as they prefer.
User interface settings in KoboCollect
The user interface settings include the language, text font size, and navigation.
The default language is the device language. However, there is a drop-down menu listing all the available languages in the application. Choose the language of your preference or maintain the default device language.
The default text font size is medium. However, other available options include: extra large, large, small, and extra small
Navigation means how a user moves through the form. There are three options provided: a) horizontal swipes, b) forward/backward buttons, and c) swipes and buttons, which is a combination of the horizontal swipes and the forward/backward buttons.
Maps settings in KoboCollect
Map settings include map source (e.g., Google, Open Street Map, USGS, and Carto), map style, and offline layers.
Form management settings in KoboCollect
The form management settings include four main settings: form update settings, form submission settings, form filling settings, and form import settings.
a) Form update settings
These include blank form update mode (settings include manual, previously downloaded forms only, and exactly match server), automatic update frequency, automatic download, and hide old form versions.
b) Form submission settings
These include auto-send and delete after send. The auto send setting allows a user to automatically send a form either with wifi internet only, with cellular internet only, or with either wifi or cellular internet.
You can also turn this off if you do not want the forms to be automatically sent. Turning this setting off ensures that users can edit the forms when necessary before submitting the forms.
c) Form filling settings
These include:
Constraint processing – applies to questions that require some form of validation, for instance, a minimum or maximum value.
High-res video – you can either check or uncheck the high-resolution requirement for video recordings. If the form is being deployed in areas with poor or expensive Internet connectivity, it is advisable to turn off this setting so as to save on data.
Image size – there are several options available for the image size, including original size from camera (default setting), very small, small, medium, and large. If the form is being deployed in areas with poor or expensive Internet connectivity, it is advisable to use the very small image size setting to save on data.
Show guidance for questions – applies to questions with hints. There are three options available: No, Yes-always shown, and Yes-collapsed.
d) Form import settings
The only setting here is finalise forms on import, which a user can either allow or disallow.
User and device identity settings in KoboCollect
These include form metadata (username, email, and/or telephone number of the person collecting data as well as device ID) and collection of anonymous usage data.
Set admin password
This allows a user to set their admin password.
Project management settings in KoboCollect
These include reconfiguring, resetting, and deleting projects.
Access control in KoboCollect
These settings allow the owner of a project to limit the interface of other users, for instance, data collectors or research assistants.
The project’s owner can limit the interface for these users by allowing only the options necessary for them to collect data.
These enable the owner to protect their privacy and their projects.
Access control settings include main menu settings, user settings, and form entry settings.
Conclusion
With these settings in place, KoboCollect is ready to support efficient, well-controlled fieldwork. Turn on auto-send if your data collectors have reliable internet, and download offline maps if you are working in remote areas. Set an admin password before you hand out devices so that your configuration stays as you set it. Go through these settings on every device during training. In the final tutorial of this series, we will manage and export your data in KoboToolbox.
Other tutorials in the series
Kobo Toolbox Tutorial #9: Data Management in KoboToolbox
Kobo Toolbox Tutorial #7: How to Collect Data using Kobo Collect
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