Overview
Some form questions ask you to pick an employee from a list. When a form is set up with an Employee Role filter on one of those questions, the list shows only employees who hold that role. Field technicians, supervisors, and inspectors filling out forms on the mobile app see only the employees that match. The filter works the same way on iOS and Android, online or offline.
Accessing the Employee Role Filter
There is nothing to turn on in the app. The filter is part of the form's setup and applies automatically whenever you fill out that form.
Open a form from wherever you normally start or resume forms (for example, from a task, a work order, or the forms list).
Tap an employee question (a question whose answer is chosen from the list of employees).
The selection list that opens is already narrowed to the employees who match the form's Employee Role filter.
How to Pick an Employee from a Role-Filtered Question
When the form uses a fixed role (for example, "Electrician"), the list is filtered as soon as you open it.
Steps:
Tap the employee question.
Browse or search the list. Only employees who hold the configured role appear.
Tap the employee you want to select.
NOTE: On iOS, a banner at the top of the list reads Filtering on Employee Role: '[Role Name]' so you can see which role is applied.
How to Pick an Employee When the Role Comes from Another Question
Some forms let you choose the role yourself in an earlier question (an Employee Role question), and then filter the employee question by your answer.
Steps:
Answer the earlier Employee Role question first by selecting a role.
Tap the employee question. The list shows only employees who hold the role you selected.
Tap the employee you want to select.
If you change your answer to the Employee Role question, the employee list follows the new role the next time you open it.
NOTE: If you open the employee question before answering the Employee Role question, the list stays empty until that question is answered:
iOS: A banner reads Filter this list by answering question: '[Question Name]'.
Android: The list is hidden and a message points you to the question you need to answer first.
Understanding How Employees Are Matched
Any of their roles counts: Employees can hold more than one role. An employee appears in the list if the filtered role is any one of their roles, and each employee appears only once.
Employees with no matching role are left out: Employees who have no roles, or whose roles don't include the filtered role, don't appear in a filtered list.
One role per question: Each employee question filters on a single role, either a fixed role or the answer to one earlier Employee Role question.
No filter means the full list: Employee questions without an Employee Role filter list all employees, as usual.
Works offline: The filter uses the employee and role information already synced to your device, so it behaves the same with or without a connection.
Set up as part of the form: The filter can't be added, changed, or removed from the mobile app. Contact whoever builds your forms if a question should use a different role.
Use Cases / Examples
Use Case 1: Assigning a qualified inspector
A safety form asks "Inspected by." The form filters that question to the Inspector role, so a technician filling it out on a tablet sees only certified inspectors and can't accidentally pick someone outside that group.
Use Case 2: Choosing a trade, then a person
A maintenance request form first asks which trade is needed (an Employee Role question), then asks who should do the work. A supervisor selects "Millwright," and the next question lists only millwrights.
Use Case 3: Filling out forms in a remote area
A technician working in a plant area with no signal completes a form that includes a role-filtered employee question. Because the filter uses the data already on the device, the list is narrowed correctly without a connection.
Best Practices
Answer Role Questions First: When a form asks for a role before an employee, answer the role question first so the employee list is ready when you reach it.
Check the Banner on iOS: Glance at the banner at the top of the list to confirm which role is applied before you pick.
Sync Before Heading Out: Sync the app before working offline so recently added employees and role changes are on your device.
Re-check After Changing a Role: If you change an earlier role answer after picking an employee, reopen the employee question and confirm the selection still fits.
Troubleshooting
Issue: The employee list is empty.
Solution:
Check whether the form has an earlier Employee Role question that isn't answered yet. Answer it, then reopen the employee question.
If the role is fixed, there may be no employees who currently hold that role. Contact your administrator to confirm role assignments.
Sync the app to pull down recent employee and role changes.
Issue: An employee I expect to see isn't in the list.
Solution:
Confirm the employee holds the role the question filters on. An employee only appears if that role is one of their roles.
Sync the app, since a recent role assignment may not be on your device yet.
Issue: The list shows employees from every role.
Solution:
That question doesn't have an Employee Role filter, so all employees are listed.
If the question should be filtered, contact whoever builds your forms to have the filter added.
Summary
Employee questions on a form can be filtered by an Employee Role, so the list shows only employees who hold that role. The role can be fixed or taken from an earlier Employee Role question on the same form. Matching counts any of an employee's roles, and the filter works the same on iOS and Android, online or offline.