This is where the options for each column are displayed and can be split into the following components:

A - Column display options:

This shows the BosqMap display name or in other words the name that is shown in the data display dialog.  This can be set to any name up to a maximum of 40 characters in length but cannot contain commas or semi colons.

To update the name, enter the new name into the text box and press ‘Update’ – display names can be reset to MapInfo column titles by pressing ‘Change to MapInfo column name’.

B – Data type options

This allows the user to set the data type in the MapInfo table – the data type can be set to any of the MapInfo data types.  It is worth noting that MapInfo only allows a maximum string length of 254 – so when designing tables with long free text, consideration should be given to using more than 1 column (e.g. a notes 1 and a notes 2 column).

C – Data input/ display options

This allows the user to set how data is input and viewed in the BosqMap data display dialog:

BosqMap Input type

– this can be either Editable Text (Free Text) - Drop Down (only with a data type of character) or Tick Box (only with a logical [true/ false] data type):

Allow users to edit

 – if this is un-ticked then users cannot edit this column (it will be displayed but greyed) – the column will be automatically completed when adding new entries if this has been set

Two characters high in BosqMap cols 24 – 32

– if checked edit text entries are 2 characters high if they are in columns 24 -32 within the BosqMap data display dialog.

Warn – users when blank

 – If a user presses Ok and the field is blank a warning message will be displayed asking the user to confirm that they wish this field to be blank (this cannot be used with Tick Boxes).

Auto-complete

 - If this is ticked, the auto-complete options are displayed:

There are 2 options:

·        same as previous entry whereby each new entry has the same entry in that field as the previous entry

·        increase by increments (up to 1000). (this is particularly useful for surveyors where consecutive objects don’t have to be manually numbered)

D – Associated column options

This section allows columns to be linked – there are two ways that columns can be linked – through tick boxes and through drop-down menus.  The tick  box options are activated by using the Change Settings button (disabled if the input type is editable text):

Linked through tick boxes

There are five options: Not linked to column, Grey when ticked, Grey and blank when ticked, Grey when un-ticked, Grey and blank when un-ticked.  This is useful as in the case below, where there is no loft space therefore there is no need to enter data about the loft:

To link a column – select the appropriate option associated with the linked column (i.e. in the above example the column ‘Loft_access’ is grey and blank when the column ‘Loft_space’ is ticked) – columns cannot be linked to themselves.

Linked through drop downs

This is accessed through the change settings button as above and brings up the following dialog box which lists all columns with the same number of drop-down entries:

To add a column press the ‘Add column to expr.’ button.  In this case the user is collecting tree data and in the majority of cases the spread is equal on all sides.  Thus the column crown spread north (CS_N) is linked to crown spread east, south and west (crown spread east is linked to crown spread south and west and not to crown spread north) – when the entry in the primary column is entry 1 (e.g. 1m in Crown spread north) the entry in the linked columns is also 1 (e.g. 1m Crown spread east, south and west).