Overview
Basic is the first category in the Form Builder palette. It contains Heading plus 10 common data-entry tools — the elements you will use for the majority of fields in any CRF. Heading is a section-divider element (it captures no data); the other 10 are item-level elements, each producing one question/one variable.
This page covers every Basic Element. For the fields that are common to all elements regardless of category (Field label, Code, Description, Required, Read-only, PHI data, Help text, Hidden), see Component Settings (Common) on the Build a Complete CRF page — they are not repeated here.
For elements outside this category, see Advanced Elements, Group Elements, and Clinical Elements.
Heading
When to use: Use Heading to add a visual section or sub-section title inside the canvas. It is a pure divider — no data is captured and no field code is generated.
Basic settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The heading text displayed on the canvas. Used to label a group of questions below it. |
Heading has an inline delete button directly on the canvas.
Basic Elements are added and configured by Study Administrator and System Administrator roles while building or editing a CRF version in Form Builder.
Screenshot will be added later.
Short Text
When to use: Use Short Text for free-entry, single-line responses — subject initials, IDs, short identifiers, or brief notes.
Basic settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Placeholder | Hint text shown inside the empty field before the user types a value. |
| Default value | Optional value pre-filled when the field is first displayed. |
| Suggestions | Optional toggle that shows a configurable list of autosuggest values while the user types (e.g. common short answers). |
Advanced settings
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Select medical coding library | Maps this field to a configured Medical Coding dictionary so the entered term can be searched/coded through Medical Coding. Available only on Short Text and Long Text. |
Basic Elements are added and configured by Study Administrator and System Administrator roles while building or editing a CRF version in Form Builder.
Screenshot will be added later.
Long Text
When to use: Use Long Text for multi-line free-text responses — adverse event descriptions, medical histories, or comments.
Basic settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Placeholder | Hint text shown inside the empty field before the user types a value. |
| Default value | Optional value pre-filled when the field is first displayed. |
| Suggestions | Optional toggle that shows a configurable list of autosuggest values while the user types. |
Advanced settings
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Select medical coding library | Maps this field to a configured Medical Coding dictionary so the entered narrative can be searched/coded through Medical Coding. Available only on Short Text and Long Text. |
Basic Elements are added and configured by Study Administrator and System Administrator roles while building or editing a CRF version in Form Builder.
Screenshot will be added later.
Number
When to use: Use Number for numeric measurements — age, weight, height, dosage, laboratory values, or scores. Choose Decimal instead of Integer whenever fractional precision matters (e.g. labs, dosage).
Basic settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Data type | Integer or Decimal. Decimal unlocks the width/decimal and separator settings below. |
| Width decimal | Total digits and decimal digits, e.g. 5(1). Only shown when Data type is Decimal. |
| Decimal separator | Comma (,) or Dot (.). Only shown when Data type is Decimal. |
| Thousand separator | Comma (,), Dot (.), Space, or None. |
| Min / Max range | Optional minimum/maximum allowed values, used for range validation on entry. |
Basic Elements are added and configured by Study Administrator and System Administrator roles while building or editing a CRF version in Form Builder.
Screenshot will be added later.
Date
When to use: Use Date for calendar date fields — date of birth, visit date, start date, or end date. Use the Partial date format when the exact day may not be known (e.g. AE onset recalled by the patient).
Basic settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Date format | One of: Day, Month, and Year (DD/MM/YYYY), Month, and Year (MM/YYYY), Year only (YYYY), or Partial date. |
Basic Elements are added and configured by Study Administrator and System Administrator roles while building or editing a CRF version in Form Builder.
Screenshot will be added later.
Time
When to use: Use Time for time-of-day values only — procedure start time, medication administration time, or observation time. When both date and time must be captured together, use Date & Time instead.
Basic settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Time format | hh:mm or hh:mm:ss. |
| Time range | 24 hours or AM / PM. |
Basic Elements are added and configured by Study Administrator and System Administrator roles while building or editing a CRF version in Form Builder.
Screenshot will be added later.
Date & Time
When to use: Use Date & Time when both the date and time of an event must be captured together in a single field — dosing time, sample collection timestamp, or visit time.
Basic settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Date format | Same options as Date: DD/MM/YYYY, MM/YYYY, YYYY, or Partial date. |
| Time format | hh:mm or hh:mm:ss. |
| Time range | 24 hours or AM / PM. |
Basic Elements are added and configured by Study Administrator and System Administrator roles while building or editing a CRF version in Form Builder.
Screenshot will be added later.
Single Choice
When to use: Use Single Choice for mutually exclusive answers from a small option set (approximately 7 or fewer) where all options should be visible at once — sex, response categories, severity grades.
Basic settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Labels and codes | Opens the options editor to add, remove, reorder, and set the label + code for each option. |
| Layout | 1 Column, 2 Columns, 3 Columns, or Horizontal — controls how the options are arranged on the canvas. |
| Default value | Optional pre-selected option. |
Basic Elements are added and configured by Study Administrator and System Administrator roles while building or editing a CRF version in Form Builder.
Screenshot will be added later.
Checkboxes
When to use: Use Checkboxes when more than one option can apply and the option set is small enough that all options should be visible at once — symptoms, comorbidities, concurrent medications.
Basic settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Labels and codes | Opens the options editor to add, remove, reorder, and set the label + code for each option. |
| Layout | 1 Column, 2 Columns, 3 Columns, or Horizontal — controls how the options are arranged on the canvas. |
| Default value | Optional pre-selected option(s). |
Basic Elements are added and configured by Study Administrator and System Administrator roles while building or editing a CRF version in Form Builder.
Screenshot will be added later.
Dropdown
When to use: Use Dropdown for mutually exclusive answers from a large option set (more than ~7) or where a compact, space-constrained row is preferred over Single Choice — country, medication name, diagnosis code.
Basic settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Labels and codes | Opens the options editor to add, remove, reorder, and set the label + code for each option. |
| Default value | Optional pre-selected option. |
Dropdown does not have a Layout (1/2/3-column) setting — options are always presented in a single dropdown list, which is what makes it more compact than Single Choice for long lists.
Basic Elements are added and configured by Study Administrator and System Administrator roles while building or editing a CRF version in Form Builder.
Screenshot will be added later.
Multiple Select
When to use: Use Multiple Select when more than one option can apply and the option set is large — it combines Checkboxes' multi-select semantics with Dropdown's compact, space-efficient presentation.
Basic settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Labels and codes | Opens the options editor to add, remove, reorder, and set the label + code for each option. |
| Default value | Optional pre-selected option(s). |
Like Dropdown, Multiple Select does not have a Layout (1/2/3-column) setting.
Basic Elements are added and configured by Study Administrator and System Administrator roles while building or editing a CRF version in Form Builder.
Screenshot will be added later.
Related Guide
- Build a Complete CRF — full editor workflow and the Component Settings common to every element
- Advanced Elements
- Group Elements
- Clinical Elements