Overview
Group Elements are division-level components — instead of adding one field, a Group Element adds a container that holds a set of related items and controls how those items repeat. There are 4 Group Elements: Group, Table, Matrix, and Embedding.
Group, Table, and Matrix look similar on the canvas but repeat in fundamentally different ways — picking the wrong one is a common CRF design mistake (for example, building a validated scale like PHQ-9 as 9 separate single-choice items instead of one Matrix). Use this decision rule:
- The rows are fixed content (a fixed list of questions) and every question shares one response scale → Matrix. The row axis is not something a site user adds more of.
- The rows are what the site user adds more of (another medication, another adverse event) and the columns are a small set of fixed fields → Table.
- A single repetition needs more fields than comfortably fit in one row → Group.
| Element | Repeats as | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| Group | A full vertical block per repetition | Concomitant Medication with 8+ fields |
| Table | One spreadsheet row per repetition | Prescription: Medication / Dosage / Unit / Route / Frequency / Duration |
| Matrix | Not row-repeating — fixed questions × one shared response scale | PHQ-9, DLQI, PRO-CTCAE, Bristol Stool Scale |
| Embedding | N/A — a narrative sentence with inline fields | "Patient took [dose] mg for [duration] days" |
Each field placed inside a Group Element still uses the standard field settings (gear icon) described in Component Settings (Common) — label, code, required, read-only, PHI, help text, and hidden all apply per field.
Group
When to use: Use Group to bundle several related fields into one repeatable block, when a single repetition needs more fields than comfortably fit in one table row — for example, a Concomitant Medication group with 8 or more fields (drug name, dose, unit, route, frequency, start date, stop date, ongoing flag). Each repetition renders as a full card-style block, not a spreadsheet row.
Basic settings
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Group Title | Label shown above the block. Line breaks entered in the title are preserved after save. |
| Repeat | Toggle that allows site users to add more than one instance of this group (add-row pattern). |
| Repeat No | Initial number of repetitions shown when the CRF loads. |
| Repeat Max | Maximum number of repetitions a site user can add. |
| Fields | Any Basic, Advanced, or Clinical element can be placed inside a Group; every field inside repeats with it. |
There is no separate Advanced Configuration for Group beyond the standard per-field settings on each field placed inside it.
Adding and configuring Group Elements on a CRF is done in the Form Builder editor by Study Administrator or System Administrator.
A screenshot of the Group element on the canvas will be added here once captured from the live platform.
Table
When to use: Use Table to present and capture structured data in a row-and-column grid, when the repeatable unit is "add another row of a few short, homogeneous fields" — for example, a laboratory panel or a concomitant medication list where every row shares the same small set of columns. Table is more compact than stacked Groups when the columns are consistent across rows.
Basic settings
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Columns | Fixed set of field types that define each column of the table (for example, Short Text, Number, Dropdown). |
| Rows | Data rows a site user adds — each repetition is one row, not a full block. |
| Add row / Remove row | Controls whether site users can add or remove rows during data entry. |
There is no separate Advanced Configuration for Table beyond the standard per-field settings on each column.
Unlike Matrix rows (see Conditions & Hidden on Matrix Rows below), Table rows do not expose a Conditions/Hidden tab in the row editor. Conditional visibility on a Table is configured at the field level, using the standard field settings, not per row.
Adding and configuring Group Elements on a CRF is done in the Form Builder editor by Study Administrator or System Administrator.
A screenshot of the Table element on the canvas will be added here once captured from the live platform.
Matrix
When to use: Use Matrix when a fixed list of questions all share the same response scale — for example, PHQ-9, DLQI, PRO-CTCAE Frequency/Severity/Interference, or the Bristol Stool Scale. Rows are the fixed list of questions; columns are the shared response options. Matrix is not a repeating Table — the row axis is fixed instrument content, not data a site user adds more of. If every "row" instead needs its own, different set of fields, or the rows are something a site user adds, use Table or Group instead.
Basic settings
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Response Type | Single Choice or Checkbox — whether a row accepts one selected column or multiple. |
| Columns | The shared response scale shown across the top of the matrix (for example, Never / Several days / More than half the days / Nearly every day). |
| Rows | The fixed list of questions/items, one per row. |
| Header Rows | Optional additional header row(s) above the column labels, for grouping or extra instructions. |
Advanced settings
Detail Rows
Detail Rows let you insert a full-width follow-up row directly after any Matrix question row, instead of adding it as just another scored question on the shared response scale.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | Unique identifier for the detail row, used in exports and rules. |
| Label | Text shown for the detail row. |
| Type | The field type captured by the detail row (for example, Short Text, Number). |
| After row | Which Matrix question row the detail row is inserted directly beneath. |
| Hidden | When enabled, the detail row is hidden by default and only shown when its Simple Condition Display (SCD) logic evaluates to true — the same conditional-display mechanism used elsewhere in the CRF editor. |
Use a Detail Row when a specific Matrix question needs a follow-up capture — for example, an optional comment field shown only after a particular severity item is answered — without adding a whole new item to the shared response scale.
This is a placeholder image. The real screenshot of the Detail Rows configuration will be captured from the live platform and swapped in by the design team as a follow-up, separate from this content update.
Conditions & Hidden on Matrix Rows
Matrix rows now expose a Conditions tab in the row editor, offering Hidden plus Simple Condition Display (SCD) — the same visibility-by-condition mechanism available on other elements. Previously this tab was not available at all for Matrix rows, so conditional row visibility could only be controlled at the field/division level. This tab is still not available for Table rows (see the note under Table above).
Adding and configuring Group Elements on a CRF is done in the Form Builder editor by Study Administrator or System Administrator.
A screenshot of the Matrix element on the canvas will be added here once captured from the live platform.
Embedding
When to use: Use Embedding for fill-in-the-blank narrative sentences where prose readability matters more than a grid layout — for example, "Patient took [dose] mg for [duration] days." Embedding is a narrative template with inline field placeholders, not a container for embedding external content or widgets; use it when the source instrument or protocol text reads as a sentence with blanks rather than a list of discrete questions.
Basic settings
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Template | The narrative sentence text, with inline placeholders marking where field values are inserted. |
| Field Placeholders | Each placeholder maps to an underlying field (for example, a Number or Short Text field); the value entered for that field substitutes into the sentence at that position. |
There is no separate Advanced Configuration for Embedding beyond the standard per-field settings on each placeholder field.
Adding and configuring Group Elements on a CRF is done in the Form Builder editor by Study Administrator or System Administrator.
A screenshot of the Embedding element on the canvas will be added here once captured from the live platform.