Response Types
A response type decides how a question is answered — free text, a number, a choice, a photo, a signature. Choosing the right one is what makes a template quick to fill in on site and useful to analyse afterwards.
Who can do this: template builders. Where: Templates → Template Configurations → Response Types.
The built-in response types
Every organization starts with these:
| Response type | Answer given as | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Text Answer | Free text | Observations, readings written by hand, comments |
| Number | A numeric value | Pressures, temperatures, counts, hours |
| Date | A date | Service dates, expiry dates, calibration dates |
| Checkbox | Ticked or not | Simple confirmations |
| Multiple Choice | One option from a list you define | Condition ratings, pass/fail, status |
| Media | One or more images | Photographic evidence |
| Signature | A name plus a drawn or uploaded signature | Sign-off and acknowledgement |
| Location | A geographic position | Where the observation was made |
Choice types and options
Multiple Choice is where most of the value sits. You define the options — for example *OK*, *Not OK*, *Not Equipped* — and each option can carry its own behaviour: a colour, a score, and an action to take when it's selected.
That's how "Not OK" becomes a work request rather than just a red word on a page.
What an answer can trigger
Each response option can be set to raise one of:
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| None | Just records the answer |
| Create work request | Raises a work request — something needs looking at |
| Create work order | Raises a work order — planned work to carry out |
| Raise flag | Raises a compliance flag, using the template's audit type and a severity you set |
An option triggers one action, not several. Incidents can't be raised this way — an incident is reported directly by a person. See Incidents.
Work request and work order apply to asset (and similar) response types; raise flag is available on audit response types.
Requiring evidence
An option can also demand proof before the inspector can move on:
- Require photo — no photo, no submission
- Require note — an explanation has to be typed
Use these on the failure options. It's the difference between "Not OK" and "Not OK, here's the photo of the cracked hose and a note saying it was leaking".
Custom response types
You aren't limited to the built-in set. Under Templates → Template Configurations → Response Types you can create your own — your standard condition scale, your own pass/fail wording, your severity ladder — and reuse it across every template.
Custom response types can also be translated if your organization has additional content languages enabled. See Organization settings.
Choosing well
- Prefer choices over free text. You can count choices, chart them, and act on them. You can't do much with a paragraph.
- Use Number for anything you'll trend. Text "150 psi" is a string; Number 150 is data.
- Reserve required photos for failures. Requiring a photo on every question slows the round and fills storage.
- Keep option lists short. Three to five options is usually enough; long lists slow people down on a phone.
Frequently asked questions
Can I create my own response types?
Yes — under Templates → Template Configurations → Response Types. They're reusable across templates.
Can I change a question's response type after inspections have been run?
Change it in a new template version. Existing inspections keep the version they were run against, so their answers stay intact.
Can one option trigger more than one action?
No — one action per option. If you need both a flag and work, model it as a flag and let the flag's remediation tasks carry the work.
Is there a video or file-upload response type?
No. Media capture is images, plus signature. Documents belong on the asset record — see Manage your assets.
Is there a separate time or date-and-time type?
No — Date is the date type. The inspection itself records start and completion timestamps.