Have you ever setup a series of dependencies? Did you ever make an item dependent on an item which in turn is dependent on another item? Then you’ll have noticed that this series should be part of the dependency definition. This is not necessary anymore.
This is illustrated by the snippet below:
Question 2 should only be displayed if there is a driver license:
Question 3 should only be displayed if there is a car:
A problem arose when someone answered questions 1 with Yes, but then decided to change question 1 to No. Question 2 would disappear but still be set to Yes. As a result, question 3 will not disappear with the following result:
Of course we do not want to ask for a car manufacturer when was indicated that one has no license. The dependency on the 3rd question therefore needs an additional rule:
Not really a problem but less logical and laborious which worsens as the series of dependencies based on dependencies grows. Because in the new situation question 2 is considered unanswered if it is hidden, this additional rule is no longer necessary. So we can remove this rule without changing the operation of the form. But we don’t need to remove it. You don’t need to change anything!
This applies equally to enhanced validations and calculations that refer to dependent questions.
No effect on existing forms:
So for the example above, the new methodology will not affect existing forms. Yet there are very exceptional circumstances that removing a line would indeed affect a form. In order to prevent this you might find a selected check box while editing a dependency, enhanced validation or calculation of an existing form:
This check box will only be displayed if within a dependency, enhanced validation or calculation is referred to a question on which a dependency was set. This check box will make sure that the dependency, enhanced validation or calculation operates like it did in prior Formdesk versions so we stay backwards compatible. Once you uncheck this check box and click OK, this check box will be gone for ever.
Exception:
If an item for which, in the dependency section, the check box as displayed below is selected to indicate that the answer must always be sent, then a dependency, enhanced validation or calculation that refers to this item will still read the invisible or disabled answer like it did in prior versions.
Lookups:
All of the above also applies to lookups, but those functioned this way from its introduction. So here, nothing has changed.
