Why Some Screens Look Different
Some screens in REDENES are not built into the app at all. Your agency designs them, and the app draws whatever it is sent.
If a colleague in another department describes a form you have never seen, or your daily checklist looks nothing like the one in a training video, you have met Server UI. These are screens whose layout is decided by your agency and delivered to your device, rather than fixed in the app. It is how an agency gets its own paperwork without waiting for a new app release.
Fixed Screens Versus Server-Built Screens
| Built into the app | Built by your agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides the layout | REDENES | Your agency |
| Changes when | The app updates | Your agency edits it |
| Looks the same everywhere | Yes | No |
| Examples | The tab bar, the incidents list, settings | Daily logs, checklists, inspection reports, risk assessments |
The app is really two things layered together: a fixed frame you can learn once, and inside that frame, whatever your agency has designed.
How to Recognise One
There is no badge that says "this screen came from the server", but the signs are reliable.
| Sign | What you are seeing |
|---|---|
| Field labels using your department's own wording | A layout written by your agency |
| Sections that collapse and expand | A long form organised into groups |
| A save control on the screen itself | A record you are filling in, not just reading |
| A warning when you leave with unsaved changes | Your entries are held until you save |
| A form your colleague in another agency has never seen | Agency-specific paperwork |
| Options in a dropdown that match your local procedures | A list defined by your agency |
The Building Blocks
Your agency assembles screens from a fixed set of parts, which is why unfamiliar forms still feel navigable.
| Part | What you do with it | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Text and number fields | Type names, notes, and readings | Server UI Overview |
| Dropdown lists | Pick one or several defined options | Dropdown Lists |
| Form popups | Fill in a focused sub-form | Form Popups |
| Time pickers | Set a duration in hours, minutes, and seconds | Select Time |
| Signature pads | Capture a signature with a name | Signature Capture |
| Charts | Read summarised figures and tap for detail | Chart Detail |
| Collapsible sections | Hide finished parts of a long form | Edit & Collapse Sections |
| Risk assessment | Score operational risk across categories | GAR Risk Assessment |
| Plate and record look-ups | Search a reference source from the form | Search Plate |
| Sensor readings | Pull values from connected equipment | BLE Scan Data |
| Sharing | Send a finished form onward | Share a Form |
Where These Screens Appear
Server-built screens do not live in a menu of their own. They appear inside the modules you already use.
| Where | Typically used for |
|---|---|
| Logs | Operational logs, daily checklists, and run sheets |
| References | Quick-reference guides, look-ups, and procedures |
| Inside an incident | Event-specific reports and checklists |
| A notification or a share | A form opened in a focused popup |
Filling One In
- Open the form from the module where your agency placed it.
- Work top to bottom. Each field opens whatever it needs - a dropdown, a picker, a signature pad - then returns you to the form.
- Collapse sections you have finished so the remaining work is obvious.
- Save using the form's own save control before leaving. If you try to leave with unsaved changes, the app warns you first.
A form is not saved because you filled it in. It is saved because you pressed save. The unsaved-changes warning exists because this is the most common way field data gets lost.
On a long form, collapse each section as you complete it. What remains uncollapsed is what remains to do - a simple way to avoid missing a block of fields.
Saving, Offline and Sharing
Because the layout comes from the server, you might expect these screens to be useless without a connection. They are not.
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| You open a form you have used before | It can be built from what is stored on the device |
| You fill it in with no signal | Your entries are saved on the device |
| You reconnect | Completed forms are uploaded in the background |
| The upload succeeds | The queued copy is cleared |
| Your agency changes the layout | You receive the new version the next time it is fetched |
Sharing a finished form is a separate step from saving it. Share a Form sends it to a contact by phone, email, or - usefully in a dead zone - Bluetooth, and Share Tab covers sharing from within a form's tabs.
A stable connection helps entries save reliably. Always confirm your data saved before moving on, especially at the end of a long form filled in with patchy coverage. See Working Offline.
When Something Looks Wrong
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A field you do not recognise | Your agency added it | Ask your supervisor or agency administrator |
| A form a colleague has but you do not | It is not enabled for you | Ask your administrator |
| The form looks different from last week | Your agency edited the layout | Expected - it updates without an app release |
| A dropdown is missing an option | The option list is defined by your agency | Ask for it to be added |
| The form will not save | No connection, or a required field is empty | Complete required fields, then retry with a signal |
| A back control seems locked | The form is protecting unsaved work | See Lock Back |
| A chart shows no data | Nothing has been recorded yet | Check with whoever owns the form |
Because your agency owns these layouts, REDENES support cannot change a field for you. Requests to add, rename, or remove a field go to your agency administrator.
Related Pages
- Server UI Overview
- Dropdown Lists
- Edit & Collapse Sections
- GAR Risk Assessment
- Share a Form
- Working Offline
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