Server UI Overview
The dynamic forms and screens your agency builds, delivered straight to your device and ready to fill out in the field.
Server UI is the part of REDENES that lets your agency design its own forms, checklists, and reference screens without waiting for an app update. The server sends the screen layout to your device, and the app builds it on the fly: sections, text boxes, dropdowns, time pickers, signatures, uploads, charts, and more. Because each agency configures its own layouts, the exact fields and buttons you see match your department's paperwork, not a generic template.
Overview
A Server UI screen is a stack of sections, and each section holds rows. The server decides which sections exist, what order they appear in, which rows sit inside each one, and whether a section starts open or collapsed. The app's job is to draw them and collect your answers.
| Part of the screen | What it is |
|---|---|
| Screen title | The name your agency gave the form, shown at the top. |
| Section | A titled group of related rows, such as crew details or vehicle details. |
| Row | One field, button, or item inside a section. |
| Collapse state | Whether a section or row is currently hidden to save space. |
| Save control | Writes your answers back to the server. |
| Share control | Hands the completed form to someone else, online or over Bluetooth. |
| Lock control | Protects a finished form with a four-digit PIN. |
Kinds of Fields a Form Can Contain
This is the full vocabulary your agency's form designer can draw from. You will not see all of these on any single form; you will see the ones your agency chose.
| Field type | What it looks like | How you fill it in |
|---|---|---|
| Short text | A single-line box | Tap and type. Used for names, unit numbers, locations. |
| Long text / notes | A taller multi-line box | Tap and type a paragraph. Used for narratives and remarks. |
| Number | A single-line box with a number keypad | Tap and type digits, such as a reading or a count. |
| Phone number | A text box with a phone keypad | Digits are grouped automatically as you type. |
| Dropdown, single choice | A row showing the current answer | Tap it, pick one option, tap Done. See Dropdown Lists. |
| Dropdown, multiple choice | A row showing several answers | Tap it, pick as many as allowed, tap Done. |
| Checkbox | One box you tick | Tap to tick or untick. Used for yes / no and "confirmed" items. |
| Checkbox group | Several boxes under one question | Tick every box that applies. |
| Button | A labelled action button | Tap it to run whatever the form attaches to it. |
| Date and time | A row showing a date, a time, or both | Tap it and set the value on a picker. |
| Duration | A row showing hours, minutes, and seconds | Tap it and spin three wheels. See Time Picker. |
| Stopwatch | A running clock with its own rows | Start, stop, and read elapsed time; a maximum time can be set. |
| Signature | A signing pad with a name field | Sign with your finger or a stylus. See Signature Capture. |
| Photo or file upload | An upload section listing attachments | Add a file, then name it. See Name a File. |
| Chart | A small graph summarizing values | Tap it to read the values behind it. See Chart Detail. |
| Collapsible section | A titled group with a collapse control | Hide sections you have finished. See Edit & Collapse Sections. |
| Header and section label | Bold text that divides the form | Read-only. Some labels can be renamed. See Name a Label. |
| User information | A block of rows about a person | Rows are filled from your directory or typed in. |
| Vehicle information | A block of rows about a vehicle | Type the details, or run a plate lookup. See License Plate Search. |
| Approval | A list of approvers with their status | Each approver signs or confirms their own row. |
| GAR risk assessment | A scored, colour-coded risk panel | Score eight categories. See GAR Risk Assessment. |
| Plate lookup | A search box for a licence plate and state | Returns vehicle details into the form. |
Some field types behave as containers: user information, vehicle information, stopwatch, upload sections, and approval sections each hold their own rows, which is why those are the sections you can expand and collapse individually.
Why Two Agencies See Different Screens
Nothing about a Server UI screen is built into the app. When you open a form, the app asks the server for the layout belonging to your current organization, then draws exactly what comes back. Two consequences follow.
| Because... | You will see... |
|---|---|
| Your agency's administrator designs the layout | Your own field names, wording, and section order, matching your paper forms. |
| The layout is fetched per organization | A different set of forms if you switch to another agency you belong to. |
| Layouts can change on the server | New or reworded fields appearing without an app update. |
| Your permissions are checked | Forms you are not entitled to may not appear in the list at all. |
So a search-and-rescue team and a fire district running the same app version can open "Daily Log" and see two completely different screens. Both are correct. If a field name on your screen does not appear in this documentation, that is expected: the documentation covers the controls, and your agency chose the labels.
Getting Here
- Open the REDENES app and sign in.
- Tap the module where your agency placed the form, most often Logs or a references module from the main menu.
- Browse the list and tap the form or screen you want to open.
- The dynamic screen builds itself and is ready for you to read or fill out.
Where Server UI Appears
Server UI screens are not a menu of their own. They appear inside the modules you already use.
| Where | What it looks like there |
|---|---|
| Logs | Operational logs, daily checklists, and run sheets built as fillable forms. |
| References | Quick-reference guides, lookup screens, and standard operating procedures, usually read-only. |
| Incidents | Forms attached to an incident so the paperwork travels with the call. |
| Notifications | A form sent to you opens in a focused popup. See Form Popups. |
| Shared items | A form someone shared with you, received online or over Bluetooth. |
Filling Out a Form
- Open the form and read the title to confirm you have the right one.
- Work through the sections from top to bottom. Tap each row to type, tick, pick, or draw.
- Rows that need a bigger control, such as dropdowns, time pickers, and signature pads, open their own focused screen and return you to the form when you confirm.
- Collapse the sections you have finished so the remaining work stays on screen.
- Save your work using the form's save control before leaving.
Long forms are far easier on a phone when you collapse completed sections. See Edit & Collapse Sections for how to hide and show groups of rows.
Empty and Loading States
| State | What you see | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Loading | A brief spinner while the layout arrives | The app is fetching the form's structure and any saved answers. |
| Empty list | A module list with no forms in it | Your agency has not published a form here, or you do not have access to one. |
| Blank options | A dropdown that skips over gaps | Empty entries in a server-supplied list are hidden rather than shown as blank rows. |
| Read-only form | Fields you can see but not change | The form is a reference screen, is locked with a PIN, or was opened in preview. |
| Missing attachment | A spinner, then the file appears | An upload or signature not yet on this device is downloaded on demand. |
How This Connects
A Server UI form is a two-way pipe between you and your agency's records.
- Where the layout comes from. The server holds one layout per form per organization. The app requests it for your current agency each time you open the screen, which is why administrators can change a form and have you see it on your next visit. See How It All Works.
- Where your answers go. Saving sends your answers back to the server against that form's record, along with any attachments. Signatures and uploaded files are stored in your agency's secure file storage and referenced by the form. See Data and Sync.
- Which parts of the app use them. Operational logs and checklists appear in your Logs module, reference screens appear alongside Internal Files, and forms attached to a call show up with that call in the Incidents List. A separate incident signature flow exists for signing on a call itself; see Incident Signature.
- Sharing outward. A finished form can be sent to a person by phone or email, or pushed to a nearby device over Bluetooth. Shares you create are listed with your other shared items; see Share Data.
- Offline and reconnect. Reading a form you have already opened works offline, and a form received over Bluetooth is stored locally straight away. Saving to the server, running a plate lookup, and creating an online share all need a connection, so finish those once you are back in coverage. See Offline Mode.
Troubleshooting
| If this happens | What to do |
|---|---|
| A form will not save | Check you have a connection, then save again. Saving to the server needs coverage; the app will not write your answers while offline. |
| A required field keeps stopping you | Read the message at the bottom of the screen; it names the field. Scroll up and fill that row before saving again. |
| The form looks different from yesterday | Your agency changed the layout on the server. That is normal; the new version is the current one. |
| A field you expected is missing | Your agency did not include it, or your permissions hide it. Ask your supervisor or REDENES administrator. |
| The form is read-only | It may be a reference screen or locked with a PIN. See Screen Lock (PIN). |
| A section disappeared | It is probably collapsed, not deleted. Reopen it from Edit & Collapse Sections. |
| The list of forms is empty | Confirm you are in the right agency, then pull the list again once you have a connection. |
Related Pages
- Dropdown Lists
- Form Popups
- Share a Form
- Share Options
- GAR Risk Assessment
- Edit & Collapse Sections
- Screen Lock (PIN)
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