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Online Designer

Online Designer

Article ID RC-FD-02 — Online Designer
Domain Form Design
Applies To All REDCap project types; requires Project Design and Setup rights
Prerequisite RC-FD-01 — Form Design Overview
Version 1.0
Last Updated 2025
Author See KB-SOURCE-ATTESTATION.md
Related Topics RC-FD-01 — Form Design Overview; RC-FD-03 — Data Dictionary; RC-FD-05 — Codebook; RC-SURV-01 — Surveys – Basics; RC-SURV-02 — Survey Settings: Basic Options & Design

1. Overview

The Online Designer is REDCap's guided, point-and-click instrument building tool. It allows users to create instruments and variables one at a time through an interactive interface, with built-in validation that prevents common configuration errors. This article explains what the Online Designer does, when to use it, and how its behavior differs between Development and Production modes.

2. Key Concepts & Definitions

Online Designer

A web-based, wizard-style interface for creating and editing REDCap instruments and variables. Changes made in the Online Designer are validated in real time — REDCap checks that field configurations are internally consistent (e.g., that branching logic references valid variable names) before saving them.

Development Mode vs. Production Mode (Design Context)

In Development mode, Online Designer changes are applied immediately and are visible in data entry right away. In Production mode, changes are queued as a pending draft. The draft must be reviewed and approved before it takes effect — either automatically or by a REDCap administrator, depending on institutional policy.

Change Queue (Production Mode)

The set of pending Online Designer edits that have been submitted but not yet applied to the live project. The change queue can be reviewed and, if necessary, cancelled before approval. Once approved, changes cannot be rolled back through the interface.

Guardrails

The Online Designer's built-in validation checks. They catch configuration errors — for example, branching logic that references a variable that doesn't exist — before the change is saved. The Online Designer does not validate whether your instrument design is scientifically appropriate for your study goals; that judgment belongs to the research team.

3. Accessing the Online Designer

  • From the Project Setup page (Development mode): click the Online Designer button in the Design Your Data Collection Instruments section.

  • From the Project Home page (Production mode or alternate path): click Designer in the left-hand menu, then select Online Designer.

  • The Online Designer opens to a list of all existing instruments in the project. From here you can add a new instrument, open an existing one to edit it, or reorder instruments.

4. What the Online Designer Can Do

4.1 Instrument-Level Actions

  • Create a new instrument.

  • Rename an existing instrument.

  • Reorder instruments within the project.

  • Delete an instrument. REDCap will warn you before proceeding, but deletion is allowed regardless of whether the instrument contains saved data — the instrument and all its records' data are permanently removed and cannot be recovered.

  • Export an instrument as a zip file for backup or reuse (see RC-FD-04 — Instrument Library & Zip Files).

  • Import an instrument from a zip file (see RC-FD-04 — Instrument Library & Zip Files).

4.2 Variable-Level Actions

  • Add a new variable (field) to an instrument.

  • Edit an existing variable's field type, label, choices, validation, branching logic, and other attributes.

  • Reorder variables within an instrument by dragging.

  • Delete a variable (only if the project is in Development mode, or if the field contains no data).

  • Flag a variable as an identifier.

  • Open the branching logic editor for a specific variable.

4.3 Survey-Level Options

When surveys are enabled for the project, a Survey options section appears at the top of the Online Designer instrument list. These are project-wide controls — they apply across all surveys, not to a single instrument. The section contains the following buttons:

  • e-Consent — Enable and configure the e-Consent Framework (see RC-SURV-08 — e-Consent Framework: Setup & Management).
  • Survey Queue — Configure the Survey Queue, which controls the order and conditions under which surveys are presented to participants after completing a prior survey. Includes a dropdown for bulk import/export of Survey Queue settings via CSV (see RC-SURV-07 — Survey Queue).
  • Auto Invitation options — Bulk upload or download Automated Invitation settings across all surveys as a CSV file.
  • Survey Login — Configure survey login (password protection) for the project (see RC-SURV-10 — Survey Login).
  • Survey Notifications — Select a project user to receive a notification email each time each survey is completed. Settings apply per survey. See RC-SURV-02 — Survey Settings: Basic Options & Design for details.
  • Survey Settings — Bulk import or export Survey Settings for all instruments at once via CSV.

These project-level buttons are distinct from the per-instrument buttons that appear in the instrument row when an instrument has been enabled as a survey. Each instrument row has its own Survey settings button (which opens the Survey Settings page for that instrument) and an Automated Invitations button (which configures the ASI for that specific instrument).

4.4 What the Online Designer Cannot Do

  • Split one instrument into two or more instruments — use the Data Dictionary for this (RC-FD-03 — Data Dictionary).

  • Edit many variables at once — use the Data Dictionary for bulk edits (RC-FD-03 — Data Dictionary).

  • Bypass the Production mode change queue — all changes in Production require review.

5. Behavior in Development vs. Production Mode

Action Development Mode Production Mode
Making a change Applied immediately Added to the pending change queue
Seeing the change Visible in data entry right away Not visible until the change is approved
Cancelling a change Edit and re-save or delete the field Cancel the pending change from the change queue before approval
Approval required No Yes — automatic or administrator, per institutional policy
Rollback Re-edit or re-upload a saved Data Dictionary Cancel before approval; no rollback after approval

Important: The level of automatic approvals in Production mode is set centrally by your institution's REDCap support team. Some institutions allow minor changes (adding a new field) to be auto-approved, while others require administrator review for any change. For this installation's specific policy, see **RC-INST-01 — Institution-Specific Settings & Policies — Production

6. When to Use the Online Designer

The Online Designer is the right tool in these situations:

  • You are new to REDCap and want guided, validated instrument building with guardrails.

  • You are making a small number of changes --- adding or editing a handful of variables — and want to see the result immediately.

  • You are building a simple instrument with a limited number of variables where a spreadsheet would be overkill.

  • You want to preview what your instrument will look like as you build it — the Online Designer shows a live rendering of the form.

Consider switching to the Data Dictionary (RC-FD-03 — Data Dictionary) when:

  • You need to define a large number of variables at once.

  • You need to split, merge, or restructure instruments.

  • You are comfortable with REDCap's variable definition schema and want faster bulk editing.

7. Common Questions

Q: I saved a change in the Online Designer but it isn't showing up in my data entry forms. Why?

A: Your project is in Production mode. Changes do not take effect until they pass through the change queue review process. Depending on your institution's policy, approval may be automatic or may require a REDCap administrator. Check the pending change queue to confirm your change was submitted.

Q: Can I delete a variable that already has data in it?

A: In Production mode, variables with data cannot be deleted through the Online Designer. In Development mode, deleting a variable with test data is allowed, but the data is permanently lost. Always confirm whether a variable contains real or test data before attempting deletion.

Q: Does the Online Designer check whether my branching logic is correct?

A: It checks that the logic is syntactically valid and references existing variables — these are the guardrails. It does not verify whether the logic achieves your intended study behavior. Test branching logic thoroughly in Development mode before collecting real data.

Q: Can I reorder instruments after they've been created?

A: Yes. The Online Designer's instrument list supports drag-and-drop reordering. In longitudinal projects, instrument order also affects how they appear in the Record Home Page and Record Status Dashboard.

Q: Can I use the Online Designer and the Data Dictionary on the same project?

A: Yes. They operate on the same underlying instrument and variable definitions. Changes made in one tool are reflected in the other. It is common to use the Online Designer for small edits and the Data Dictionary for bulk restructuring on the same project.

Q: What happens if I make a mistake in Production mode and the change is auto-approved before I catch it?

A: Once an Online Designer change is approved in Production, it cannot be rolled back through the interface. The recovery path is to re-edit the variable manually in the Online Designer, or to re-upload a previously saved Data Dictionary snapshot that predates the erroneous change. This reinforces why saving a Data Dictionary backup before any significant change is critical.

8. Common Mistakes & Gotchas

  • Expecting changes in Production to appear immediately: changes in Production mode go through a review queue. If a change isn't visible after saving, check the pending change queue rather than saving it again.

  • Submitting the same change multiple times in Production: if the change appears to do nothing, it may be in the queue waiting for approval. Submitting again creates a duplicate pending change. Check the queue first.

  • Assuming the Online Designer validates study design: the guardrails catch technical errors (invalid logic syntax, duplicate variable names), not scientific ones. The appropriateness of your instrument for your study goals is not validated by REDCap.

  • Deleting a variable in Development without realizing it has test data: deleting a variable permanently removes its data. In Development mode this is allowed without warning. Always check whether the field contains data you intend to keep before deleting.

  • Not using the Data Dictionary for large restructuring jobs: the Online Designer is not efficient for moving many variables between instruments or renaming dozens of variables at once. Switch to the Data Dictionary for those tasks.

API Access

Note: The following REDCap API methods provide programmatic access to this functionality. API usage is an advanced feature that requires knowledge of computer programming or access to a developer resource. See RC-API-01 — REDCap API for authentication, token management, and setup.