There are many good ways to build an app. Following the tips and tricks listed below will help take your app from good to great!
1. Don't repeat the same field on a form
In addition to it being frustrating for an end-user to fill out the same information multiple times on the same form, keeping the fields synced is not supported so there is a risk of losing data.
Do utilize formlets
A common reason why the same field renders on a form multiple times is because the field is on the root form and then appears on one or more of the formlets that the root form references. Double check to see if you can remove fields from your root form because a formlet contains the field. Learn more about formlets here.
2. Don't use the HTML field type
Stop using the HTML field for headers.
Do use the Formlet title
For now, use the formlet title for groups of fields when a header is needed.
For other cases, we dont have a form control to replace it- yet.
3. Don't create duplicate fields
Creating new fields in the Datamodel is super easy! However, don't misuse it to create a lot of fields that have the same field settings and are capturing the same data from end-users.
Do use form labels
Using a unique form label to maintain nomenclature across different departments is a great way to make a form user-friendly and perserve the integrity of the data which will make reporting much easier.
Do use formlets to conditionally render a group of fields
Formlets help break complex forms into chunks and make them manageable. You can render a formlet on a root-form using CLCs or rules to help optimize form performance.
4. Don’t use Cascading Listcombo (CLC) backed Formlets for everything
Cascading List Combos are powerful; however, they can negatively impact the performance when used for simple cases.
Do use Show-if formlets to render a formlet for simple cases
Show-if formlets are great for rendering a group of fields when you only need to evaluate the values of a few fields. They are faster than CLC-backed formlets.