Updated Tutorial Available
This tutorial is for the Desktop Designer. To view the updated tutorial for the online project designer, please click here .

Sketch Point

Learn how the Sketch point can be used and see it in action with the sample projects.

What is the Sketch point?

The Sketch point can be used to draw sketches, signatures or other markings and save them to the session. A Sketch point can display an image in the background allowing the a sketch or drawing to be completed on top of the image. An image can be added from the point's property settings when creating the project or alternatively the Sketch point can be integrated with a Camera point which can capture a photo during a session and insert the photo into the background of the Sketch point.

Key Features

  • Commonly used to capture drawings, sketches and signatures.
  • Can be configured to display a background image which can be captured during a session or added when creating the project.
  • Supports integration with the Camera point to capture photos and draw a sketch over the top.
  • Provides a variety of palette and sizing options to suit a wide range of uses.

Sketch point animation

Integration with Camera Point

A Camera point can be used to capture photos during a session or to select images from a device's photo library which can be loaded into the background of a Sketch point. The Sketch point can then be used to draw sketches over the image which can be used to draw diagrams, instructions or other markings.

Exporting Sketches with Reports

The Sketch point is seamlessly integrated with the online reporting tools and can be exported to standard digital formats such as HTML, PDF and more.


Configuration and Settings

The Sketch point can be configured in the Mobile Data Anywhere Designer to set the data for the list of items and to choose how the point functions within a session on the mobile application. Below is an example of the properties window for a Sketch point, opened in the Mobile Data Anywhere Designer.


Sketch point properties

Sketching Options

The Sketching options can be used to configure the size and behaviour of the Sketch point. See below for a list of available options:

Canvas Size

These options can be used to set the size of the Sketch point, allowing for small or large areas to create drawings.

Colour Palette

This is used to determine which colours are available when displayed in a session on the mobile application. The user can switch colours by tapping on the desired colour palette. The available options include:

  • No palette
    No palette will be displayed, only allowing sketches to be drawn in black.
  • Four Colours
    Four colour palettes will be displayed with colours; black, red, green and blue.
  • Eight Colours
    Eight colour palettes will be displayed with colours; black, red, green, blue, yellow, pink, cyan, gray.
  • Eight Colours + White
    The same as the Eight Colour palette except with the addition of a white palette.

Clearing

By default, the Sketch point can be cleared by tapping-and-holding on the point for two seconds or by selecting the eraser icon and manually erasing the sketch. This can be disabled by selecting the option, Can't be cleared .

Load Background Image from File or Camera point

Another point, such as a Camera point , can be associated with the Sketch point to allow a photo to be captured during a session and then automatically import the photo into the background of the Sketch point. This can be used to draw sketches and markings over photos that are captured out in the field.

Image Properties

The Image tab in the Sketch point's properties window can be used to set a background photo for the Sketch point, from the Designer.


Sample Projects

The Basic Points Sample project contains examples of how to use many of the various points that are available. This project also contains a page that demonstrates some of the ways that this point can be used in your projects.


Sample Projects
You can download the sample project for this tutorial or import the projects directly into your account.