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OutSmart Guide

Question Types Reference

This is the reference for every question type available in the Smart Forms V2 toolbox. For each type: what it is, when to use it, what the patient sees, and the configurable options.

For the workflow of building a form, see Creating A Smart Form.

Single-Line Input

What it is. A one-line text field.

Use it for. Names, email addresses, dates of birth, postal codes, phone numbers, any short free-text answer.

What the patient sees. A single-line text box.

Configurable options.

  • Title — the question text. Bold above the input.
  • Description — optional helper text below the title.
  • Required — patient can’t submit until they fill it.
  • Input Type — choose between Text, Number, Email, Tel (phone), Date, Date and Time, Time, and others. The patient’s browser shows the appropriate input control for the type.

Long Text

What it is. A multi-line text area.

Use it for. Open-ended questions where the patient may need several sentences — chief complaint, history of present illness, allergy details, dietary notes.

What the patient sees. A larger multi-line text box they can resize.

Configurable options.

  • Title, Description, Required (same as Single-Line Input).
  • Rows — initial visible height of the text area.

Radio Button Group

What it is. A list of choices where the patient picks one.

Use it for. Mutually exclusive selections — sex assigned at birth, single-best-answer questions, agreement on a single statement.

What the patient sees. A list of round radio buttons with the choice labels next to them.

Configurable options.

  • Title, Description, Required.
  • Choices — the list of options. Edit them in the Choice Options tab.
  • Display the question on a new line — when on, the question takes its own row. When off, it can sit beside another question.
  • Column count — how many columns of choices the patient sees. Useful for very short choices like Yes/No/Maybe.

Checkbox

What it is. A list of choices where the patient can pick more than one.

Use it for. Symptoms list, medication classes the patient has tried, services they’re interested in, any “select all that apply” question.

What the patient sees. A list of square checkboxes with the choice labels next to them.

Configurable options. Same shape as Radio Button Group — Choice Options control the list, Layout controls column count and new-line behaviour.

What it is. A list of choices in a collapsed dropdown — the patient picks one.

Use it for. Long lists where Radio Button Group would take too much vertical space — country, province, allergy type, language preference.

What the patient sees. A single dropdown. Clicking it shows the choices.

Configurable options.

  • Title, Description, Required, Choices.
  • Placeholder — the greyed-out hint that shows in the dropdown when nothing is picked yet (default “Select…”).

Multi-Select Dropdown

What it is. A dropdown where the patient can pick multiple options.

Use it for. Long “select all that apply” lists where a Checkbox list would be too tall — languages spoken, allergies, conditions to keep secondary.

What the patient sees. A dropdown that shows their selected choices as tags. They can click the X on each tag to remove it.

Configurable options. Same as Dropdown.

Yes/No (Boolean)

What it is. A two-position toggle for a Yes/No answer.

Use it for. Binary clinical questions — Have you ever smoked? Are you currently pregnant?

What the patient sees. A toggle-style control with No on the left and Yes on the right. The active choice is highlighted.

Configurable options.

  • Title, Description, Required.
  • The Yes and No labels can be renamed in the General tab if you want different wording.

Ranking

What it is. A list of items the patient drags into their preferred order.

Use it for. Priority questions — Rank these goals for the treatment plan from most important to least. Avoid for clinical assessment where free text is better.

What the patient sees. A vertical list with drag handles. They reorder by dragging.

Configurable options. Same shape as Radio Button Group — Choices control the list.

Image

What it is. A display-only image on the form. Not a question — patients don’t interact with it.

Use it for. A visual diagram on a body-map question, an example signature, a logo for a printable section, or any reference imagery you want the patient to see before answering nearby questions.

What the patient sees. The image as you’ve sized it. No input.

Configurable options. Image URL, image height and width.

Slider

What it is. A horizontal slider the patient drags to pick a numeric value in a range.

Use it for. Pain scales (0–10), symptom intensity, satisfaction ratings.

What the patient sees. A horizontal track with a draggable handle. The current value shows above it.

Configurable options. Minimum value, maximum value, step size, and the unit label.

Signature

What it is. A signature pad the patient draws their signature in with mouse, finger, or stylus.

Use it for. Consent forms, treatment agreements, anywhere a real signature matters.

What the patient sees. A box labelled Sign here with a clear button. Their signature draws as a stroke as they sign. On mobile, they sign with their finger.

Configurable options.

  • Title, Description, Required.
  • Height of the signature pad.

The signature is saved with the submission and shows on the practitioner’s view as the signed image.

Button Group

What it is. Choices displayed as side-by-side buttons instead of radio buttons or a dropdown.

Use it for. Short lists of 2–5 mutually exclusive choices where visual buttons are more inviting than radio buttons — How urgent is this? Routine / Soon / Same-day.

What the patient sees. A row of pill-shaped buttons. The selected button is highlighted.

Configurable options. Same as Radio Button Group.

Single-Select Matrix

What it is. A grid where each row is a question and the columns are the same set of choices. The patient picks one column per row.

Use it for. Likert scales applied to multiple statements — Rate each of these symptoms: Mild / Moderate / Severe / N/A.

What the patient sees. A table. Each row is a question, the column headers are the choices, each row has one selected button.

Configurable options.

  • Title, Description, Required.
  • Rows — the list of statements (questions).
  • Columns — the list of shared choices.

Multi-Select Matrix

What it is. A grid where each row is a question and each column is its own input type (checkbox, dropdown, text, comment, etc.).

Use it for. A grid of compound questions — For each medication: dose, frequency, prescriber.

What the patient sees. A table. Each row is a question, each column is its own input the patient fills in.

Configurable options.

  • Rows — the list of items.
  • Columns — each column has its own input type and its own settings (choices for dropdown columns, label for boolean columns, etc.).

Dynamic Matrix

What it is. A multi-select matrix where the patient can add rows themselves — start with an empty table or a few rows, and let the patient add more as needed.

Use it for. Lists of unknown length — current medications, past surgeries, supplements taken regularly, family medical history.

What the patient sees. A table with an Add row button below it. Each row is a compound question (same as Multi-Select Matrix). They add rows for as many entries as they need.

Configurable options. Columns (as Multi-Select Matrix), plus minimum and starting row count.

Multiple Textboxes

What it is. A group of small labelled text inputs in one question.

Use it for. A set of short related fields that should always be filled together — Pharmacy: name, phone, address.

What the patient sees. A compact set of small text boxes, each with its own label.

Configurable options.

  • Items — the list of sub-fields, each with its own label and input type.

Panel

What it is. A grouping container that holds other questions inside a labelled box.

Use it for. Grouping related questions into a visual section — Insurance Information (with the insurance fields inside), Emergency Contact (with the contact fields inside).

What the patient sees. A bordered box with a section title at the top and the contained questions inside it.

Configurable options.

  • Title — the section heading.
  • Description — text under the title.
  • Drag questions into the panel from the toolbox or from elsewhere in the form.

Dynamic Panel

What it is. A panel that the patient can duplicate themselves — start with one and let them add more.

Use it for. Repeating groups of questions of unknown count — Add a child (with the child’s name, DOB, allergies inside), Add an insurance policy (with each policy’s questions inside).

What the patient sees. A panel with an Add new button below it. Clicking adds another copy of the same panel for them to fill.

Configurable options. Same as Panel, plus minimum and starting panel count.