Layouts of CRFs

Michelle_D

Hello,
I already know how to create, design and build the eCRFs but I am looking for a course regarding enhancements of eCRFs in Open Clinica.
How to change the layouts of fields to look better. How to define certain spacing between fields etc.
Does anyone know where one can learn all the 'java' rules for eCRF enhancments?
Thanks.

kristiak

Take a look at Trial Data Solutions. Here you will find many tips ans tricks

Regards

Krister

salmaf

You may also find this useful:
http://blog.openclinica.com/2015/08/17/html-tips-to-enhance-your-ecrf/

Michelle_D

I have looked there but I am looking for more specific examples and could do with understanding more about the definitions of, for example, using the 'spam-class' and 'tr' and other stuff that defines the spaces between two fields and things like that.

Michelle Danieli
Data Manager & Accounts
A.Stein-Regulatory Affairs Consulting Ltd.

E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +972-9-7670002
Fax: +972-9-7668534
A. Stein -Regulatory Affairs Consulting Ltd.
20 HaTa'as St. (P.O.B. 124)
Beit Hapa'amon Bldg (Suite 102)
Kfar Saba 4442520
ISRAEL

lindsay.stevens

I'll try to explain. I'm going to assume you have some understanding of XML.

The CRF page is HTML, which is a kind of XML which defines a set of valid
element names. Press F12 in your browser to view the elements. In most
browsers, right click something and choose "Inspect element" to show where
it is, and what attributes it has. Many of them will have a "class"
attribute.

In browsers, the appearance of elements on the page depends on the default
behaviour defined for an element, e.g. a table is a set of tr [table row],
which is a set of td [table cell], and looks like a grid. It is possible to
modify this appearance by adding style rules to the element, using a
language called Cascading Style Sheets. This CSS can be added to an
elements by putting it in the element's "style" attribute. But it is much
easier to write each CSS rule once and give each rule a name, then refer to
the relevant rule(s) in the element's "class" attribute.

The third major component is JavaScript (completely different language to
Java). In the browser, it is possible to modify the page after it has been
downloaded, using JavaScript. Ordinary JavaScript is good but OpenClinica
uses a very common library with some nice shortcuts, called jQuery. This
can be used to change what elements are on the page, where they are, what
values they have, what attributes they have ... anything really. The
hardest part is accurately selecting the element(s) to modify. It is
easiest when there is a unique id or class attribute already set. The
hardest and fragile way is to select based on expected position, relative
to other elements on the page.

So, in the CRF it is possible to add CSS rules in a "style" element, and
jQuery in a "script" element, in the CRF "Instructions". To help identify
item-related elements in jQuery, add "span" (not spam) elements to the left
or right item text, with a class attribute. Then when the page is viewed in
the browser, the jQuery script will run and can apply the changes you
wanted. Similarly, your CSS can override the default rules that OpenClinica
has, e.g. to make all left item texts wider.

If you have lots of rules and code (more than fits in "Instructions", 4000
characters), it is possible to instead put your CSS file and JS file in the
tomcat webserver, under "webapps/OpenClinica/includes", and just load your
files using a URL in the "src" attribute in the script and style elements.

Gerben Rienk's "how to" pages [1] have many examples of doing styling and
customised behaviour, calculations, etc. If you want to learn the
underlying stuff, read through the tutorials for HTML, CSS and jQuery at
w3schools [2]. If you really get in to it, the Mozilla Developer Network is
pretty good [3]. There is a seemingly endless amount of guides and
tutorials online for this stuff.

[1] http://www.trialdatasolutions.com/tds/howto/index.jsp
[2] http://www.w3schools.com/
[3] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/

Michelle_D

Hi Lindsay,
Thanks so much for your detailed explanation. It has helped me understand a few more things.
I will check out the additional links you suggested.
Regards,

Michelle Danieli
Data Manager & Accounts
A.Stein-Regulatory Affairs Consulting Ltd.

E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +972-9-7670002
Fax: +972-9-7668534
A. Stein -Regulatory Affairs Consulting Ltd.
20 HaTa'as St. (P.O.B. 124)
Beit Hapa'amon Bldg (Suite 102)
Kfar Saba 4442520
ISRAEL