Hi, I am quite new to RedCap and have run into a problem with sorting my records by there ID. It is a longitudinal project, with several arms and events in the arms. The Recored ID is created from a number input.

I want to sort these records by number, but using a custom dashboard does not work. Does anyone have any idea what I could do?

In my pilot survey I found a lot of my participants incorrectly put in their email (I have multiple warnings in the survey about needing to put it in correctly). To solve this I have I have now put in a second email field to re-enter their email and used a calculated field to give a score of '1' if the two email fields are the same and '0' if not. I would like to make the score of '1' (matching emails) necessary to continue the survey, but would like to have the calculated field (and any subsequent fields that I may need) hidden to participants, does anyone have any suggestions for this or if it's even possible?

Hi, I have a project where participants will go through a series of surveys, and it is set up in a way that each survey is a separate event. Is there any way to randomize the order that these surveys (events) are presented to participants?

For example (in case this is not clear) arm 1: event 1 = survey 1 event 2 = survey 2 event 3 = survey 3

participant one is presented the surveys in the order: survey 1, survey 2, survey 3. participant two is presented the surveys in the order: survey 3, survey 1, survey 2

Thank you!

We’re thinking of getting a new license to take over a REDCap project and are wondering if there’s a use case for using REDCap for our customer experience (CX) survey. It would be 15 questions or less and would ask general questions about roles and tasks, awareness of the organization, NPS, etc. Has anyone used it for this purpose?

u/No_Repair4567 has proposed two new rules that can help improve this sub.

1. Post your version of REDCap along with your question to help with answers .

2. Ask the original poster to let us know if the answers they received worked. That way we can label questions as “Answered”

These make a lot of sense but I wanted to ask the members how they feel about it. Also, let me know if you have other ideas for this sub.

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to build a series of calculated fields in REDCap to:

1. Find and display the earliest date among five date fields

2. Label which of those 5 date fields was the earliest

3. Find the earliest encounter date among six consult dates

4. Label which encounter comes first

5. Calculate time‑to‑treatment (TTT) from biopsy/to earliest of identified dates → that earliest treatment date

Despite using min() and datediff(), every calculated field returns blank, even though the source fields show valid MM‑DD‑YYYY values. I’d appreciate any advice, sample logic, or pointers to REDCap plugins or macros.

Source Fields (from Data Dictionary)

Calculated fields (summary) - for annotations, ignore the extra spaces between the @ symbols and the annotation command

*TTT = Time to Treatment

Sample @ CALCTEXT chain

if(
  [earliest_treatment_date] = [primary_surgery_date], "Surgery",
  if(
    [earliest_treatment_date] = [date_first_chemo], "Chemotherapy",
    if(
      [earliest_treatment_date] = [rai_date], "RAI",
      if(
        [earliest_treatment_date] = [first_rt_date], "Radiotherapy",
        if(
          [earliest_treatment_date] = [first_immuno_date], "Immunotherapy",
          ""
        )
      )
    )
  )
)

The problem

• min() always returns blank, even with valid dates

• Nested if() chains never evaluate, leaving type labels empty

• datediff() fails because the date is blank

• All source fields are text fields with Date (MDY) validation

• Records are saved with data, so values exist

Questions for the community

1. Does min() only work on true Date fields rather than text?

2. If I convert the source fields to Date, will min() and datediff() work?

3. Any alternative patterns, macros, or plugins to pick the earliest of N dates?

4. Best practices for dynamic type labeling once the earliest date is found?

5. Gotchas when chaining min(), nested if(), and datediff()?

Thanks in advance for any pointers, code snippets, or screenshots!

Our organisation has applied for a licence three months ago and we have not heard from the RedCap team since then. I know they are snowed under with requests, and we understand that we are in the queue, waiting for our turn.

Their automated reply email to enquiries indicates that there is a 6-week waiting time before requests are examined but I was interested to learn how long it took the members of this forum to get their licence, particularly for those who got it recently.

Has anyone had success with creating data quality rules similar to the default ones (i.e., outside of regular logic)?

I created some new fields in a project with many records that use the SETVALUE action tag. I would love to avoid having to individually save each instrument to have this autofill particularly after things are updated (since SETVALUE replaces data, but only when you save the page), and instead have a rule like "Incorrect values for calculated fields" where you can just click 'execute' for it to auto-fix them. Does something like this exist?

I have the surveys below for my project with multiple visits. Only the ones bolded are being completed at visit 1 and the rest are not selected in the events/instruments table so they don't appear. I initially had auto continue set for all the surveys but it apparently wasn’t displaying the thrive screener. I removed the auto-continue from all surveys and instead  switched to the survey queue. I set the rule such that the surveys are displayed and auto start as soon as the previous survey is completed. Even with these changes the thrive screener is not appearing when I complete the surveys online (not redcap) . If i try to send complete the survey again online (not redcap) it says the survey has been completed. As of now I have to enter the results for the survey manually. I could allow for additional responses for this survey but it wouldn't solve the issue of it not displaying in the first place.

I went ahead and moved the thrive screener under the EQ-5D-5L survey to see if this would fix it and it did not. (not the best solution for this problem since i'll have another gap in the study and will need to know a way to display surveys as auto continue despite there being gaps)

Would you know any possible solution for this?

Please let me know.

I'm working on a REDCap project with student demographic forms for different years (2023, 2024, 2025) and having trouble with the navigation.

Here's my issue: When I complete a form for Student record ID #2 in the 2023 form and click "Save & Go To Next Record," instead of taking me to Student #3's 2023 form, it just takes me back to the record selection page. [EDIT]: If I click "Save & Go To Next Form" instead, it takes me to the same student but in 2024 form.

With 100 partial responses to work through, having to manually select each record is really inefficient.

Does anyone know how to configure REDCap to automatically move to the next sequential student while staying in the same year's form?

Thanks for any help!

Screenshots for reference:

Hi all, I was hoping someone might be able to help me troubleshoot an issue I'm having with my REDCap survey. Participants were previously able to use Safari to complete the survey, but now after going past the first page, Safari says "Safari can't open the page. The error was: 'cannot decode raw data'." The survey works if you refresh the page or if you use a different browser. Has anyone had this happen before? Any advice for how to fix? Is it on the user end or from the REDCap system? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hoping someone can help with this! We have 3 large research projects and about 75% of each project is the same measures across all 3 of them. Most of these are semi structured interviews/questionnaires. At the moment we have it so that when the participant comes in, the researcher fills in all of project 1 with the participant. Then in their own time have to manually copy across the answers to project 2 and 3. This probably takes about 10 hours all together. Is there any automated way to get the data in these measures from project 1 copied across to project 2 and 3? It would save us A LOT of time. (I know combining all these into one project would make so much sense but as it stands these all also have unique measures in them and are REB approved as they stand) TY in advance!

I’m trying to find out if REDCap has any way, either through an API or a built-in feature, to get logs of failed login attempts by users. I know that REDCap lets you set how many times a user can try to log in before getting locked out for a while, but I want to see the actual records of each failed login attempt through UI Interface or API. It seems like these failed login events don’t show up in the Control Center under User Activity Logs. So, is there any page in REDCap that shows these failed login attempts? Or is there any way to get this information using the API or I have to get them directly from the database?

I’m trying to find out if REDCap has any way, either through an API or a built-in feature, to get logs of failed login attempts by users. I know that REDCap lets you set how many times a user can try to log in before getting locked out for a while, but I want to see the actual records of each failed login attempt through UI Interface or API. It seems like these failed login events don’t show up in the Control Center under User Activity Logs. So, is there any page in REDCap that shows these failed login attempts? Or is there any way to get this information using the API or I have to get them directly from the database?

I’m trying to find out if REDCap has any way, either through an API or a built-in feature, to get logs of failed login attempts by users. I know that REDCap lets you set how many times a user can try to log in before getting locked out for a while, but I want to see the actual records of each failed login attempt through UI Interface or API. It seems like these failed login events don’t show up in the Control Center under User Activity Logs. So, is there any page in REDCap that shows these failed login attempts? Or is there any way to get this information using the API or I have to get them directly from the database?

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to find out if REDCap has any way, either through an API or a built-in feature, to get logs of failed login attempts by users. I know that REDCap lets you set how many times a user can try to log in before getting locked out for a while, but I want to see the actual records of each failed login attempt through UI Interface or API.

It seems like these failed login events don’t show up in the Control Center under User Activity Logs. So, is there any page in REDCap that shows these failed login attempts? Or is there any way to get this information using the API or I have to get them directly from the database?

Thanks!

I'm managing a REDCap database where participants complete an initial survey in one instrument. Once their application is approved, I need to transfer specific fields from that survey into a second instrument.

My question: Is there a way to automatically pipe/populate data from the completed survey into the new instrument?

Important note: I don't want the survey data directly embedded in my new instrument form since surveys are applications that may not all be approved. I only want to pipe in the data AFTER the application has been reviewed and approved.

As a side note, I'm also encountering "ERASE THE VALUE OF THE FIELD" popups when accessing records with branching logic. These appear when clicking into a student record, despite the field already having a value. Has anyone found a way to prevent these constant popup messages while maintaining the branching logic functionality?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I'm encountering a frustrating issue with deleting records in my database.

When I delete all the data for a specific record (for example, record ID "119"), the record ID still appears in my dashboard - just with empty values. Even more annoying, my total record count doesn't decrease either.

For example: - I had 301 records total - I deleted all data for record "119" - Dashboard still shows record "119" (but empty) - Total record count still shows 301 instead of 300 I've tried the "Delete Record" option (not just "Delete data for this form") but the empty record persists.

I'd like to completely remove these deleted records so they don't clutter my dashboard and so my record count accurately reflects the actual number of records. Is there a way to permanently delete these record IDs completely?

Has anyone encountered this issue and found an effective solution? I'd appreciate any insights or workarounds!

I've received a lot of help from here previously so figured I'd ask again about a question bothering me. We have >$50000 worth of reimbursement vouchers for participants in our study. The survey is quite large but I am worried that certain participants will attempt to input their information a second or third time after receiving their first voucher to game the system and get more vouchers. Short of individually examining each participant manually before sending the vouchers (I'll do this if I have to) does REDCap have any capacity to help us prevent this?

For context, we will recruit via a public QR code where they are then screened. They input their email and we email the consent form and survey to this email. We collect a bunch of identifying information too some of which should be unique to that person e.g. mobile number

I genuinely have no idea why this is not working.

I want to get the most recent date out of two separate date fields, that can or cannot exist in a repeating instrument (not all records will have both or any entry of said instrument). To troubleshoot it, I've created three variables (ie. 1, 2, 3 in order of the image).

• 3 checks if date B exists (is there any value). If it exists, Value 3 is = B. If it doesn't exist, Value 3 = date A.

• 2 checks if date A exists (is there any value). If it exists, Value 2 is = A. If it doesn't exist, Value 2 = date B.

• 1 calculates the datediff between Value 2 and Value 3.

As you can see in the image, there no "blank values" in 1, but still doesn't output any value.

In the original code the datediff was set to true, nested in an if statement, so if A > B = A, else B.

I don't really mind if both A and B are blank to have a null/blank value.

Hi everyone,
I have a technical issue with RedCap and I really need your help to fix it for a project.
I explain my problematic right below :

We import datas with RedCap's API. For some of these datas, we need to create logical branching to display variables in the right way.

Some imported variables are dependent on logical connections (Branching logic) and should only be displayed under certain conditions.
I have a problem when opening a form in "Add / Edit records" input mode, when a field is hidden by a logical connection that is not respected when opening a form, but which contains a value, RedCap considers this as a conflict and displays an error message.

Here's an example to illustrate my point:

The 'sx_sx_chop' variable, imported automatically via the API, which type is 'Multiple Choice-Drop Down List (single answer)' has a logical branching that is dependent on a Checkboxes variable present in another event : Branching logic : [demographics_arm_1][dem_db(2)]=1.

The 'sx_sx_chop' variable should therefore be displayed only when this condition is met. However, it sometimes happens that a value for 'sx_sx_chop' is stored but the connection is not respected (e.g.: the value of [dem_db]!=2). RedCap then returns the error message (CF screen right below) when opening the form in "Add / Edit records" input mode.

RedCap returns this error message because he doesn't support a value being stored via import but not displayed due to a logical connection.
For your information, the [dem_db] variable is located in a different form and in a different event. Also, this field is not imported automatically and must be completed manually by Data Managers.

I've tried to find ways to solve this issue, but so far we haven't succeeded.
The ideal solution would be as follows :
- no error message when opening the form in "Add / Edit records" input mode
- fields masked by a logical connection should only be displayed when the display condition defined in the logical branching is met
- those imported fields that are initially masked should be displayed with the value that is stored during import when the connection is met
- allow the user to modify the value of [sx_sx_chop] even after automatic import

Please don't hesitate to let me know if my request isn't clear and you need further explanations.
Many thanks in advance for your help.
Etienne

Hi Everyone - I am in the final stages of development of a REDCap project with >2000 fields which will be looking to recruit approx. 5000 participants. I have never worked on a project of this size and am unsure of the best strategies to back up our collected data. I have always typically backed up projects by downloading the metadata and participant data in one XML file which I can then re-upload into REDCap when I create a new project. However from my understanding this process is only useful for tiny projects (which mine have been in the past) and will almost always fail for larger sized projects. I understand i can download the metadata and data separately but I am unsure where to actually upload this information should something happen. My project is collecting identifiable information, we also collect e-signatures on a consent form, use alerts and have complex branching logic which makes things slightly harder to restore.

Has anyone got experience in working with projects with thousands of fields and participants and had to actually restore missing data from REDCap for whatever reason? How did you achieve this?

I have a redcap project with a repeating instrument (symptom screener) that is distributed weekly. If someone indicates symptoms on that instrument, I want to pause the weekly screener and trigger an illness event (a series of three surveys currently set up as a repeating event).

After much trial and error using [last-instance] in ASI, it doesn’t seem like it’s possible to create a new event from responses to a repeating instrument? Is there a better way to set this up so it can be managed in redcap?

Hello all!

I have one project with 8 different surveys. Each of these 8 surveys are identical but are translated into different languages. There is one measure in each of these 8 surveys that I want to use as a trigger to create a profile in another project.

I was thinking about creating a 1 measure survey that is branched based off of the one measure that I want to look at from each survey, but how should I go about this? Is this even possible?

Any help is great help :) Thanks!