Mandatory field validation on assessment forms prevents users from saving or submitting a form without completing required fields. This is the primary mechanism for ensuring national dataset data is captured at the point of care.
⚠️Important: Mandatory fields are only enforced when Content Validation is enabled on the form. This requires the form to be Style 4 or Style 6. On Style 1, 3, or 5 forms, the Mandatory flag has no enforcement effect.
Set a field as mandatory
Go to the Assessment Form Configuration page from the Admin menu and open the relevant form in edit mode.
Locate the field you want to make mandatory. For example, Employment Status, Accommodation Status, or HoNOS score fields.
In the field properties, set the Mandatory flag to Yes, or check the Mandatory checkbox, depending on the form builder interface.
For pick list fields, ensure the pick list is populated from the correct master table. Do not use free text fields for nationally coded data items.
Save the form configuration.
Test the mandatory field enforcement, attempt to save the form without completing the mandatory field and verify that validation prevents submission.
📌Note: When a user attempts to validate a form with mandatory fields incomplete, Rio displays a validation error listing the incomplete fields. The form cannot be validated until all mandatory fields are completed.
Make MHSDS fields mandatory on the CPA Review screen
The four MHSDS Read Only Fields on the CPA Review screen: Employment Status, Weekly Hours Worked, Accommodation Status, and Settled Accommodation Indicator, can each be set as mandatory via the CPA Review Configuration page.
Go to CPA Review Configuration from the Admin menu.
Locate the four MHSDS Read Only Fields section.
Check the mandatory checkbox to the right of each field that should be required before the CPA Review can be validated.
Click Save.
Content Validation and auto save
Content Validation must be enabled on the form (Style 4 or Style 6) for mandatory field enforcement to work. Without Content Validation, mandatory field flags are advisory only, users can save without completing them.
Content Validation on Style 4/6 forms provides three user-level validation options:
Validate Own and Others. Senior clinicians and supervisors who review and validate other clinicians' forms.
Validate Own Only. Standard clinical staff who can validate their own forms but not others'.
Unable to Validate. Junior staff and trainees who complete forms but require a senior clinician to validate.
🤓Tip: Auto save is only available on Style 4/6 forms with Content Validation enabled. This provides an additional safety net, partially completed forms are saved automatically, reducing the risk of data loss if a session times out before the user completes all mandatory fields.