Species and lists

A species field and a lookup field do not let people type anything; they choose from a list you control. Those lists live under Reference, then Lists. Keeping them in one place is what makes a species name or a gear type consistent across every survey and every collector.

Picking a species during entry

When you fill a species field, it is a search box: type a few letters and CensusIO shows matching species from your list, scientific and common names, so you pick the right one. Valid values are visible as you type, so a misspelled name cannot slip through to a rejected record. If the field allows a name not in the list, you can also record what you typed as entered.

Who can do this

This needs the Member or Admin role.

Members and admins manage lists. Viewers see them read-only.

The lists

Each list is a tab. There is always a species list, plus any custom lists you add (gear types, crews, stations, and so on). To create a custom list, type a key (like gear_type) and choose Add list.

A species field reads the species list (and can filter to one taxa group). A lookup field reads the list whose key you set on the field. See Field types.

Add values

On a list, use Add a value to add one: a Value (the stored value, such as a scientific name), an optional Code, optional Labels in English, French, and Spanish, and, for species, a Taxa group and an optional Taxonomy (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species; fill in as many as you know). To add many at once, paste one value per line into Bulk add and choose Add values. Use Remove to drop a value.

Matching is forgiving on input

When a record references a value (by hand, by import, or from a collector), CensusIO matches it against the list by value or code, ignoring case, so small differences in how a name is typed still resolve to the right entry.

Related

• Field types
• Locations