xMart data entry forms support single record editing via a user interface form. There are two kinds of forms: standard and custom.

Standard Data Entry Forms

Standard forms are automatically generated by the system for each table in the data model and always reflect the exact structure of the table.

Custom Data Entry Forms

Custom forms also target a table in the data model but can be customized in various ways.

Both types of forms are bound to and populate an existing table in the data model, the target table. Each field on a form targets a specific field in the target table. It is not possible to create a form without first having created the target table to receive the data of the form.
The type of form element that appears on the form is determined by the field data type in the model, ie dates are date pickers, foreign keys are dropdowns, integers are integer fields, etc.
Model-level rules such as “is required” or text length limits are automatically applied in both types of forms.
Both types of forms perform a record check based on the business primary keys (BPKs) before displaying the whole form to facilitate retrieval of previously created records and to prevent record duplication as early as possible.
Navigation flow is similar for both types of forms, for example, after submitting a filled form the user is returned to a grid view of their data. The structure of the gridview matches the structure of the form. This facilitates viewing and editing previously submitted data.
Form data entry results in the creation of batches and each entry is associated with a Batch ID. How batches are created are somewhat different for Standard vs Custom forms (see below).

Standard forms are accessed via the Data page, custom forms are accessed via the Forms page.
Standard forms can not be modified (unless you change the underlying table model), custom forms can be customized in many ways.
To be able to do data entry, standard forms require the DATA_EDIT permission, custom forms require the FORM_DATA_ENTRY permission.
Standard forms have “advanced” behavior and are better for xMart system experts while Custom forms have “simple” behavior and are better for external people who have limited understanding of xMart:
- When a Custom form is saved, it is immediately committed to the mart without having to press any special buttons other than “Save” or “Save and Continue”. There is no data preview nor any visual indication of xMart batches (although one is created behind the scenes).
- When a Standard form is saved, the system accumulates uncommitted changes across multiple records and the user must eventually press Preview/Commit to commit the data. This opens the batch preview page as if data has been loaded (ie from a csv file).
- Standard forms work in conjunction with gridview editing. After updating a record using a standard form, the change is highlighted in the gridview on the Data page and can be further edited in the gridview. Custom forms do not support this.