MICHR Support is introducing a REDCap feature called External Modules to the UM REDCap instances.

Transcription

1 Feature Guide for External Modules MICHR Support is introducing a REDCap feature called External Modules to the UM REDCap instances. External modules are individual packages of software that can be downloaded and installed by a REDCap administrator. Modules extend REDCap functionality, and can also provide customizations and enhancements for existing REDCap behavior at the system or project level. DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that External Modules are not part of the REDCap software but instead are add on packages that, in most cases, have been created by software developers at other REDCap institutions. No guarantee is provided by the REDCap Consortium or MICHR Support of continued development, support, or availability of an external module by that module s author. Be aware that use of external modules in your REDCap project indicates an acceptance of risk as to the quality and performance of the module by you and your study team. MICHR Support can only provide limited support for the project level usage of external modules, however if you do encounter issues with a module please contact MICHR Support@umich.edu so the issues can be investigated and appropriately addressed. Even if contact information is provided in the documentation, please do not contact the authors of an external module directly. New: External Modules Project Module Manager link Overview: The functionality of an External Module may vary from simple to very complex. An external module can also modify almost any aspect of REDCap functionality, ranging from small display changes to quality of life improvements all the way to advanced cross project workflow changes. Many external modules require some level of configuration at the project level and may introduce idiosyncratic behavior to your project that may be specific to the needs of the institution that developed and shared the module.

2 At the system level, MICHR Support will evaluate external modules prior to introducing them to the UM REDCap environment to ensure they do not affect the stability or security of the REDCap application. However, as external modules can be quite powerful and act in ways outside of standard REDCap workflows, it is the responsibility of every REDCap study to fully test their own project before beginning data collection for any possible conflicts or unexpected behaviors. Implementation: Before introducing a new External Module, MICHR Support will evaluate the behavior of that module to determine if it can be enabled for all REDCap projects or if it will require MICHR Support s approval to enable the module. Modules that are enabled for all REDCap projects or have been enabled by MICHR Support for a particular project will appear in the Currently Enabled Modules section of the External Module Project Module Manager page which can be accessed under the Applications menu. Modules that must be enabled by MICHR Support can be browsed by selecting View available modules. The Project Module Manager page will provide a brief description, configuration options, and possibly additional documentation for each External Module for users with the appropriate Project Design / Setup user rights. In most cases, although an external module may be enabled it still requires configuration or other project setup actions before it becomes functional. MICHR Support recommends that all the information on the Project Module Manager and Configuration pages be fully reviewed by the study team. Additionally, as External Module configuration and settings are tied to a particular project, special care should be used when copying or moving projects to verify that all configuration and settings transfer properly to the destination project. New Module Availability: MICHR Support will periodically evaluate available External Modules for introduction to the UM REDCap environment based on REDCap user needs and other factors. When new External Modules are introduced, MICHR Support will provide appropriate communication to the REDCap user community on the availability and usage of that module. As it is not possible for MICHR Support to test how each module interacts with each other in every possible project configuration, there is some chance that certain modules will have undocumented incompatibilities with one another. For this reason, MICHR Support recommends fully testing your project and the use of any external modules prior to beginning data collection. Module Updates: External Modules may be updated periodically by the author to address issues, offer new functionality, or modify the behavior of those external modules. Upon the release of an update to a currently enabled REDCap External Module, MICHR Support will evaluate the changes to determine the impact on studies currently using that module.

3 If MICHR Support does identify potential changes in behavior or introduction of new features, these External Module updates will be performed at the same time as routine REDCap application updates / upgrades and these changes will be communicated along with the standard New Feature Guide that is released for each upgrade. MICHR Support does recommend that REDCap projects that use External Module functionality check their External Module configuration and behavior following each REDCap application upgrade to ensure the module continues to behave as expected. If issues are identified, please contact michrsupport@umich.edu immediately so MICHR Support can investigate the issue. Module Security / Stability Issues: If MICHR Support identifies issues with an external module that impact system security or stability, it may be necessary to disable a module immediately without prior warning. In the event a module is disabled for these reasons, MICHR Support will communicate to potentially impacted studies and / or the REDCap User Community immediately and will provide updates or additional information as it becomes available. Similarly, while MICHR Support intends to update External Modules on the same timeline as the REDCap application as a whole, updates that address major security or stability issues may be applied at other times. In the event of these ad hoc updates, potentially impacted studies and / or the REDCap User Community will be informed immediately and provided additional information as it becomes available. Module Depreciation: In the event that a module is no longer supported by the author, is rendered obsolete due to changes in the REDCap application, or must be disabled for other reasons, MICHR Support will communicate to potentially impacted studies and / or the REDCap User Community of upcoming module depreciation. This will include a timeline on the module being depreciated and disabled as well as, if possible, information on alternative options for studies impacted by a loss of functionality.

4 Using External Modules: External Modules Project Module Manager page: Note: The below screenshots are examples for example / illustrative purposes and may not reflect the modules that are available for use at UM. The Project Module Manager page is the primary page for the REDCap External Modules and accessed through External Modules link in the Applications menu on the REDCap navigation bar. Users with Project Setup / Design User Rights enable modules and make changes to their project s External Module configuration from this page. Some external modules may require additional configuration or action outside of the Project Module Manager page to introduce desired behaviors or functionality. This is usually noted in the description or additional instructions / documentation but may appear in other places within REDCap once the module is enabled. The quality and completeness of provided documentation is presented as is and may vary significantly. Additional modules that need to be enabled by MICHR Support Module name, version, and brief description Configuration settings for each module Additional instructions / documentation

5 External Modules View Available Modules page: This page, accessed through the View available modules button on the Project Module Manager page, displays the modules that are available in the UM REDCap instance but have not yet been enabled for this particular project. If you wish to incorporate one of these modules in your project, please contact MICHR Support using the Contact REDCap Administrator button along with the name of the module you wish to enable. Once the request is received, MICHR Support will review and process your request. Module name, version, and brief description

6 External Modules Configure Module page: Most External Modules will feature a Configure Module page where you will enter the settings that control your module s behavior. This configuration page may contain a number of different configuration field types, both required and optional. In some cases you must / may add repeating sections for a number of different configuration options, select from a list of fields, or provide other information. Warning: Changes to your project including but not limited to changes like the modification of fields, instruments, events, or users may invalidate your current External Module configuration without triggering automatic warnings. You must check your External Module configuration after every project change to verify that settings are correct to minimize the chance of External Module errors. Additional Instructions / Information List of project fields Configuration Options Repeating Field Block Additional Configuration Options

7 Currently Available External Modules: MICHR Support is providing several external modules that meet needs identified by REDCap users or are identified as providing useful functionality while introducing the new External Modules feature. Modules enabled for all REDCap Projects These are modules that provide additional functionality and are available to all REDCap projects without additional REDCap Administrator approval. Modules available to all projects do not change the behavior of the REDCap application simply by being enabled. They either introduce new optional features (such as Action Tags) or cause no changes in behavior until they are configured. Auto Populate Fields This module introduces several new (optional) action tags that extend the behavior of the action tag. Color Matrix This module allows users to change the background color of a matrix of fields. Survey Instruments Only Form Field Tooltip Module This module allows users to add a pop up tool tip to fields on an instrument Inline Descriptive Pop ups This module allows users to specify words or phrases that will appear as a highlighted link and pop up instructive text when the cursor moves over the word or phrase. Discoverable Modules requiring Administrator Approval These are modules that require REDCap Administrator approval. These modules can be browsed on the View available modules page. Modules requiring administrative approval may introduce new behavior or change existing behavior without requiring additional configuration. Modules may also require administrative approval because they introduce major changes, have significant risks if used or configured incorrectly, or make changes that are specific to a subset of projects. Auto DAGs This module creates Data Access Groups (DAGs) based on a field in your project and assigns records to that DAG. Multilingual This complex module allows Survey and Data Entry Forms to be translated to different languages based on translations provided by the Study Team. Sticky Matrix Headers This module keeps the matrix header visible as long as the matrix is visible. Survey Instruments Only