The Form Admin page is the central hub for configuring many aspects of the Uncountable platform. It offers a range of configuration option to customize workflows and data structures, organized in a bar at the top of the page.
To access the Form Admin page, use the Quick Actions option in the Uncountable Navigation bar (or Command + K) to search for “Form Admin”.
Note that only admin users— those who have Admin Rights enabled on their user group— can access the Form Admin page. Learn more about user group permissions.
Common tasks within Form Admin include:
- Setting up requests and approvals
- Defining and configuring forms and entities
- Customizing fields, constraints, and permissions
- Configuring runsheets and labels
- Managing field options, user lists, listing configurations, and naming schemes
Form Admin is also integrated with value specs, which enable the use of triggers to automate actions across the platform. For example, triggers can mark all tasks as complete in a recipe or automatically generate a new lab request with prefilled fields.
These are just a few of Form Admin’s many capabilities—continue reading to explore additional platform configuration options and how learn to use them.
Definitions
The main Form Admin page is the Definitions tab. On this page, you’ll find a listing of all definitions for entities created within the platform.
In Uncountable, definitions act as templates for the different types of entities users can create—such as experiments, lab requests, approvals, and more. Each definition specifies the structure and behavior of the entities based on it.
Definitions are made up of fields, which determine the type of information users can enter when creating a new entity. Fields can include text boxes, dropdowns (single or multi-select), file attachments, links, tables, etc. You can also apply constraints to these fields to control their visibility, editability, or to make them required or prompted for when creating a new entity.
Definitions can include additional configuration, such as:
- Triggers to automate actions based on specific events or conditions.
- Permissions to control who can view or edit entities based on the definition.
- Runsheets or labels that can be used when exporting entities from the platform.
For more information, refer to:
Field Options
When adding a Fixed List (Single) or Fixed List (Multiple) field to a definition in Uncountable, you will be asked to select an “id source”. This ID source references a set of options, which are created and managed in the Field Options tab of the Form Admin.
Field options define the selectable values shown in dropdown menus across the platform. These can include a list of entities (such as experiments, projects, lab requests), user lists, or custom value sets.
With the Field Options page of the Form Admin, admin users can:
- Create and edit option sets used in definitions
- View, edit, and copy option set reference names
- Organize values into subsets for filtered dropdowns
- Import options from CSV or Excel files
- Add colors to option sets for styling
- Export options as an Excel file
For more information, refer to:
Fields
The Fields tab in Form Admin provides a listing of all fields that can be added to definitions across the platform. While admins typically create new fields directly within a specific definition, fields can also be created on this page.
The Fields page of the Form Admin also enables admins to:
- View existing or edit existing fields and their constraints
- Configure field render behavior
- Add supporting information to fields
- Track field usage
For more information on fields, refer to:
User Lists
The User Lists tab within Form Admin allows admins to create and manage curated lists of platform users. These lists can be referenced when configuring fields on definitions or setting up automated email and in-platform notifications.
For example, if an entity requires the selection of a specific Lab Manager or Technician, an admin can first create a user list containing the relevant individuals. Then, they can create a Fixed List field that references this user list and add it to the appropriate entity definition. This ensures that users filling out the form can only select from a targeted group of individuals rather than all users active in the schema.
User lists are also useful when configuring notifications. For instance, an admin might create a list of users who should be notified when a lab request enters a particular phase. When setting up the notification template, this user list can be selected to automatically direct messages to the correct group. Learn more about using user lists to configure notifications.
For more information on user lists, refer to:
Phase Workflows
Within the Phase Workflows tab of the Form Admin, admin users can create phase workflow diagrams, which can be added to definitions created within the platform.
Phase workflows provide a structured way to model the progression of an entity through different states using a defined set of transitions. These workflows are customizable and can reflect real-world processes such as approvals, lab requests, or product development. When a definition includes a phase workflow, each entity created from that definition begins in an initial phase and can be advanced by users along the configured paths. This helps ensure consistency, traceability, and clarity around the current status of work.
Not all definitions require a phase workflow, but they are particularly useful when there is a clear sequence of steps or decision points, such as on request or approval type definitions.
For more information on phase workflows, refer to:
Reviews
In Uncountable, Reviews are a key part of Phase Workflows, allowing you to require formal approval before an entity, such as a lab request or approval, can advance to the next phase.
A Review consists of one or more user groups, user lists, or both, and can be assigned to specific phases in a workflow. When a Review is associated with a phase, the entity cannot progress until the required number of reviewers have approved it.
For more information on reviews, refer to:
Value Spec, Value Spec Properties, and Value Spec Docs
Uncountable’s value spec system allows you to reference and compute information from entities using dynamic expressions. Within the Form Admin, there are three key tools that support this system: the Value Spec, Value Spec Properties, and Value Spec Docs tabs. These pages help you test value spec logic, define custom properties, and reference internal documentation.
For more information on value spec, refer to:
Triggers and Trigger Sets
The Triggers and Trigger Sets tabs in the Form Admin page let users automate parts of their workflow in Uncountable. These tools help reduce manual steps, save time, and keep processes consistent across forms.
- The Triggers tab is a listing of all individual triggers created within the schema. Each trigger defines when something should happen and what actions should occur.
- In Trigger Sets tab, admin users can group triggers into reusable sets, which can then be attached to definitions to apply consistent automation across forms.
Common examples of what you can automate include sending email notifications, generating tasks, updating related data, and creating reports. These actions can run automatically based on events (like phase changes), or be triggered manually through entity actions or buttons on entity pages.
For more information on triggers and trigger sets, refer to:
Templates
The Templates tab is used to manage and create reusable templates for experiment labels, COAs, and email and in-platform notifications. The tab provides a listing of all templates defined in the schema and allows admin users to create and configure new templates.
In Uncountable, templates are commonly used to:
- Design custom labels for recipes, inventory, and more
- Create Certificates of Analysis (COAs) using the Label Editor
- Format email and in-platform notifications
For more information using templates, refer to:
Listing Configs
The Listing Configs tab allows admins to define shared default views for listing pages across the organization. While individual users can customize their own listings, configurations created here apply to specific user groups and help ensure consistent layouts, filters, and tabs across teams. Use this tab to set up default views, fixed filters, additional tabs, or presets for any entity listing in Uncountable.
For more information on listing configs, refer to:
Naming
The Naming tab in Form Admin is used to configure naming schemes—structured rules for automatically generating names for entities in Uncountable. These schemes help standardize naming across projects, experiments, lab requests, inventory items, and more.
A naming scheme can include:
- A metadata-based prefix (i.e. from dropdown, text, or numeric fields)
- A counter that increments with each new entity created
- An optional editable portion
Using naming schemes helps reduce errors, improve searchability, and maintain consistency across teams.
For more information on naming schemes, refer to:
Create Template YAML and Upload
If you’re working in a new schema and need to import existing forms from another schema, you can set up a YAML template. YAML is a structured file format that allows for the transfer of form configurations. This process enables users to drag and drop these files into the system, enabling quick and easy replication of forms across different schemas.
Within the Create Template YAML tab, admins can export the current form configuration into a YAML file.
This export can then be used in the Upload tab to recreate the same configuration in a new schema.
These tabs are typically used by the Technical Implementations (TI) team and is not commonly utilized by most users.