Once your REDCap project is created, you will be configuring your project and creating instruments to use during data collection. As REDCap is very customizable and can be used for various use cases, we will only touch on the basics of configuring a REDCap project here. If you have certain use cases that require a more in depth explanation, we have a whole range of knowledge articles that can be of help.
Online Designer
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When you enter the Online Designer, you will be greeted with a list of instruments that are configured for your project. In this page, you can create an instrument from scratch, upload a ZIP file of an instrument that has already been configured, or search within the REDCap Shared Library to find an instrument that has already been created by a fellow REDCap community user. you will also be able to copy, delete, download, and rename instruments when you select the "Choose action" button.
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There are many other buttons visible here, but we'll get to that later. Some of them provide in-app help that could be crucial to your project, or take you to other REDCap functionality that may be useful. Try clicking around to see where they take you.
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For example, if you click on the “Import” button, you will be taken to the official REDCap Shared Library, where you have access to REDCap data collection instruments and forms that could downloaded, and is used researchers at other REDCap institutions. It may be useful to search through this library to see if an instrument of interest is available before you construct it yourself.
Creating an Instrument
For now, select the first instrument that is in the list of instruments. You can do this by clicking on either the pencil icon that shows up next to the form name, or the form name itself.
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Section headers can be used to separate different blocks of variables. These can also be used to create separate pages within surveys.
Matrix field types
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Matrix field types are a little distinct from the others, as they are a grouped set of variables together. These are useful when you have multiple variables that rely on the same choices. When adding a matrix of variables, you can use either radio buttons or checkboxes as options. The columns of the matrix are the options, and the options for all of the variables within the matrix will need to match. Rows will be the variables (questions).
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