Forms

[Julian-Dumitrascu]

I like it that the Odoo team call “form view” what others call “detail view”. They refer to their offering a canvas that we can call a (Web) page, on which we can place rectangular placeholders for fields: keys and their values.
Maybe we can simulate a third dimension when we place objects, e.g. these rectangles, on the screen.
With this program one can place such data holders anywhere on a canvas. One can create canvases of sizes different from the screen one is using.
One can create a data set in such a program and display it as a form. When person 1 and person 2 want to manage some data together, at least one of them can fill some fields. The main data manager should be able to change the data, the other person could be prevented to do so.
We’ve seen many people do this the other way around: An organisation has people fill forms. (Some organisations provide fillers with a read-only copy of the provided information. The rest might provide nothing.) The people who fill these forms own these data, but have no control over them. Instead of managing the data together with these organisations, they give these organisations copies of their data. In many cases, the data owners don’t know how these organisations (ab)use these data.

1. We treat people better.
   If you’ve filled any form or are going to use forms, we can help you manage these data more to your benefit.

2. Why do many people damn forms?
   2.1 In a form one creates (copies of) data sets that are difficult or impossible to control because of how the form manager manages one's data.
   2.2 People don't like being questioned.
   2.2.1 I understand these kinds of questions:
   2.2.1.1 rhetorical questions
   2.2.1.2 Questions asked in order to build an idea or a conversation.

3. When does person 1 ask person 2 to fill a form?
   3.1 When they haven't evaluated enough methods and means of data management.
   If somebody is using software like Microsoft Word or Google Forms to create records, they can consider the fact that programs of another type are more helpful.
   3.2 When person 1 can provide a service to person 2.
   When somebody wants help, let them speak! I need to express myself, so that I build rapport with my service provider and they understand me. The better I inform a service provider, the better the solution they design for me.
   They can suggest that we discuss topics related to my goal. I can create data sets and use data sets together with them. This means that I control my data better.

4. It is useful to estimate the benefits and costs of taking an action in order to decide whether and under what terms one takes this action.
   While it is usual for people to ask and answer questions in informal speech, especially among friends, it seems nobody has to answer any question or to provide any information. (Well, we can have a related conversation about who must provide information when.)

5. When one asks for information, one demands that the other person provide that information.
   One can demand something in order to enforce a law or as an order to a service provider. While one could discuss a few other cases, we are probable to ignore as baseless any demand that is not an order.
   In general, it is more useful for people to agree on who's going to do what. We're good e.g. at planning and at carrying out plans.

6. Costs of forms
   6.1 Because one skips maybe the first step in interactions between people, the identification of the participants, one can receive bullshit through forms.
   How usefully do you want to manage data?
   6.2 Some people try to increase the cost of filling a form, so that not all fields are filled with some software.
   For instance, they add a "capture" field.