At the center of inspection forms in Synovia is the inspection item, which is one specific element to be checked that may need service or repair, such as Tires Properly Inflated, Hoses Appear Okay, and Fire Extinguisher in Cab. Each individual task of the inspection should be its own item. A set of items, or a category of things to check, is called a group, and multiple groups (as needed) are included in the template, the overall form.

Note: See An Introduction to Inspection Forms for details about the components of an inspection form template (the template, groups, and items) and an overview of the features of the Inspection Setup screen.

To add a new item, follow these steps:


  1. Click  >> Inspection Setup.

    The Inspection Setup screen's Templates tab will appear.
     
     
  2. Click the Items tab.
     
     
  3. Click  at the top right of the screen.
     
    The Add New Item screen will appear.
      
  4. Type a short description of the item in the Name box.
     
  5. Click the Datatype drop-down arrow and select the kind of information the item requires the driver to enter on the form. These are the available options:
     
    • Date: Opens a calendar picker, in which the driver can select a date.
       
    • Drawing: For use when performing inspections using the Synovia app; this allows the driver to draw with a stylus or finger (such as for a Signature field).
       
    • Number: Allows the driver to enter a numerical value, such as for a Quarts of Oil Added item.
       
    • Odometer: Specifically for entering the vehicle's current odometer reading.
       
    • Pass/Fail: The most common datatype on Synovia inspection forms. This is used to specify if the item is in an acceptable condition (Pass) or not (Fail).
       
    • Text: Enables the driver to enter textual data, such as for a Notes field.
       
  6. Usually, you will leave the Customer Code field blank. If you do use it, provide the code for the item as determined by the third-party software.
    Note: This optional field is used by only a few Synovia customers. It is designed for you to export data from the inspection form to another software platform. For example, if you wanted to export failed items to a third-party maintenance software service, you would add codes such as FH001 for a faulty headlight, and that code would mean something in the other software.
  7. Type a full explanation of what the item requires the driver to assess in the Description box.
     
  8. Click the Severity drop-down arrow and select if the vehicle would be Driveable even if the item fails (such as for a P.A. Radio item) or Not Driveable (such as for a Brakes item).
     
  9. Leave Show in Device selected, which means that the item will appear on the inspection form it is eventually assigned to. ( means selected, and  deselected.)
    Note: This is generally only deselected to temporarily disable the item.
  10. If the item is one that is necessary to be filled out in order for the driver to be able to submit the form, click Is Required to select it. ( means selected, and  deselected.)
    Note: Almost all inspection items are set to be required. There are some items for which you will want to leave this as deselected — for example, an optional Notes field.
  11. If you want the item to have its value automatically filled in for the driver, select the Prepopulate Value toggle and then follow these steps:
    Note: Be aware that items with prepopulated values can't have subitems. Also, these datatypes don't support prepopulated values: Date, Drawing, and Pass/Fail.
    1. Click the Default Value Category drop-down arrow and select either Vehicle Properties (for data from the Vehicle Properties screen) or Other Vehicle Data (for engine hours or odometer value).
       
    2. Click the Default Value Field drop-down arrow and select what vehicle value you'd like to be pulled to fill the field, such as the license plate number from the vehicle's entered properties.
      Note: The data has to have been filled in on the vehicle's Properties screen in order for the Vehicle Properties option to work.
  12. If the item has subitems, which are things to check in a subcategory of the main item (for example, a Tires item might have four subitems: Front Right, Front Left, Rear Right, and Rear Left), follow these steps:
     
    1. In the Sub Items area, click Add Item.
       
      The Add Subitem dialog box will appear.
        
    2. Type a short description of the subitem in the Name box.
       
    3. Type a more detailed description, explaining what the subitem requires the driver to check, in the Description box.
       
    4. Optionally, if you are using customer codes (refer to step 6's Note), type the one for this subitem in the Customer Code field.
       
    5. Click Add Sub Item.
       
    6. Repeat steps a-e for all the subitems you need to add.
      Note: You can rearrange subitems by selecting them in the Sub Items area and clicking Up or Down to move them higher or lower in the list, respectively.
        
      You can modify a subitem by selecting it and clicking Edit Item — or delete it by clicking Remove Item after selecting it.
  13. Click  at the top right of the Add New Item screen.
     
    You'll be returned to the Items tab of the Inspection Setup screen, and your new item will appear in the list.