Overview
A Date Question records a calendar date, and optionally a time, in a Checklist: when an incident happened, when a part was last replaced, or when the next service is due. Because the answer is a real date, logic and triggers can act on it, for example to raise an Assignment when a date is too far in the past.
At a glance |
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Who can do this | Super Users, a Role with Checklists › Modify (or Create, for Checklists you created), or an Administrator or Editor of the Checklist's permission folder |
Where | Checklists › open a Checklist › Add an element › Date Question |
Works on | Backend (web) to set up. Answered in the Mobile app and RideOps. |
Availability | All organizations |
💡 Why this matters: A date typed as free text can't be checked or acted on. As a Date Question, the value is consistent, sortable, and can drive a trigger, so an overdue service date becomes a follow-up task instead of a line nobody reads.
Add a Date Question
1. Add the question
In the Backend, go to Checklists, open the Checklist in the editor, click Add an element and choose Date Question. Enter a Title and, optionally, Explanatory Text.
2. Choose date, or date and time
Leave the question as date only, or tick Use Time to record a time as well.
3. Save
Save the Checklist.
How Users answer
In the app, the User taps Tap here to choose a date and picks a date, and a time if Use Time is ticked. The picker opens on today, and any date in the past or future can be chosen. The answer is shown in the User's date and time format. Like every visible question, a Date Question must be answered before the Checklist can be completed; use logic to hide it when it doesn't apply.
Use the date in logic and triggers
Conditions on a Date Question compare the entered date with the moment the question was answered, in hours. Enter a number of hours (1 or more) and one of these operators:
Operator | Met when the entered date is |
or more, in the past | At least that many hours before the answer was given |
or less, in the past | Before the answer, but within that many hours |
or more, in the future | At least that many hours after the answer was given |
or less, in the future | After the answer, but within that many hours |
Example. A monthly inspection asks Date the fire extinguisher was last serviced. An Assignment Trigger with 8760 hours or more, in the past raises an Assignment when the last service is a year old or more.
Date Questions support Assignment, Ad Hoc Slot and Requirement triggers. See Adding triggers to a checklist and Adding logic to a Checklist.
ℹ️ Note: The hours are counted from the exact moment the User answered, not from the start of the day. For date-only questions, use whole days (24, 48, 168 hours) and allow a day's margin.
Settings compatibility
Setting | Available? | Notes |
Use Time | Yes | Records a time with the date; off by default. |
Reference Images, Manuals, Videos, Links | Yes | Guidance on which date to record. |
Question Categories | Yes | Group the question for reporting. |
Logic | Yes | Show or hide the question, or base other logic on its date. |
Triggers | Yes | Conditions in hours, as above. |
Score Intervals | No | A Date Question isn't scored. |
To correct a date on a completed Result, see Modify Checklist Results.
Best practices
Word the title so the date is unambiguous, for example Date the filter was last replaced rather than Filter date.
Tick Use Time only when the time matters, such as for an incident, to keep answering quick.
Use a Duration Question, not two Date Questions, when you need to know how long something took.
Test date triggers with a past and a future date before scheduling the Checklist.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add a time to the date?
Tick Use Time on the Date Question in the Checklist editor and save. Users then pick a time as well as a date.
Can users pick a date or time earlier than now?
Yes. Mobaro doesn't limit the date or time; any past or future value can be chosen. If the app won't accept an earlier time, update the app and contact Mobaro Support if it continues.
Can I make a date question optional?
No. Every visible question needs an answer. To skip it when it doesn't apply, hide it with logic based on an earlier answer; hidden questions don't need answers. See Logic based on an answer to a question.