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Hiding and Showing Form Elements

Key Rules

  • Setting visibility to 0 permanently hides an element from all users in all environments.
  • Hide a section break to hide everything inside it — more reliable than hiding elements one at a time.
  • Always place a section break before a page break when hiding a group of fields — prevents unexpected rendering behaviour.
  • The debug visibility formula uses a layered pattern — do not remove or modify it unless you know exactly what you are changing.

Hiding a Single Element

  1. Open the form in Form Designer, locate the element.
  2. Click it → open properties panel.
  3. Set visibility value to 0.
  4. Save and activate the form.

Hiding an Entire Section

Preferred method for hiding a group of related fields.

  1. Locate (or add) the section break that wraps the fields.
  2. Click the section break → open visibility formula.
  3. Set formula to 0 (or add a condition that evaluates to false).
  4. Ensure a section break exists immediately before the following page break.
  5. Save and activate.

Example: Hiding the Employment section in "Tenancy Check Two"

  • Navigate to: Client Visit → Routine Starter Tenancy Visit → opens Tenancy Check Two.
  • Locate the section break labelling the Employment section.
  • Set its visibility to 0.
  • Add a section break directly before the following page break.
  • Activate, export package (e.g., Hiding_Employment_In_Tenancy_Check), import to Test and Live.

Debug Visibility Pattern (Three-Tier)

Versaa forms use a standard three-tier formula for debug sections. Reference form: "Void First Person Checklist".

if explicitDebug == true  → show (user listed in DebugUsersList.txt)
else if implicitDebug == true → show (user has "Forms" permission role)
else                          → hide (live environment)
  • Explicit debug: user is in DebugUsersList.txt, uploaded as a Platform Files resource type "resource list".
  • Implicit debug: user has the "Forms" permission role in Management Studio.

To replicate on a new debug section: 1. Add a section break to contain debug fields. 2. Open section break's visibility formula. 3. Enter the three-tier conditional using Z_ExplicitDebug and Z_ImplicitDebug built-in references. 4. Copy the formula verbatim from an existing debug section to ensure correct syntax.

Quick Tips

  • Use section-level hiding wherever possible — one change hides many fields and is easier to reverse.
  • Always test visibility changes in the Aareon Mobile app after activating — not just in Management Studio.
  • Name export packages descriptively (e.g., Hiding_Employment_In_Tenancy_Check) for easy identification in import history.
  • Confirm the field is actually gone in the mobile app using a real or test client number.