I have been using an XLSForm to search entries in the file attendees.csv. Today, I updated my CSV file as I always do, but I got the error, “Question ‘attendee’ is a select from file type, using ‘search()’. This combination is not supported. Remove the ‘search()’ usage, or change the select type.”
I have been using this form since December last year, so I have not changed the XLSForm since then. I have been changing the CSV file twice every week until today.
Also, is it possible to change an XLSForm of an existing form?
Thank you for the help
Hello @abratumwe this issue is likely due to a recent change in Kobo Toolbox’s support for certain XLSForm features. Previously, it was possible to use search() with select_one_from_file, but recent updates have made this combination unsupported. That’s why your form, which worked fine before, is now throwing the error when you update the CSV file. To fix this, open your XLSForm and remove the search() function from the appearance column of the question using the CSV. You can replace it with something like minimal or leave it blank, depending on your design needs. Once that’s done, re-upload your form and the CSV file.
Yes, it is possible to update the XLSForm of an existing form without losing your collected data, provided the changes are compatible (e.g., you’re not renaming or deleting fields that already have data). You can go to your project, choose “More actions,” then “Replace form” to upload the revised XLSForm. Kobo will alert you if the changes will affect your existing data. If you’re not sure, I’d recommend testing the changes in a duplicate version of your form before applying them to the live one.
