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REDCap: Version Upgrade to 16.0.6
The REDCap upgrade to version 16.0.6 will occur on:
Tuesday, Jan 27th 2026 - Global Health REDCap
Tuesday, Jan 27th 2026 - WISC REDCap
 Improvements |
 Bug Fixes |
Improvements
There are several new improvements available with this upgrade:
- New Smart Variables
- New Special Function
- New User Rights Permission: Form-level "Delete" Rights
- Data Quality Rules Updates
- Public Reports and Dashboards Access Codes
Smart Variables - https://kb.wisc.edu/smph/informatics/88571:
New Smart Variables
- [project-irb-number] - IRB number of the current project (if specified in the project).
- [project-purpose] - Returns integer as purpose of the current project (0=Practice/Just for fun, 1=Other, 2=Research, 3=Quality Improvement, 4=Operational Support).
- [project-status] - Returns integer as status of the current project (0=Development, 1=Production, 2=Analysis/Cleanup).
- [project-title] - Displays the title of the current project.
- [dashboard-url] - Returns the web address (URL) of the specified public project dashboard. A colon + the unique dashboard name of the project dashboard must be appended - e.g., [dashboard-url:D-557DRCW87L].
- [dashboard-link] - Returns a HTML web link that, when clicked, will navigate to the specified public project dashboard. The format must be [dashboard-link:unique_dash_name] or [dashboard-link:unique_dash_name:Custom Text]. "Custom Text" is an optional parameter whereby you can specify the visible link text, and if it is not provided, it defaults to the dashboard title.
- A colon + the unique dashboard name of the project dashboard must be appended - e.g., [dashboard-url:D-557DRCW87L] or [dashboard-url:D-557DRCW87L:Click to view our dashboard]
- [report-access-code] - Returns the access code for the specified public report, assuming the report has been made public and also that an access code has been defined for the report. A colon + the unique report name of the report must be appended - e.g., [report-access-code:R-2554F4TCNT].
- Note: The unique report name can be found in the far right column of the report table. Note: If public reports are not enabled at the system level, this smart variable will not be displayed in the smart variable list
- [dashboard-access-code] - Returns the access code for the specified public project dashboard, assuming an access code has been defined for the dashboard. A colon + the unique dashboard name of the project dashboard must be appended - e.g., [dashboard-access-code:D-557DRCW87L]. Note: The unique dashboard name can be found in the far right column of the project dashboard table.
Other Smart Variable Improvements:
- [survey-link] - Users may now utilize the [survey-link] Smart Variable in the field label for fields in MyCap tasks so that they appear as hyperlinks in the MyCap app. Clicking on such a survey link in the app will open the default web browser on the mobile device.
Special Functions - https://kb.wisc.edu/smph/informatics/128214:
New Special Function
- dayoftheweek() - Determines the day of the week for a given date or datetime.
- An integer will be returned corresponding to a specific day of the week as follows: 1=Monday, 2=Tuesday, 3=Wednesday, 4=Thursday, 5=Friday, 6=Saturday, 7=Sunday. Example: dayoftheweek( [visit_date] ).
- NOTE: You may use "today" or "now" as the date parameter in the function, which can prove helpful for triggering an Alert or ASI to be triggered on weekdays but not weekends, for example - e.g., dayoftheweek("today") < 6 (this means that the Alert/ASI will not trigger on Saturday or Sunday).
New User Rights Permissions: Form Level "Delete"
Users can now be given privileges to delete the data for specified instruments, enabling them to click the Delete Data button at the bottom of a data entry form. This can be granted without having to give the user the ability to delete whole records and events. Thus, this feature provides more granularity with regard to data deletion privileges.
This new form-level privilege can be found in the Data Viewing Rights section of the User Rights dialog when editing a user's rights. The "Delete" privilege can be granted for any or all instruments in the project. This assumes the user does not have the "Delete Records" privilege because, if so, the "Delete Records" privilege already includes the ability to delete data on all forms (in addition to being able to delete a whole record, etc.).
Note: Users must have "View & Edit" privileges for a given instrument in order to be given "Delete" privileges. And if an instrument has been enabled as a survey and the user is viewing a survey response (as opposed to data entered by authenticated users), the user will not be able to delete the data for that response unless they additionally have "Edit Survey Responses" privileges for that instrument.
Data Quality Rules Updates
Data Quality rules A through I can now be run for selected fields.
- A multi-select drop-down is displayed on the page to allow users to select one or more fields, in which DQ rules A through I will be executed against only the selected fields.
- This will be helpful in some cases when the rules do not need to be applied to all fields in the project or if any of the rules time out after running them against all fields
- (e.g., Rule H for projects with lots of records).
- (e.g., Rule H for projects with lots of records).
Data Quality Rules now gives you the ability to delete many (or all) custom Data Quality Rules in a project at once. Previously only a single custom rule could be deleted at a time.
Public Reports and Dashboards Access Codes
Access code protection for public reports and public project dashboards is now available.
- Users may optionally set a single access code for a given public report or public project dashboard. Once set, no one will be able to view those pages unless the correct access code has been entered.
- Users may define their own custom access code or optionally let REDCap auto-generate one for them.
- Once an access code has been successfully entered on a report or dashboard, if the page is refreshed or visited again in the near future, the viewer will not have to re-enter the access code if returning to the page within REDCap's normal auto-logout time for authenticated users (default: 15 minutes).
- For example, if the auto-logout time is 15 minutes, and the viewer returns 45 minutes after initially entering the access code, they will have to enter the access code to view the page again.
Bug Fixes
Notable Bug Fixes - Issues addressed with this upgrade
Major bug fix: When a user is uploading a file to a File Upload field using the API Import File method, if the project is longitudinal and the field's form currently has no data on the event to which the file is being uploaded, the file would get stored in the REDCap system and would be logged on the project Logging page correctly, but the file would mistakenly not appear attached to the File Upload field afterward.
Bug fix: If a PDF Snapshot has been set up in a longitudinal project so that it should be triggered by the completion of a survey on a specific event, the snapshot might mistakenly get triggered when that survey is completed on any event instead of just on the specified event.
Bug fix: In certain situations when Randomization is used together in a project with PDF Snapshots or e-Consent when copying a project and all its records, the Copy Project process might mistakenly fail and simply redirect the user back to the REDCap Home Page.
Bug fix: When the Development Record Limit feature is enabled while a user is attempting to use Data Quality rule H, in certain cases an error might mistakenly be returned and would prevent the user from auto-fixing calculations in the project.
Bug fix: CALCTEXT fields utilizing text string related special functions (excluding the "if" and "concat" functions) where a plus sign (+) is used inside quotes in the calculation, an unexpected result might occur.