5. Use Data Mapper to Dynamically Map Field Values

Introduction

Right now, our workflow sets the patient’s Gender field to a static value—Male. That’s not very useful for real-world scenarios, where gender should be populated based on the form submission.

Also, DrChrono expects gender values like "Male", "Female" or "Other", while Jotform submissions might return "M", "F", or even custom values.

We can see the issue here in our case as in Jotform our form has these values:

And in DrChrono if we open the "Gender" input we see that the expected values are:

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to fix this by using the Data Mapper Helper to convert form values into the exact values expected by DrChrono.

Step 1: Add a Data Mapper Helper

The fastest way is to describe it in the chat panel (left side of the editor):

"Add a Data Mapper helper before the Branch step to convert gender values from Jotform — M to Male, F to Female, O to Other."

Click Update workflow to confirm.

Manual option:

1. Click the + icon before the Branch step 

2. In the Add new step panel, go to the Helpers tab

3. Select Data helpers, then Data mapper

4. Configure the Datamapper:

   • Lookup key(s) : Map the Gender field from Jotform.

   • Mapping Values:

     • M → Male

     • F → Female

     • O → Other

     • (Add more mappings as needed)

5. Test the step to have the data available in the workflow and ensure it works as expected.

In that way we have configured the data mapper so when in Jotform the answer is M then our helper will transform it to Male so it is exactly as DrChrono expects it.

💡 Tip: Inside the Data Mapper configuration panel, use the "How to configure this?" and "How to use" buttons for additional guidance.

With this configuration, when Jotform returns M, the helper transforms it to Male — exactly as DrChrono expects.

📌 Missing a helper? Use the "Missing a helper? Request a helper" banner at the top of the Helpers tab.

Step 2: Map the Transformed Value

Describe it in the chat panel:

"In the Create/Update Patient step, use the output from the Data Mapper helper for the Gender field."

Or manually:

1. In the Create/Update Patient step, click on the Gender field.

2. Navigate to the Steps tab and select the output from the Data mapper Helper.

📌 Important: Using the Datamapper ensures that your workflow always sends valid, expected values—even if the form response varies.

Step 3: Test Your Workflow

1. Publish your workflow
   

2. Submit the form selecting "M" for gender.

   • Verify that the workflow sends "Male" to DrChrono.

3. Submit the form with "F".

   • Ensure that "Female" is sent correctly.

Try it yourself:

Using the chat, describe the data mapping you need:

"Add a Data Mapper helper before the Branch step to convert gender values — M to Male, F to Female, O to Other."

Run a test and confirm the output matches what DrChrono expects before moving on.