Forms Module

• Forms Admin
• Viewing Form Entries
• Form Field Types
• Forms

Forms Admin

The Forms module allows organizations to create and manage digital forms for special requests and communications with users. This article is for OPSCOM administrators who need to set up, configure, and manage these forms.

Setup & Configuration

The Forms module has been refactored with new functionality and new forms are only operational on the OPSCOM app. Any existing forms created in the old format are not compatible and will need to be recreated using the new form builder.

To manage forms, administrators require specific permissions:

1. Go to System Configuration, then Admin Management, and click Manage Roles.

2. Select the relevant administrator role and click Permissions.

3. Under the Users tab, ensure the Edit Forms and View Forms checkboxes are enabled.

4. Click Save.

Using this Feature

Administrators can view, edit, or create new forms from the Forms page.

Accessing the Forms Module

Go to User Management, Forms, and click List Forms.  A list of all existing forms will display.

Available Actions & Buttons

• +Add Form: To create a new form, click the +Add Form button. This will open the new form builder, allowing you to design and configure your form from scratch.
• Edit Form: To modify an existing form, click the Edit icon (pencil icon) next to the form in the list. This will open the form builder where you can make changes.
• Entries: To view all users who have filled out this form, and their information.
• Copy: To create a copy of a form, click this button. It is added to the bottom of the list.
• Archive: To archive a form so it can no longer be used, click this button. Its entries and information will remain saved.
• Export: This button downloads the form to your device through the browser's download manager in a .xls format (Microsoft Excel Spread Sheet)

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Best Practices & Considerations

• Recreate Old Forms: Remember that existing legacy form data is not compatible with the new format. You must recreate any old forms using the new form builder for them to function on the OPSCOM app.

• Permissions: Regularly review and ensure that the appropriate administrator roles have the necessary Edit Forms and View Forms permissions to manage the forms effectively.

• Form Design: When creating new forms, consider the user experience on the OPSCOM app. Keep forms concise and clearly structured to ensure ease of use for end-users.

Viewing Form Entries

This article describes how to view, search, and manage user submissions for custom forms. This feature provides administrators with the tools to find specific form entries, review submitted data, edit information, and communicate with the submitter.

Using this Feature

The process involves searching for specific entries and then managing them individually from the entry view page.

This functionality requires that a form has already been created and submitted by users. The search options available on the Form Entries page are dependent on which fields were marked as "searchable" during the form's initial setup. For more information, please see the Creating a New Form article.

Searching for Form Entries

Working with an Individual Entry

The Entry View page displays the submitter’s information and all of their answers. From here, you can perform several actions:

Editing a user's form entry changes the data stored in the database.

Visual Cues

• Fields marked as Admin-Only are indicated by a blue border. Hovering your mouse over this border will display a helpful tooltip

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Best Practices & Considerations

• Use the 'toggle more options' feature for powerful, targeted searches. For example, you can find all submissions where a user answered 'Yes' to a specific question by entering 'Yes' into that field's search box.
• Admin-Only Fields are never visible to the end-user. Use these fields to add internal notes, status updates, or other administrative data related to the submission.

Form Field Types

This article provides a detailed overview of the various field types available when building a custom form. Its purpose is to help administrators understand the function and configuration options for each field, enabling them to create effective and user-friendly forms.

Field Types and Options

The field types described below are the building blocks used within the form creation tool. No special system configuration is required to use them. For a complete guide on building a form, please refer to the Creating a New Form article.

Checkbox Group

Used to allow a user to select one or more options from a list.

Date Field

Used to get a date from the user, who will be presented with a calendar date picker.

Header

Used to display a header or subheader on the form. This is a display-only field.

Number

Used to accept numerical digits only.

Paragraph

Used to display a block of text on the form, such as for instructions. This is a display-only field.

Radio Group

Used to allow a user to select only one option from a list.

Select Menu

Presents a drop-down list of options. This is ideal for questions with many choices to save screen space.

Text Field

Used to allow a user to input a single line of text.

Text Area

Similar to a Text Field, but provides a larger, multi-line area for text input.

• Max Length: The maximum number of characters allowed.

• Rows: The initial height of the text area in rows/lines.

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Best Practices & Considerations

• Choose the right selection tool for the job. Use a Radio Group for single-choice questions with few options. Use a Checkbox Group for multiple-choice questions. Use a Select Menu when you have many options to present in order to save screen space.
• When using a Text Field, select the appropriate Type (e.g., Email, Tel). This helps ensure data integrity by validating the input and provides a better user experience by showing a specialized keyboard on mobile devices.
• Use Header and Paragraph fields to structure your form.
  

Forms

This article describes how to use the Forms module to create, manage, and deploy custom forms for users. This feature allows administrators to collect specific information for processes like applications, appeals, or feedback. 

Setup & Configuration

The primary setup step is creating and configuring a new form using the three-tab interface.

This is a refactored module. Existing form data from older versions of the system is not compatible, and old forms will need to be recreated using this tool. To view the different options available for form building, please refer to the Form Field Types article.

Creating a New Form

1. Go to User Management, then hover over Forms, and click List Forms.

2. On the Forms List page, click the Add Form button.

3. On the Form Basics tab:

   • Enter a Title and Description for your form.

   • Enable the Visible checkbox to make it accessible to users.

   • Set a Show At and Hide At date and time to schedule the form's availability.

4. On the Post Form Actions tab:

   • Configure what happens after a user submits the form. You can choose to send a notification email to an administrator by selecting Mail to specific email, and you can define the Completion Text message that is displayed to the user.

5. On the Questions tab:

   • Drag and drop the desired field types from the right-hand panel into the questions area on the left.

   • Click the edit icon on each field to configure its options, such as its Label, Help Text, and whether it is Required. For a detailed breakdown of each field type, please refer to the Form Field Types article.

Using this Feature

Once forms are created, you can manage them and their submissions from the Forms List page.

Managing Forms in the List

From the Forms List page, you can perform several actions on existing forms:

• Edit Form: Click the pen icon to modify an existing form's settings and questions.

• View Entries: Click the entries button to view all user submissions for that form. For more details, see the Managing User Form Entries article.

• Copy: Creates a duplicate of the form structure without its entries.

• Archive: Removes the form and all its entries from view.

• Export: Downloads the form and all its entry data to an Excel file.

Understanding Question Options

When editing a question field, the following options are available:

• Required: Makes the question mandatory for the user to answer before submitting.

• Searchable: Allows the answers for this field to be searched on the Form Entries page.

• Admin Only: Hides the question from users. It is only visible to administrators when viewing or editing an entry.

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Best Practices & Considerations

• Avoid editing a form after it has collected user entries. Changes to the form structure can cause existing entry data to display incorrectly. If you need to make changes, use the Copy function to create a new version of the form.
• The Copy feature is the safest way to update a live form. Create a copy, make your changes to the new version, and then archive the old form once you are ready for users to switch.
• When creating your form you are able to set the start and end times that the form will be available to be seen by your users. If you want the form to always be available, make sure to set the Show At as the current date and leave the Hide At date as blank.