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Form actions

Combine multiple actions to deliver a powerful automated solution

Updated over a week ago

Online forms control how information is requested and received. When a form submission is received it is common for there to be a follow up action to complete. In fact, when information is received it is often just the first step of a longer process.

You can notify users when a submission is received, collect more information, assign specific tasks or gain other users approval. Form 'Actions' provide you with a simple way of automating these additional steps.

The 'Actions' flow diagram shows every action that will be applied to a form submission, in the order that they will be applied. The default flow is to simply display a thank you message to the person submitting the form and notify the creator of the form that the submission has been received.

Additional actions can be added by clicking one of the plus icons, found between each step. After adding your actions, click the blue 'Next' button to complete and share your form.

Notify user(s) action

Use this action to notify other members of your workspace that a submission has been received. Click into the 'Select members to notify' field and select them from the drop down list.

You have the option to send the person who originally submitted the form a link to the completed form. This is most useful when multipart forms are used and you want to share information that has been added to subsequent parts of the form, since the original submission.

You also have the option to notify the person who has sent the form using the 'New request' option that a submission has been received. This is useful when the form is sent by different members of the workspace and only the sender needs to be notified.

Add task action

Use this action if there is a task that needs to be completed when a submission is received.

If you give the task a title, that same title will be given to every task this action creates. If you need a way of distinguishing between tasks, click the 'Select a form field to append to the task title' and a list of all of your form fields will appear. We recommend choosing one that is a unique identifier, such as an email address.

Alternatively, if you leave the title blank, the default title will comprise of the form's title plus the time and date that it was submitted.

If you would like to automatically assign the tasks to specific members of your workspace, check the 'Automatically assign this task and add a due date' box.

Now click into the 'Please select user(s)' field. Alternatively, you may prefer the person submitting the form to decide who the task should be assigned to. In that case, you will need to include a 'User select' field in your form and then select the 'Assign to selected user' option on this action.

Finally, you have the option to add a due date, which is set as a predetermined number of days after the form submission is received, and a reminder which is sent as an email notification.

Save PDF copy action

This action creates a PDF copy of the completed form submission and saves it to a location of your choice.

If you give the PDF file a title, that same title will be given to every file this action creates. If you need a way of distinguishing between files, click the 'Select a form field to append to the file title' and a list of all of your form fields will appear. We recommend choosing one that is a unique identifier, such as an email address.

Alternatively, if you leave the title blank, the default title will comprise of the form's title plus the time and date that it was submitted.

Finally, select a folder as the target location to save a copy of the form submissions.

Multipart form action

Use this action to request information from multiple sources. The submissions are then combined and added to a single form. It is commonly used when information is received from an external party and then directed internally for review. It is also used for internal processes that contain multiple steps, where each party needs to review previous submissions before adding their own contribution.

Creating the Multipart form

When a recipient is sent a form to complete, which already contains a submission from another person, you can either show the previous submission(s) in full, or 'Via a link'. If you show them in full, the previous submission(s) will appear at the beginning of the form, followed by the new request.

If you chose to make previous submission(s) available 'Via a link', then those links will appear at the beginning of the form. Clicking the 'View' link will launch that submission into a new tab, so that it can be reviewed, while completing the current form in the original tab.

The rest of the multipart form can be created in the same way as a normal form would, when you are finished click 'Done' to configure the action.

Configuring the Multipart form action

To automatically send this part of the form when the previous part of the form is submitted, check the 'Automatically send this form to:' box.

Now select one of the following options:

  • A workspace member - Choose a member of this workspace from the drop down list.

  • Email - Add an email address.

  • Selected user - The person submitting the form chooses a workspace member, using the 'User select' field.

  • None of the above - If this action is left unconfigured, this part of the form will have to be submitted from the Form's progress panel.

Finally, you have the option of adding a due date, which is set as a predetermined number of days after the form submission is received, and a reminder that is sent by email.

Approval request action

Use this action if you want another user to approve a form submission.

To automatically send the request check the 'Request an approval from:' box. If this action is left unconfigured, the approval will need to be submitted from the Form's progress panel.

Now click into the 'Select a member' field. Alternatively, you may prefer the person submitting the form to decide who the approval should be sent to. In that case, you will need to include a 'User select' field in your form and then select the 'Assign to selected user' option on this action.

Finally, you have the option to add a due date, which is set as a predetermined number of days after the form submission is received, and a reminder which is sent as an email notification.

Approving or rejecting a request

When an approval request is received by another user they can either approve or reject the request.

If they choose to reject the request they have the option of adding a comment which will be sent back to the person that submitted the form. They will also have the option of allowing the person show submitted the the form to amend their original submission and resubmit the form.

Any outstanding requests will be listed in the user's 'My Stuff' area, which then serves as a constant reminder.

Sharing a form

After you have added any Actions that are required, your form is ready to go. Click the 'Next' button, found in the top right hand corner of your screen and you will be presented the option to share your form.

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