A key Slate feature is the ability to create forms for both internal and external use. Not only do Slate forms act as one of the main data collection tools, but they function as an integral part of the application review process, control custom tabs on student records, and serve as the main component of any Slate hosted event.

 

Navigating to Forms

 

Users with Forms access should select the icon highlighted below:

 

 

Creating a Form

 

Users will see any form they have access to once they have accessed the Forms page. Select the "New Form" button highlighted below in order to begin creating a new form.

 

 

Slate forms automatically default to the Details tab where basic form options are selected. 

 

1. Page Title: dictates both the internal and external display name. Whatever is placed here can be seen by the end user.
2. Internal Name: an optional name that the end user cannot see.
3. Folder: dictates what folder the form will be housed within Slate. A new folder can be created by selecting "other". Folders are displayed on the right-hand menu in blue. *(see above)*
4. Status: determines whether the form is active or inactive. Active forms are viewable to the end user where responses are desired. Likewise, inactive forms cannot be viewed or responded to.
5. Deadline: sets the time table for when the user may access the form and submit responses. Forms passed their deadline will not accept new entries.
6. Time zone: determines the time zone by which the deadline operates. Preferred: (UTC-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)
7. Registrant Limit: sets the number of registrants that can fill out the form.
8. Waitlist: sets the number of registrants that can be waitlisted.
9. User: sets the "owner" user for the form. Only users with Forms All Access can manipulate the user option. This defaults the current user.
10. Admin Notify Email: allows the user to designate an email to receive activity notifications from the form. Multiple emails may be listed, but must be separated by a comma and space.

 

A user must, at a minimum, give the form a title and set the status to active on this tab.

 

 

Skip the Privacy and Related Records options for now along with the Description and Notes tabs. Select the Registration Settings tab to view the internal options.

 

1. Registration Limit: sets the number of registrants that can complete the form.
2. Include Guests: includes guests in the registration limit. Can also be set by the template if one is being used.
3. Custom Limit Message: a message displayed to the end user when the registration limit has been met.

 

Make adjustments to the above settings as necessary, while ignoring the Privacy setting for now. This page may be left blank.

 

 

Confirm the form settings and click Save. The form landing page will appear where the user can view edit the form, view current registrants, see cancelled registrations, create a query of form registrants, and edit the form communications.

 

 

Proceed to edit the form by selecting the Edit Form button from the right-hand menu.

 

 

Each form will come with standard fields regarding biographical information as well as the form submitter's address. At a minimum, the user should keep fields for Email, First Name, Last Name, and Birthdate. These fields are required for Slate to match the information submitted here with a person's current person record. A new person record will be created for the form submitter if they do not already have one.

 

Rearrange the fields within the form by selecting the desired field and dragging it to the desired location. Add additional fields by selecting a field type from the right-hand menu. The most frequently used field types are highlighted below.

 

 

Each field type presents a different way for the submitter to enter data into the form.

 

1.  Select List: One option from a pre-defined, dropdown list may be selected.
2. Text Box: Free text can be typed within an open field.
3. Option Buttons: A full list of options appear with selectable bubbles beside them. Only one option may be selected.
4. Multi-Select List: A pre-defined, drop down list appears, but multiple options may be selected at one time.

 

Options 1, 3, and 4 require the user to set up the options available to the form submitter. Each of the above fields require a label, but those that present options require prompts to be listed. See example below.

 

 

Click to save your new field and view the menu on he right-hand side of the page.

 

Edit Form Options

 

Additional form options can be selected from the menu on the right-hand side of the page. 

 

Selecting Edit Properties will provide an opportunity to change the scope of the form, require additional security, or change the layout. Most forms will be person scoped so we will not discuss the other options here.

 

Selecting Require secure link/login will prompt the user to login to their slate account before proceeding. This is a good option for when you want some fields to be automatically filled based on the student's record. This option is not advisable when the form submitter is not expected to have a current Slate account, however. Lastly, the layout defaults to stacked, but can be changed to allow the prompts to be listed to the left of each field as opposed to on top.

 

 

Skip Edit Conditions, Edit Rules, and Edit Scripts/Styles for now. Edit Permissions will allow the user to grant viewing and or editing access to the form. Only the form owner (as mentioned above) may view or alter a form unless a grantee is given permission.

 

Click to add a grantee.

 

 

Ensure the grantee is set to Active before proceeding. Select User from the Type dropdown. Then begin typing the user's name within the field and select the appropriate user. *Note: The desired grantee must first be a user within Slate in order to be granted permission.* Select the desired permissions the grantee will have and select Save.

 

 

Edit Communications

 

Return to the form landing page by selecting the form title from the bread crumbs menu.

 

Select Edit Communications from the menu on the right-hand side.

 

The user can create automated email messages based on certain triggers from the form. For example, custom confirmation pages or "Thank You" emails can be created and sent once the from submitter submits a form response.

 

Select New Mailing to get started.

 

 

Designate a name for your new mailing and select a trigger based on one of the six available options.

 

1. Upon registration or update - triggers the mailing when the form is submitted or when the form has been updated.

2. Upon Registration - Triggers the mailing when the form is submitted.

3. Upon waitlist registration - Triggers the mailing when a registrant signs up for the waitlist.

4. Upon update - triggers the mailing when the registration is updated. (i.e. the registrant changes their name and resubmits).

5. Hours before deadline - triggers the mailing a set number of hours before the registration deadline.

6. Upon event cancellation -  triggers the mailing when the form status is set to cancelled.

 

Leave the group to the default unless you do not want a confirmation page along with an email. Set the method to either email or SMS depending on the desired mailing type. We will work with emails for now. Save your mailing.

 

 

Select Edit Message from the right-hand menu.

 

 

 

Ensure the Sender and Reply To fields are correct. Slate will display the desired address when sending an email and will even allow the recipient to reply to another address. These two fields will be the same in most cases.

 

Ensure the use of merge fields within the recipient field. Merge fields allow Slate to populate individual level information into each email it sends to a recipient. A full list of available merge fields can be found on the right-hand side of the message editor. *Note: merge fields beginning with "form" are drawn from the form associated with that communication.*

 

 

Merge fields can be further utilized within the body of messages to enhance the performance as well as the individualized appearance.

 

 

 

Alternatively, the user can select from a list of pre-made templates before creating their massage. Templates may already contain departmental specific headings, photos, and signatures. Use templates to save time and ensure your email has a professional look.

 

 

 

Please email the EM Data & Technology team at [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns about forms.