PlatoForms User Guide
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  • Form Builder

    Creating an Online Form for an Existing PDF

  • Custom Domain

    With Builder you can build three types of forms: online web forms, online PDF forms, and master forms.

  • Master Form Builder

    you will arrive at the Form Builder. On the form Builder, there are three main sections:

Downloaded file names

After respondents submit a form, PlatoForms generates a PDF file with a name based on the form name you’ve set. You can download these PDF files.

Customize downloaded file names

If you want better control and organization, consider customizing these downloaded PDF file names. You have two options for naming them:

  • Fixed Name: Choose a single, unchanging name like “Form.png” for all downloaded PDFs.

  • Name Pattern with Variables: To better manage multiple submissions, create a name pattern with variables. These variables can include submission index, dates, or specific field values, ensuring each submission gets a unique name for easier organization and identification.

Set a fixed name

Assign a fixed name for all your downloaded PDFs, which remains constant and unchanging, similar to managing your form name. To do this, follow the process detailed in the Manage form name.

Set a name pattern

  1. Hover over the form on the Dashboard.

  2. Click the Settings (gear) icon in the top right corner and select Name.

    Click the Name button

  3. In the Created PDF Name Pattern input box, use variables to generate distinct downloaded PDF names:

    Created pdf name pattern

    • Click Add Index Suffix to include {{index}} in the name pattern. The {{index}} is a unique index for each submission (e.g., “Form-1.pdf”).

      Index example

    • Click Add Date Suffix to add the submission date in {{yyy-mm-dd}} format to the name pattern (e.g., Form-2023-10-11.png).

      Date example

      Note

      You can also use date formats such as {{mm.dd.yyyy}} or {{dd/mm/yy}}. In these formats, “dd” represents the day, “mm” represents the month, and “yyyy” or “yy” represents the year.

    • Copy {{data.fidXX}} and replace XX with a specific Field ID from your form. You can locate the Field ID in the Form Builder. For instance, if the Field ID is “2”, you can create a name pattern like “Form-{{data.fid2}}.pdf”, and {{data.fid2}} will be replaced with the input value from that field.

Caution

If you integrate your form with a Cloud Drive, PlatoForms will automatically include an {{index}} in the file name pattern. This addition ensures that the generated file won’t be overwritten when there are duplicate names.

Customize the name for Master Form

In a Master Form, the downloaded file name corresponds to the Zip file name. Here’s an example to clarify how it works:

Suppose you’ve set a name pattern like “sample-{{index}}-{{yyyy-mm-dd}}-{{data.fid3}}”. PlatoForms will transform this into a downloaded file name like “sample-8-2018-10-11-Jobs”. Here’s the breakdown:

  • The submission date is “2018-10-11”.
  • This is the 8th submission for this form.
  • The variable fid3 gets replaced with the input value Jobs.

PlatoForms automatically adds the appropriate file extension, like “.pdf” or “.zip”, based on the file type.

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