Problem Statement
Ship Managers and Owners have highlighted a challenge: while online forms can be shared and updated collaboratively, limited internet access in some locations makes it difficult to share and complete forms effectively. Often, the same form needs input from multiple parties, complicating the process further.
Solution
We have adapted a feature initially designed for internal use to help Ship Managers and Owners overcome the mentioned challenges. This feature allows users to download and upload forms in a structured format, specifically Excel.
Here's how it works:
Clicking on ‘Download Template’ will download the online form version in Excel format, containing all the form questions.
An example of the downloadable Excel template can be found below:
Note that the Excel file has multiple sheets. The sheet titled ‘Form’ includes all the Form questions, while the other following sheets include data options for any dropdown information required as input within the form itself. The only sheet of interest to the end customer is the ‘Form’ sheet.
Structure of the Form Sheet:
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Questions Column: Lists all form questions.
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Answers Column: For user inputs. Pre-filled answers (from the online form) will appear here when applicable.
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Instruction Questions: Marked as ‘Info Only’ in an adjacent column for clarity.
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Dropdown Questions: Dropdown options are integrated directly within the Excel file. As per example below:
Upload Feature
Once the downloadable version has been prefilled by the end user, the same excel is to be re-upload using the ‘Upload Prefilled Template’ button. This action automatically pre-fills the online version of the form with the data provided in the uploaded file.
Form Validation
Validation occurs when submitting the online form. Errors or missing data will be flagged at this stage, ensuring form accuracy before final submission.
Permissions
To enable this feature, a ticket must be submitted here for the Product Support Team to assist.
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The ‘Download and Upload Form Template’ permission needs to be activated at the role level. Upon submitting a ticket, you are requested to indicate which Customer and Customer role will inherit such permission.
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This permission adds the ‘Download Template’ and ‘Upload Prefilled Template’ buttons to each form.
New Forms: The download feature is not available by default for newly created forms. This functionality requires additional development work. If you encounter this issue, please report it by submitting a ticket to the Product Support Team for assistance.