Release: May 07, 2021

Welcome to Form Sync!
A powerful new Formitize Innovation in form collaboration

Form Sync: an awesome new Formitize innovation enabling a Form being completed on one mobile device, to be viewed, completed or edited on other devices either in the field, or in the office.




 

Form Sync

Imagine your form isn’t locked down and restricted to your one device anymore! It’s in the cloud and can now be viewed, completed and edited by anyone in the team regardless of the mobile device or user location - it is independent of the device that is accessing it. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities, collaboration and transparency.

So now, you can start a form on one device and complete it on another. You can start it on your mobile phone and then you (or someone else) can complete it in the office on the desktop. 

You no longer need to submit a form in order to view and work on it from another device. Form Sync- forms able to be viewed, edited, updated and completed from multiple devices.

Office Administrators can now view the contents of a Job Form as it is being completed in the field (before it has been submitted) and if required, update it from the office while the job is in progress.

Naturally, all of the existing user permissions and access conditions apply.

Once a form has been started, it automatically saves every 15 seconds to help ensure you never lose any information. The forms are managed in the “Saved Forms” section until they are submitted. 

So now, the one form can be viewed and edited from the Management Portal or any other device before it has been completed and “submitted”.

 

Quick Benefits Summary

  • Forms completed in the App are auto-saved every 15 seconds to ensure nothing is lost.
  • A Form being completed in the App is now instantly also visible in the Management Portal in order to view progress.
  • You can start a form on your phone, open and edit it on your tablet, return to the office and complete it on your Desktop.
  • A Form can be saved on one user’s mobile device and continued on another.
  • A Form can be saved on a mobile device, viewed, added to or completed in the Management Portal.
  • In the office, you can view any form that has been started in the App and monitor it’s progress.
  • If a device is lost, destroyed or battery failed, the forms can be picked up and completed on another device
  • If a team member is absent, another team member can pick up a saved form and continue the work.

 

 

FAQ’s

Can more than one person access a form before it has been submitted?

Yes, the new Form Sync release enables anyone (with required permission) to view and edit a live form before it has been submitted. 

Can two people edit the same form at the same time?

Not quite. Multiple people can view the form at the same time however, for data security reasons, only one person can have “edit control” at one time. We’re working hard on our next stage “Form Collaboration” which will enable multiple people working on the same form at the same time… stay tuned!

The first user to open the form will have exclusive “edit-access”, other users will have “read-only” access on the Management Portal and will see a message stating that “John Smith currently has edit control”. Locks occur on a first-come-first-serve, until the tab is closed or the user can no longer be authenticated. On the phone App, users are barred completely from viewing the form until the “current owner” has unlocked, or left the page.

Do current form user permissions apply to Form sync?

Yes, your current form view and edit permissions will continue to apply. Management Portal users will need the permission “View All Submitted Forms” in order to view Saved Forms.

At what point can a Management Portal user view a form being completed by a mobile App user?

As soon as a Form has been saved in the App, it can be viewed via the Management Portal “Saved Forms” section.

What about Forms attached to Jobs? Can Management Portal users view the contents of forms being worked on in Jobs?

Yes, Management Portal users can now check up on the content and progress of Forms attached to a job before the job has been completed. Simply go into the Job, select the “Forms” tab and you will have visibility of both Job Forms and Safety Forms attached to the job. You can then view the current contents of the form and where it is up to.

Do forms in the App automatically save?

Yes, to help avoid any loss of work, forms in the App automatically save every 15 seconds

If forms in the App automatically save every 15 seconds, does that mean Management Portal users will be able to view the Saved form in the Management Portal 15 seconds after the app user started it?

Visibility of forms from the Management Portal that have been started in the app will vary depending on data syncing timings of between 15 and 60 seconds. So allow approximately one minute as a safe guide.

When is a form considered “Saved” - both in terms of forms started in the app and the portal?

The form is technically “saved” when the “Save” button has been clicked in either the App or Management Portal.

How long after I save a form can someone else work on it?

Once a form has been saved and closed (or changed to a different page in Management Portal), after 10 seconds the lock will automatically expire; so then the form will become editable after a page refresh. On the phone App, users are barred completely from viewing the form until the other user has released their lock or left the page.

Does it show anywhere who has accessed and edited the form?

When viewing the form in the Management Portal, you can view the History of the form using the side menu. This shows a history of all views, edits and status changes of the form with user, time and date stamp together with relevant IP address details.

Is there any kind of history / log to show who changed what and when? 

When viewing the form in the Management Portal, you can view the Version History log available that tracks each saved version of the form. You are able to see when a user has saved a form but you do not see what specific fields were changed for each version. You are able to revert to previously saved versions if required. 

If a saved form is being edited by one user, can another user “Read” the form, but not edit it?

Yes, however this feature is only available in the Management Portal; you are able to view the form in “Read” only mode if a form is being edited by another user.
 

 

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