WebForm Builder in PICS Configuration
Selecting ... > Edit by a WebForm in the Form List will open the form builder. Here you can add the necessary data fields to the File Template. If another PICSWeb user is currently editing a form in the form builder, it will be locked for any other users.
If you want to add further branding for forms that will be sent out for remote fill and sign, it is possible to configure this from the Form Capture section of PICSWeb. This process is explained in Custom Branding for Remote Fill and Sign Forms.
Form Details
The following details are available to edit above the form template:
Title
Type
Auto Approve on Completion – If this is ticked, once a form has been Completed and all signatures gathered it will be set as Approved automatically.
Attach as File Type – Here you can specify a File Type to apply to the completed WebForm file that will be attached to the relevant records.
Attach as File Type - Redacted – Here you can specify an alternative File Type to apply to a completed WebForm with redacted fields for sensitive data. This file will be attached to the relevant records alongside the unredacted WebForm file, which will use the regular file type specified above. In the redacted version, any fields you have marked as Sensitive Data (as explained in the Field Options section below), will be blacked out. For redacted fields to work, you will need to specify a file type here.
Default Form Owner – Here you can choose an Officer role who will be set as the Form Owner by default when a New Instance of the form is created.
Status – Here you can choose whether the form is Live or Dormant. No New Instances can be created from dormant forms.
Site – Here you can restrict access to this form by Site.
Tags – Here you can choose which Tags will be applied to any records created through the WebForm submission.
Font Family – The font to be used for answers on the downloaded document. This will only apply to form fields.
Font Size – The font size to be used for answers on the downloaded document. This will only apply to form fields.
Example text will be shown underneath the font fields as a preview of the options that you have chosen.
Signature Defaults
Once you have added signature fields to the form, the Signature Defaults Setup section will be shown. This section allows you to control how remote signatures will be gathered for every instance of the WebForm. If left blank, these details will be specified for each individual instance when Filling and Signing the Form.
The drop-down menu shows each of the possible email addresses to use for each signatory. The Sequence field can be used to set the order in which signatures will be gathered. For example, the email for a signature with sequence 2 will not be sent out until all signatures with sequence 1 have been recorded.
Adding Questions
The right-hand side of the form builder displays the different question fields you can add to the form. With any field, you can either drag-and-drop the field onto the form or select it to add it to the top of the current form page. Once you have added a field, you can customise the field options and formatting as explained below. Two main types of field are available:
Information Fields
These fields are used to capture information that will be displayed in the form only. The different options available here depend on what information you are looking to capture and how this information will be entered into the form. The following information fields are available to add:
Text – This field will accept a short text answer.
Email – This field will accept an answer in the form of an email address.
Long Text – This field will accept a long text answer.
Number – This field will accept a numerical answer. You can specify Minimum and Maximum accepted values in the field options.
Date – This field will accept an answer in the form of a calendar date. You can specify Minimum and Maximum accepted values in the field options to control the earliest and latest possible dates. This field will show a calendar date selector for the user filling it in.
Time – This field will accept an answer in the form of a 24-hour HH:MM time. You can specify Minimum and Maximum accepted values in the field options to control the earliest and latest possible times.
Checkbox – This field allows users to select multiple items from a list. Each value in the list will have an option for the user to tick or untick the box. You can specify whether each box will be ticked by default. To build the list, add multiple checkbox fields to the desired location.
Single Drop-Down – This field will expand to show a drop-down menu, from which the user will be able to choose one value. You can add values to the list in the field options, with the option to specify a Code (for internal use) and Description (which the user will see) for each value.
Initial – This field will allow the user to draw their initials to mark the form. This field can only be set up to capture initials from a user who already has a dedicated Signature field elsewhere in the form.
URL - Used to add a field with a hyperlink to open another website.
Display Name is shown only on the field in the form builder; URL Text is the text that appears in the finished form (often shorter than the full address, e.g. ‘Click here’); URL Address is the full web address to link.File Attachment – This field will allow the user to upload a file to be included along with the form. These fields are explained further below.
Import Fields
These fields will import the answers into specific data fields in the relevant PICSWeb records. The fields available here will depend on the Type of form you are building. A Search bar is available at the top of the import field list where you can look for a field that populates a specific data field.
Signature Fields
You will need to add at least one signature field before any Form Instances can be created.
As well as data import fields, you can search the field list for different signature capture fields. Each signature field can only be used once in each form. The To Be Filled By field in the field options will be assigned by default according to the type of signatory. The following signature fields are available:
Applicant
Employer Representative
Employer Representative B
Employer Representative C
Learner
Officer A
Officer B
Parent/Guardian
System User
File Attachment Fields
The Add File Attachment field mentioned above will allow the user filling in the form to upload a file. Any files attached from these fields will be accessible from the Attachments tab in the Form Summary. When you add this field, the window below will open, allowing you to edit the following details:
For user – If the form is intended to be used for Remote Fill and Sign, you can specify which recipient should upload the file. The users available here will depend on which Signature Fields you have added to the form. If no signature fields have been added, this field will be left blank.
Type – This is a user-defined field used to categorise the document uploaded. These values are maintained by your database administrators in the Document Types page.
Instructions – These will be displayed to the user uploading the attachment.
On Approve Action – This controls what happens to the file once you have Approved the form. The following options are available:
Do Nothing – The file will remain in the Attachments tab in the Form Summary.
Link to Entity – The file will be copied over to the Files tab in the summary of any record that is created from the form data.
Delete on Completion – The file will be deleted from PICSWeb once the form has been approved.
Attachment Required – If this is ticked, the user will need to upload a file before the form can be submitted.
Expiry Date Wanted - if this is ticked, the user will need to provide the number of days until the form will expire.
Expiry date default (days) - the number of days from the form it being active that will cause the form to expire.
File default option - various options that can be selected to default a file against the attachment (See below for further details)
Once you have configured the necessary options, select Add to add the file attachment. The field will be displayed above the form in the form builder.
The icons by each attachment can be used to Edit and Delete the field respectively.
Default File Options
The File Default Option have the following options available in the drop down:
None - This means that the attachment will behave as normal and will need to be manually attached by the form owner or whichever signatory the form has been assigned to.
Default from entity - This option will try to find a file from the Learner/Applicant/Organisation that the form was created from and automatically attach that. If there are multiple files of the same type, the most recent one will be used. Files that have expired cannot be used. If the form has not been created from an entity, then no file will be attached.
Default from form owner - This behaves much the same as the option Default from the entity the main difference being the file will be sourced from the form owner’s officer’s files. If there are multiple files of the same type, the most recent one will be used. Files that have expired cannot be used.
Note: Selecting an On Approve Action other than Do Nothing will remove an option to default a file.
Now when a form is created, the files are automatically attached.
Field Options
Once you have added a field, selecting the Edit icon will open a window where you can edit the following options for the field:
Display Name – This name will be displayed on the field in the form builder. It will not be displayed for any users filling out the form.
Help Text – Any text entered here will be displayed next to the cursor when the user hovers over the question field.
Minimum Length
Maximum Length
Default Value – This value will be entered into the field by default. The user can change this value when filling out the form if necessary.
To be filled by – If you have set up the form for remote filling, you can choose which recipient will be able to complete the field. Fields will be colour-coded according to who is able to fill them.
Mandatory – If this is ticked, the user will not be able to submit the form unless the field has been completed. If a field is Mandatory and ‘Filled by’ = blank, then when creating the form instance, the field must be completed before sending it out for remote signatures. Mandatory fields are displayed with a star icon.
Sensitive Data – If this is ticked, this field will be blacked out in the redacted version of the completed WebForm file. This option will only be available if you have chosen a File Type for the redacted form in the Attach as File Type - Redacted field in the Form Details section.
Page – Here you can specify which page of the form you want the field to appear.
Locked – If this is ticked, other PICSWeb users will not be able to edit the field.
It is also possible to bulk format fields by drawing a box to highlight the relevant fields. The selected fields can then be moved and resized in bulk.
Selecting any Edit icon will allow you to edit the Mandatory status and Page Number of all selected fields.
Saving Fields
Selecting the Save icon on a field will save it for use in other WebForms. You will need to enter a Display Name for any fields you want to save. After selecting the save icon, select Yes to confirm the save.
After saving, the next time you open the WebForm builder, the saved field will be available in the field list at the right-hand side of the page, searchable by its Display Name.
Formatting Tools
Each form field that you have added will have the following formatting tools available:
Edit – Selecting the pencil icon will open up the field edit window, as explained above.
Copy – Selecting the copy icon will duplicate the selected field. The copy will appear at the bottom of the current page.
Replace – Selecting the arrow icon will create a new field to display the answer entered into the original field in a second location in the form. As this field is only for display purposes and cannot be filled out itself, you will not be able to edit this field.
Delete – Selecting the close icon will delete the field. If you have deleted a field by mistake, you can select Undo from the bottom-right of the page to restore the field.
You can also drag-and-drop fields from the centre to reposition them, or drag from the corner to resize them. Multiple fields can be moved by drawing a box to highlight the relevant fields and dragging one of them to the new location.
The following options are also available at the right-hand side of the page, underneath the field list:
Undo – This will undo the most recent action.
Redo – This will restore the most recently undone action.
Copy Size – If you have selected a field, this will copy the height and width of the field to your clipboard.
Paste SIze – If you have copied a size and selected a new field or multiple fields, this will apply the copied height and width to all selected fields.
Align Left – If you have selected multiple fields, this will align the left edges of all selected fields with that of the rightmost field in the selection.
Align Top – If you have selected multiple fields, this will align the top edges of all selected fields with that of the lowest field in the selection.
These tools can be used to guarantee consistency and professionalism in the design of your form, and as such we recommend taking some time to get to grips with using them.
Form Pages
If the File Template for your form is made up of multiple pages, the form builder will reflect this page structure. You can use the Previous Page and Next Page buttons to navigate between pages in the form. Fields can be sent to a different page by editing either one or multiple fields and entering the relevant number into the Page field. Note that the first page of your form will be considered page 0 in the form builder.
Form Builder Actions
The following actions are available from the buttons at the top of the page:
Actions > Save – This will save any changes made to the form. The form builder will remain open.
Actions > Save and Exit – This will save any changes made to the form and return you to the WebForm List.
Actions > Replace Template File – This will open a window where you can replace the File Template for the form. Any fields that you have added will remain on the new file.
Actions > Copy – This will duplicate the current form and give you the option to Change Form Type (some fields may not be available in your new form, the available fields will be applicable to the Form Type set). It will then add it to the form list as Copy of [Form Name]. Unlike cloning a form, the new form will be considered as a separate form rather than a new version of the same form. You will need to confirm before copying the form.
Actions > Clone and Retire – This will create a new version of the form that is available to edit. The previous version will have its status set to Retired, and will not be available for any new instances. Selecting this will open a window where you will need to confirm that you want to make a duplicate of the chosen form. Selecting Yes will save a copy of the form and take you to the WebForm Builder page for the new form.
Actions > Exit – This will return you to the WebForm List without saving any changes.
Previous Page – If the form is made up of multiple pages, this will navigate to the previous page.
Next Page – If the form is made up of multiple pages, this will navigate to the next page.
Import FCA Questions – If the form is based on an old FCA form, it is possible to add all the import fields from the old form into the new one. To do this, choose the relevant form from the Import Form drop-down menu, then select Import. Be aware that only the import fields will be added, rather than any headers or other design elements, and that the position and sizing from the old form will not be copied over.
Page Preview – Selecting this will open a Form Preview for the currently displayed page of the form.