MANUAL
Forms Management System: www.formdesk.com
 
 
 

Email messages upon form submission
 
Formdesk can send various messages after someone has completed the form. This can be a message to the person who completed the form, to yourself or to any other email address or phone number, which you can specify. You are free in setting up the message. You may use the answers given or include a copy of the completed form in the email message. In the same way, you can create a PDF document that can be attached to the email message.


This document deals with the following components:

Message types
Getting started
Edit message
Moment of sending
Secured messages
 

Message types
Formdesk makes a distinction between various types of messages. The messages with their specific characteristics are described below.
 
Autoresponder
You can let Formdesk send a message to an email address or phone number that is filled in on the form. This is usually the person who completed the form. You can use this message, for example, to thank this person, to acknowledge the data filled in, or to send an invoice.
When adding the question for an email address, do not forget to indicate that the type of entry is 'Email'.
 
 
If you ask for several email addresses on your form, you may specify to which email addresses the message is sent, or draft a different message for each email address. You can have a copy of the message sent to a fixed email address, for example to yourself.
 
Notification message
Formdesk automatically sees to it that you, as owner of the form, receive an email message (the notification message) when someone completes your form. This message includes a copy of the completed form. If you do not wish to receive this message, you can delete it. You can also edit the message or have it sent to other recipients. You may create several notification messages.

You can include sending information, such as the submission date and time, at the top of the email message. You may also include hyperlinks to open the completed form, edit the form or delete it from the database. Furthermore, you can attach a file that you can use to import the data into your local applications.
 
Workflow message
You use workflow messages to digitize the process after the form has been completed and sent. These forms could require someone else to approve or supplement the data.

Workflow is offered as an add-on. Further information on how it works can be found in the Workflow manual.
 

Getting started
On the ‘Settings’ tab sheet, while editing your form, you will find the ‘Email / SMS' option on the left part of the screen. This will show the messages overview.

The first time that you start the overview, it will contain a notification message that has been generated automatically by Formdesk. Next to this message you will find a menu button that opens the menu for the message concerned. All actions described below start from the message overview.
 
  • Creating a new message

    You start a 'blank' message by clicking on the 'Create new message' button at the bottom of the page. You can also make a copy of an existing message. You find the ‘Copy message’ option in the message menu. In both cases, the 'edit message' page will appear, the function of which is explained below.

  • Editing an existing message

    You will find the ‘Edit message’ option in the message menu. After the choice has been made, the 'edit message' page is displayed, the function of which is explained below.
 

Edit a message
The 'Edit a message’ page consists of a number of tab sheets. Most settings / options are self-explanatory, or are explained on the page itself. In this manual, we limit ourselves to things that need further explanation.
 

Settings section

  • Message type

    For each new message, the first choice that you have to make is the type of message that you wish to create. The related settings are displayed, depending on the choice that was made.

  • Send message to

    Email address filled in on the form

    This setting is displayed only for the message types 'Autoresponder’ and 'Workflow message'. All text entry questions of the email type are shown here. See the paragraph 'Autoresponder' in the 'Message types' chapter. The questions of the 'Userlist' type are also shown here. However, when you ask for an email address using a different question type, for example, a drop-down list, then you can include the identifiers of this item at 'send message to'.

    User

    This setting is displayed only if one or several users have been created by means of user management.
    You may specify that the message must be sent to one of these users.

    Fixed address

    You can specify a maximum of 20 email addresses here, one address per line. In a notification message, the address of the owner of the form is shown by default. You can remove this address if you wish.
    You can include Identifiers in the list so that, for example, you can send messages to email addresses chosen from a drop-down list on the form.
 
  • Sender

    In notification and workflow messages, the default sender is response@formdesk.com. For Autoresponders, the default sender is the address of the owner of the form. You may change this e-mail address. You may use Identifiers for the name of the sender.

    If you specify a different sender than response@formdesk.com, you must verify the e-mail address once for abusive reason. In addition, Formdesk requires to be included in the SPF record of the sender domain in order to prevent being marked as spam. Only if both conditions are met, Formdesk will send the e-mail message from the e-mail address specified.

    Read more about how Formdesk sends e-mail.
  • Send replies to

    You can have the reply address automatically determined by Formdesk using the option 'Dynamic'. In that case, if the e-mail address of the recipient is specified when filling in the form, the reply address will be set to the sender and if it concerns a fixed address, then the reply address will be the address filled in on the form.

    Of course, you can also choose to specify the answer address(es) yourself. In that case the answer address(es) is the same for each recipient.
  • Include submission info

    This setting is displayed for the email message types 'Notification message' and 'Workflow message'. With a notification message, you may specify which of the action links must be shown ‘Open form’, ‘Edit entry’ and ‘Delete entry’. With a workflow message, you do not have this choice. There, the hyperlinks are shown, depending on whether the workflow message has any "questions to be answered".
 
 
Email message section
You use this tab to create the message. In the subject as well as in the message itself you can include merge codes with which, for example, form entries are mentioned in the message. On the toolbar and next to the subject you will find the [abc] button with which you can make a selection from a list of possible merge codes.
With a workflow message, the following two additional merge codes are available:
[_fd_Workflow_Link]: a hyperlink with which the recipient of the form can invoke and, if necessary, edit the form.
[_fd_Workflow_URL]: the internet address which you can use to create the above-mentioned hyperlink yourself.

Tip: read the 2nd paragraph of this blog to find out how to create a workflow link that allows form approval/supplementing with a single click.

At the bottom of the page, you can select 'Source', 'Design' or 'Preview'.
You use the 'Preview' tab to check if the message functions properly. The latest completed form result is used as an example. If the form has never been completed before, then you are offered an opportunity to complete the form yourself.

By default, the layout of the message is identical to the layout of the form. Click on the layout button on the toolbar if you wish to change this layout.
 
PDF attachment tab section
You use this tab sheet to create a PDF document that will be attached to the message. The way in which you create the document is identical to the way in which you create the message.
PDF documents are offered in the form of an optional feature. Further information can be found in the PDF Document manual.
 
Sending criteria tab section
This tab is available only for a workflow message.
This is where you determine in which situation the message must be sent. Formdesk evaluates these criteria after the form has been completed by the applicant or has been supplemented by a recipient of a workflow message. If you do not specify any sending criteria, the message will be sent after completion and after each supplement.

The messages will normally only be sent after the entire form has been completed and submitted. Do you want a message to be sent even after, for example, an entry has been changed or saved to be finisched later, or if a form has been sent but the payment has not been completed? Then add a line to the shipping criteria based on the status.
 
Questions to be answered tab section
This tab is available only for a workflow message.
This is where you determine which questions must be answered by the recipient of the workflow message. The lists contain the identifiers of the questions. Click on an identifier to view the associated question in the text part on the right.

The questions which you select here as 'Questions to be answered', will not be part of the form when it is initially completed. Therefore, they will be visible only to recipients of workflow messages.

Once the form has been supplemented from within a workflow message, the link in this message will no longer function. Therefore, the recipient of the workflow message cannot edit the questions again.
With the 'Edit form entries' check box, you can specify whether to enable a recipient of the workflow message to edit the original answers of the completed form. If you do not check this box, then the answers are still displayed but will be read-only.

If you do not specify any 'Questions to be answered', you can grant access to the completed form. It can only be consulted then and it will have a 'Close' button instead of a 'Send' button.
 

Moment of sending
The email messages are sent each time the form is sent. There are three exceptions to this rule:
  1. You have a message where the completed form does not meet the sending criteria that you have specified;
  2. You have activated the 'Email verification' setting. The messages are sent as soon as the person completing the form has verified the e-mail address;
  3. You have activated the 'Visitor must confirm entries' setting. The messages are sent as soon as the person completing the form has confirmed the form entries.
From the results overview you have the option to re-send email messages using the menu or toolbar.
 

Secured messages
Unlike the data transfer of Internet pages, no standardized method is available yet for email traffic to prevent unauthorized persons from reading intercepted messages. Formdesk therefore offers the possibility, as part of the ‘Secure data transfer' feature, to protect the message as well as the PDF attachment. With standard subscriptions plans, it is possible to take an additional subscription to this optional feature. It is included in business subscriptions.
The message will be placed in a password-protected ZIP file. You can also create a password for the PDF document. These passwords may be identical. You must personally inform the parties concerned of these passwords.
For the messages intended for the persons who completed the form, a unique password is generated for each person who completed a form. At the Message on screen upon form completion setting, you can use the system code [_fd_EncryptPassword] to communicate the password to the person who completed the form.