Fill in a Form

Updated over a week ago

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3 min read

Overview

This action allows users to start their workflows without a file, just by entering the necessary data by filling in a form. When a user starts a workflow, they are prompted to submit the data and from that data, Willow produces a PDF document that continues its processing through the workflow.

You can also think of this action as the fourth way to start a workflow, besides uploading, scanning and emailing a file.

Starting the Workflow

  • This action has to be the first action in the workflow
  • When a workflow has this action, you can only start it by filling in a form. You can't upload, scan or email files to it.
  • The workflow is started by clicking the bottom right button on the workflow tile. The user is then taken to the File View with the form to fill in on the right side and a live preview of the document on the left.
  • When a user fills in the form, Willow creates a PDF document consisting of that data and styles it properly.

  • The generated document will look like this (Name, Date and Reason are form inputs in this case):

    Fill in a Form

     

    • Datepicker in the form will be shown in the current user language.
      • Date values in the generated document will be presented in the long format of organisational language (e.g. 19 March 2025).
    • User type in the form and generated document will be shown as “User Name (Email)”
    • Display text of the option in the form will be shown in the list type dropdown.
      • The value of the list type option will be shown in the generated document.
  • That document continues through the workflow as if it was created outside Willow and uploaded.
  • Upon submitting, the initial Document Created history item will be created with the link to the generated document.
    • Dates and numbers will be shown in user language in the history item, but when using it as metadata it will be translated into organisational language
  • Using the created document's form data in other actions is very similar to the Supply Information's form data usage
    • The entered form data is stored along with the file (under the hood) and may be used as the metadata in subsequent actions (with each input as a separate metadata option)
    • More on this in Metadata Concept chapter (under Form Data bullet).
  • Trying to start the workflow in any way other than submitting the form will result in an appropriate error message
    • Files dragged&dropped to the Workflow Tile will be rejected with the modal dialog error message
    • Files emailed to this workflow will get a rejection email
    • Files scanned to this workflow will be moved to user's personal inbox and the rejection email will be sent to the user.

Configuration

  • This action's configuration looks a lot like the Supply Information configuration
  • A user creates form inputs, which can be Text, Number, Email, User, Date or List (Dropdown) type. Each input has a name and its value will be filled in by whoever fills in the form.
  • Instructions on how to fill in the form must be specified
  • Document Title and Text will influence the content of each created document, they will precede the form data.
  • Document Title will be used for the created document's title and for the file name of the created document (timestamp and file's unique identifier will be added so file names are unique).
  • Document Text is optional, and if specified, it will be added to the document content, below the title and above the form data.
  • Check the image in the previous chapter to see how these fields will be positioned in the document's layout.
  • When the Fill in a form action is modified (or added or removed), the files currently in the workflow can't be restarted. This is because the information used to create documents has changed, so the existing documents are outdated. A user who configures the workflow will only be allowed to delete all files when saving the workflow.
  • If this action is not modified and the user chooses the Restart Files option when saving the workflow, the files will restart from the second workflow step (just after the Fill in a form action). The document will revert to it's original state, as it was just generated from the Fill in a Form action.

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