Basics
When creating a form, there are three parts that makes a form:
Header
Body
Footer
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
All format that you may add to your forms (font, font size, font color, background color, etc.) will not impact the visual of your forms in Paperless Forms. We do encourage you to add colors and format to give you a visual aid while looking at your spreadsheet.
Do not merge columns anywhere except for row groups in static tables.
Part I: Header
The header is at the top of a form at all time and is in the first three cells of a form:
Form Title
Use cell A1 to create the title of your form.
This title will be the one used in Paperless Forms and will be seen in the top left corner of your form.
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
Please note that the title of the Excel file does not impact the name of the form in Paperless Forms.
Default Tags
Use cell A2 to create the default tags for your form.
The tags will be located under the title of the form and will be featured in beige labels.
A tag can be whatever you intend it to be. Simply put your desired tag between square brackets ("[" and "]") and add as many as you wish next to one another.
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
Please note that tags are incredibly case sensitive. If you have a tag named [HACCP] and you use a tag on another form named [haccp], these are completely different tags being used. You also need to be careful with the spaces and accents.
Form Time
Optionally, use cell A3 to add the keyword Hourly to add the current time to the already available date on your form.
Right below the title of your form, you will be able to see Today's date by default (or another one if you changed it). If you use this optional cell, you will see the time being added as well.
You can change both the date and the time if you tap on it.
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
Please note that we suggest you leave this cell available to possibly add the «Hourly» keyword in the future if needed and to make sure all of your forms have the same header, Hourly or not.
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
Skip Row 4 to separate the header from the body.
Start your body on Row 5.
Part II: Body
The body can contain four types of content:
Title
Field
Static Table
Dynamic Table
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
You can have an unlimited number of fields in your form. They can be located before, between or after tables or titles.
You can have up to 24 tables in your forms. They can be located before, between or after fields or titles.
You can an unlimited number of titles in your forms. They can be located before, between and after fields or tables.
Section Title
Use column A on one row to create a section title.
You can create titles that can help you identify sections in your form.
There are no limit on the number of titles you can create.
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
If your title is too long, you might see "..." appearing at the end of your title. You can tap on your title to see it entirely.
Otherwise, you could also opt for a line break in your title, to display more of it.
Or else, you might want to opt for a label instead. A label will allow you to have a long text that will wrap on your form to show it entirely. You can find an example of a label in the picture below.
Field
Use method ABC on one row to create a field.
This method is called this way due to the fact we are using columns A, B and C to create a field:
Column A: Title of the field, that can be anything you wish it to be.
Column B: Keyword, that will define what the field does when you fill it. The keywords have been created by our development team and are at your disposal to facilitate your form creation.
Column C: Validation rule, that will allow you to create red flags, formulas and other important rules. It is optional, but needs to be accounted for even though it might be empty and not used. The validation rules have been created by our development team and are at your disposal to facilitate your form creation.
There are no limit on the number of fields you can create.
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
You can only have one field per row.
You need to start your field in column A.
Here is the list of keywords you can use:
Here is the list of validation rules you can use:
Static Table
Use method 123 in one column to create a column.
This method is called this way due to the fact we are using three rows one after another in the same column of your spreadsheet to create a column.
A static table means that it will contain rows from the beginning and you will not be able to add any as you fill in the form.
Row 1: Title of the column, that can be anything you wish it to be.
Row 2: Keyword, that will define what the field does when you fill it. The keywords have been created by our development team and are at your disposal to facilitate your form creation.
Row 3: Validation rule, that will allow you to create red flags, formulas and other important rules. It is optional, but needs to be accounted for even though it might be empty and not used. The validation rules have been created by our development team and are at your disposal to facilitate your form creation.
There are no limit on the number of columns you can create.
There is a limit of 24 tables you can create within a single form.
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
You need at least two columns to create a table.
The static table is the only place where you can create row groups (merged cells to create subsections).
The row group will stick at the top of the table until you reach another row group or if you reach the end of the table.
If you want to use a row group, you need to start your table with a row group. You cannot have a row group in the middle of a table without having one to begin with.
Make sure to add an empty row at the end of your table to separate it from other tables or fields.
We call it method 123, but you don't have to be on row 1, 2 and 3 (these are reserved for the header, anyway). It is just to represent the fact you need to create a column using three consecutive rows wherever you are in the form.
Your first column needs to be in column A.
Here is the list of keywords you can use:
Here is the list of validation rules you can use:
Example of a row group:
Dynamic Table
Use method 123 in one column to create a column.
This method is called this way due to the fact we are using three rows one after another in the same column of your spreadsheet to create a column.
A dynamic table means that it will contain no rows from the beginning and you will have access to a "ghost row" that will allow you to add an infinite number of rows.
Row 1: Title of the column, that can be anything you wish it to be.
Row 2: Keyword, that will define what the field does when you fill it. The keywords have been created by our development team and are at your disposal to facilitate your form creation.
Row 3: Validation rule, that will allow you to create red flags, formulas and other important rules. It is optional, but needs to be accounted for even though it might be empty and not used. The validation rules have been created by our development team and are at your disposal to facilitate your form creation.
There are no limit on the number of columns you can create.
There is a limit of 24 tables you can create within a single form.
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
You need at least two columns to create a table.
Only generated rows will become mandatory or will see their validation rules being applied.
The "ghost row" will always be the last visible row of your table, giving you the opportunity to add another one at your convenience. The "ghost row" will not trigger red flags or validation rules as it is only there to allow you to add more rows.
Make sure to add an empty row at the end of your table to separate it from other tables or fields.
When highlighting a row, you can delete it by clicking on the "-" icon on the far left of the row.
We call it method 123, but you don't have to be on row 1, 2 and 3 (these are reserved for the header, anyway). It is just to represent the fact you need to create a column using three consecutive rows wherever you are in the form.
Your first column needs to be in column A.
A great suggestion from us would be to always identify your dynamic table with a blank row (as shown in the picture below).
Here is the list of keywords you can use:
Here is the list of validation rules you can use:
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
Skip one row following the end of the body of your form to start creating the footer.
Part III: Footer
The footer contains only three keywords:
Footerleft: This will be the left part of your footer
Footercenter: This will be the middle part of your footer
Footerright: This will be the right part of your footer
You need to insert those keywords in column A and add in column B what you intend to see in your actual footer.
⚠️ IMPORTANT:
The whole footer is only on one row. It will not wrap if it is too long.
Each footer (left, center, right) will take their ⅓ of the page. Not using one of them will not give you more space.
There is a default footer that you will see if you don't add your footer. It displays the title you set in cell A1 (left), Version 1 (center) and the current day's date (right). These information will not change or increment as you go, so it is preferable if you create your own footer.
If your footer is too long, you will see "..." at the end of your footer but you will not be able to see it in any way. If this happen, shorten your footer.
Possible Errors/Issues While Creating
When building a form, there a different issues that might occur. Here is the list of possible issues that you could encounter:
Error message upon opening new form
Issue: This specific error message appears when the form is empty.
Solution: Add a title (or anything, really) to see this error disappear.
Error message "Verify: [...]"
Issue: This specific error message appears when you target a field or column in a validation rule but this field either does not exist or is spelled wrong.
In this example, "FIELD" is the wrong name of the target.
The error will display the name that is not found, which will help you to find the error.
Solution: Having the right targeted field/column's title in the validation rule will fix this issue.
Field/Table Not Appearing
Issue: There is no error message, but adding a field or a column does not work, nothing appears.
Solution: A keyword used in a field/column is not a valid one, you need to make sure it is either an approved keyword or written properly.
Field/Table Disappearing
Issue: There is no error message, but a field or an entire table disappears.
Solution: A keyword used in a field/column is not a valid one, you need to make sure it is either an approved keyword or written properly.
Table With One Column Not Displaying
Issue: There is no error message, but a table with one column does not show on form.
Solution: A table needs at least two columns to generate. Only one column will create Section titles within a form.
Validation Rule Not Working
Issue: There is no error message, but one or more than one validation rule does not work in a form (within a field and/or a column).
Solution: A validation rule used in a field/column is not a valid one, you need to make sure it is either an approved validation rule or written properly.
External List Not Listing Items
Issue: There is no error message, but one or more than one external list is not listing items.
Solution #1: Make sure the list is within the Lists folder of your Dropbox/Google Drive folder.
Solution #2: If the list was newly created and added to the folder, it may take up to 10 minutes to synchronize in your system.
Any future update to the list will take a minute or two before being added to the list.
Solution #3: If it has been a while since the list was added to the folder and created, make sure to load the form using the list again in the Editor mode in the Paperless Forms app.
Solution #4: Make sure the referenced columns in the list is the exact same as the title in your field/column.
Solution #5: Make sure the list name targeted in the field/column is written properly and is exactly the same.
Solution #6: Contact our support team in order for us to investigate furthermore.
Matrix Not Filling Table
Issue: There is no error message, but a matrix does not fill a table.
Solution #1: Make sure the matrix is within the Lists folder of your Dropbox/Google Drive folder.
Solution #2: If the matrix was newly created and added to the folder, it may take up to 10 minutes to synchronize in your system.
Any future update to the matrix will take a minute or two before being added to the matrix.
Solution #3: If it has been a while since the list was added to the folder and created, make sure to load the form using the matrix again in the Editor mode in the Paperless Forms app.
Solution #4: Make sure the referenced columns in the matrix are the exact same as the ones in your columns.
Solution #5: Make sure the matrix name targeted is written properly in the validation rule and is exactly the same as the Excel file.
Solution #6: Make sure there is an additional underscore bar ("_") after the name of the matrix in your validation rule.
This subtle addition is added by the system automatically to separate every column in the matrix after the "!" separator.
Solution #7: Contact our support team in order for us to investigate furthermore.
Important Additional Notes
Please note that if your field/column contains the Optional or the Invalid when empty if [...] rules, they won't be mandatory to fill. Any other rule, or a blank column C/row 3, will automatically make the field mandatory for completion.
To target fields/columns in your validation rules, you might need to differentiate your titles. Two titles that are exactly the same and are targeted in two different rules won't work. Add a subsection text in the title or simply a space at the end of your second title (and more in the next ones). The spaces don't show on the application, but make a difference in your programming.
When targeting fields/columns in your validations rules, make sure the title does not contain a reserved keyword that might not let your validation rule work. Words like "IS" or "IF" are reserved, and you should modify your titles accordingly.
Although they are being useful, try avoid using spaces in your titles as they can be hard to find when you are reviewing your form for errors. They are also automatically removed in formulas, making some of them not working at all because of the fact you added them in your titles.
Try avoid using hyphens ("-"), plus signs ("+"), asterisks ("*") or slashes ("/") within your titles to avoid issues within your possible formulas. Hyphens will be treated as subtractions, plus signs as sums, asterisks as multiplications and slashes as divisions in formulas, even though they are part of your title!
If you are targeting the same drop-down list multiple times in a form, you will need to duplicate this drop-down list and rename it so it is different from the other one, either by adding a subsection text or spaces.
You cannot use results of a formula in a SET [...] rule. Those results are dynamic and cannot be used this way. You can still use them in Invalid rules, though!
If you're using our master list and auto-populating system, tables you generated will be automatically overwritten and you will lose any information you might have in them. Only information from the master list can be auto-populated in the tables. Fields are not affected by the auto-population.
Paperless Forms reads the first tab on the far left of the spreadsheet to display it in the Editor mode. We suggest you use the tabs to manage all your different revisions and to keep a traceability on them. You can also use one of the tabs to create yourself a log book, as Paperless Forms does not currently have a log book system.