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1. Making Adjustments on the Custom Form
Use Microsoft Word to create the Form Template. Often the template is already an existing paper-based form or Microsoft Word-based document. Think of the Form Template in terms of a pre-printed form that is ready to be filled out by a User. The Template must include all static information, just as a pre-printed form would – for example, the document title, business details, headings, etc.
NOTE
The Form Template must always be saved in the .docx Microsoft Word format.The example below is an original form.
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1.1 For each Field within the Form Template that the User is required to action, you must create a Field Code. A Field Code can consist of any alpha-numeric text combination that you wish, and must be enclosed in Braces. Braces, or Squiggly Brackets look like this: { }
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2. Creating a Check-Box for Yes/No and Multiple-Choice Responses
2.1. If working with an existing Microsoft Word document, delete the existing Check-box (if applicable)
2.2 Place the cursor where you wish to create a Check-box and choose the Developer Tab in the Ribbon.
2.3 Click the Check Box Content Control
A new Check-box will appear in the location where you positioned the cursor.
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2.4 Click the Check-box and then choose Properties from the Developer Tab. The Content Control Properties pop-up window will display.
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2.5 Enter the Field Code into the Tag text box (A). Note that for Check-boxes you do not need to include the enclosing Braces. When ready, click the OK button.
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If our example was multiple-choice, our Field Codes could look something like:
Main Code: pcon
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Option B: pcon_Barries
Option C: pcon_Warning signs
3. To enter a Signature or Capture/Attach a photo:
3.1 Insert a sample picture in the Field where you want the Signature or Photo to display by placing the cursor in this Field and choosing the Insert Tab in the Ribbon.
3.2 Click the Pictures icon. The Insert Picture pop-up window will display.
3.3 Locate your placeholder picture and click the Insert button. Your placeholder picture will now be inserted into the Form Template.
3.4 Right-click on the placeholder picture you just inserted and choose Format Picture from the pop-up menu. The Format Picture slide-out menu will appear at the side of the screen.
3.5 Select the Layout and Properties icon (A), click on Alt Text (B) to expand the Alt Text menu and then enter the Field Code into the Title text box (C). Note that for Signature and Photo Fields you do not need to include the enclosing Braces.
When ready, click the X (D).
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3.6 Once you have completed creating all the required Field Codes for the Form Template, save the template. IMPORTANT – Form Templates must be saved as the .docx format.
4. Adding Standard Fields
Standard Fields include information such as Job Number, Customer Name, Customer Address, etc. When you include Standard Fields in a Form Template, they will automatically populate from the data in Ascora when the Form is generated. This increases efficiency by saving the User having to enter information which is already available in Ascora.
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5. Upload the Form Template into Ascora
5.1 Log in to your Ascora Account. Select the Advanced icon from the Top Menu and choose the Custom Forms option. A list of all your Custom Forms will be displayed.
5.2 To create a new Custom Form, click the +Add New button. The Add New Custom Form pop-up window will display.
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5.3 Enter a Name for your Custom From. When ready, click the Save button. The Custom Form details screen will display.
5.4 Click the Upload New Template button to upload the Form Template you just created by locating the Form Template on your computer and click the Open button.
5.5 When ready, click the Save button at the far top-right of the screen.
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6. Create Form Questions
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6.1 Field Name – a name you create in Ascora to identify the Question (A). Typically, this will correlate to the field name/heading that is on the actual Form
6.2 Field Code – the value you enter here must match the Field Code you entered on the Form Template for that particular field, however you do not include the enclosing Braces (B)
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A. For fields such as company name, logo, document titles headings, etc, the Field Code value should be a dash symbol 
. This will allow this information to display on the form input screen in the Mobile App without requiring any action from the User
B. For Fields with multiple answer options (such as Yes/No or multi-choice A/B/C/etc), enter the Field Code without the suffix extension. For example, in Step 3.5 we entered a Field Code in the Tag box as thaz_yes. In the Field Code for the corresponding Ascora Question, we will simply enter thaz
6.3 Description – will display as a subheading or instruction/information line on the form in the App to provide the User with additional information about the specific question (C
6.4 Must Be Filled Out Box – when this is Checked, the question is made mandatory for the User to complete (D). The User will not be able to finalise the Form without completing mandatory questions
6.5 Has Comments – typically used for multiple choice questions, when Checked this will create a comments box on the form that allows the User to provide additional information related to the question with free text entry (E
6.6 Choose an Answer Type from the drop-down menu (F). Some answer types will display additional options when selected (G)
6.7 After you have entered the information for a Question, click the Save button
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You can make adjustments on your Custom Form such as adding questions, making formatting changes, adding the capability of taking more photos, adding options to add more signatures, etc. Follow the steps below when you want to make adjustments on your custom form.
In this user guide, we will cover the following scenarios.
- Making formatting changes
- Adding a signature field
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Downloading Custom Form Template
1. Download your custom form by going to Advanced → Custom Forms and click View beside the Custom Form Name which is basically the form that you need to update.
2. Click Download Template and it will download the Word Document file which you can edit or make formatting changes or content changes.
Making Adjustments on your Custom Form Template
Open the Word Document template that you've downloaded and make the necessary adjustments. Please note that there are two types of adjustments that you can make;
Formatting Changes - such as changing the look and appearance of the form, making the font size bigger or smaller, adding logos, or formatting some tables.
Note: When you make formatting changes on the custom form, you won't need to make adjustments In Ascora web Custom Form area. After making the formatting changes, all you need to do is to re-upload the form into Ascora.
Content Changes - such as adding more details, adding another set of information in a table or in a form of checklist, or perhaps adding an area for more signatures or more photos.
Note: When you make content changes on the custom form, you will need to make adjustments In Ascora web Custom Form area.
Formatting Changes
1. Access the Word Document file and make the necessary formatting changes.
In this example, we will make formatting changes by increasing the font size and changing the table colours.
2. After making the formatting changes, save the document so you can upload it back to Ascora.
Note: If you anticipate to make trial and error or some tests on the custom form formatting changes, ensure to save a copy of the original file so you have something to go back to when you decide not to proceed with the changes.
Image below shows the formatting adjustments that we've completed.
3. Go back to Ascora web Custom Form area and click Upload New Template then click Save.
Note: If you navigated away from the Custom Form page, you can go back by clicking Advanced → Custom Forms and click View beside the Custom Form Name that you are editing then click Upload New Template.
Testing your Custom Form on your Mobile App
Make sure to do synchronisation first before running the testing.
1. Access your job from the mobile app.
2. Navigate to Custom Forms tab and tap the + button.
The form that appears should already be the updated version.
3. Click Generate and it should create a PDF version.
Remember not to use a draft or previously saved custom form to do the testing. Always tap the + button to test a new one.
Note: If you make changes to the forms on the website, on the app after synchronisation, you will need to reselect the form as if you are filling in a new form. Do not use back the same form that you previously saved which will normally show on the screen as a line item as this will not be updated with the latest adjustments. In a real scenario, you do not want your previous forms completed and saved a few days or weeks ago to have the latest adjustments which was not applicable previously. |
Content Changes
Access the Word Document file and make the necessary content changes.
In this example, we will make a content change by adding a signature field. Other content changes that you can make are adding fields to add photos, creating a checklist or task list, etc.
1. To add a signature, you need to insert a Signature placeholder which could be an image file by going to Insert → Photos → then select your signature or image place holder.
You may download the sample below and use it instead.
2. On your custom form, right click the image and select Format Picture.
4. Select Alt Text and under Title, enter a name which basically becomes your unique field code and click Close.
In this example, our field code is Signature and it must be exactly the same format when we enter this in Ascora Form Question later.
5. Go back to Ascora Custom Form page and Click New Question.
6. Enter the Field Name, Field Code, and select Signature as your Answer Type and click Save.
Testing your Custom Form on your Mobile App
Make sure to do synchronisation first before running the testing.
1. Access your job from the mobile app.
2. Navigate to Custom Forms tab and tap the + button.
The form that appears should already be the updated version.
3. Once the custom form is displayed, you would be able to add your signature.
Click Generate to proceed and it should create a PDF version.
Remember not to use a draft or previously saved custom form to do the testing. Always tap the + button to test a new one.
| Note: If you make other changes such as adding a field to add a photo, you can just follow the steps above but this time, assign a unique field code. You can then go back to Ascora Custom Form area and add a New Question and select the answer type as Photo. |
List of Answer Types that you can select when creating or adding a Custom Form question
NUMBER – restricts User input to numeric values only
TEXT – use for short, alpha-numeric answers. For example, a Task Name or a short answer
MEMO – use for questions which require longer answers
DATE – use for date entry fields
MULTIPLE CHOICE – use for Yes/No or multi-choice questions. When selected, an option list will display for you to enter the available options for te User to choose from (eg, Yes, No, etc)
MULTIPLE CHOICE, MULTIPLE ANSWER – works in a similar fashion to Multiple Choice however the User is able to select more than one of the available options
SIGNATURE – use to capture and insert a Signature
HEADING – choose this Answer Type for all company names, logos, document titles, headings, etc
PHOTO – used to capture and/or insert images. The user will have the option to take a photo using the mobile device, or attach a photo that already exists on the mobile device.
7. Create a Question for a Checkbox or Multiple-Choice Response
a. Enter the Field Name and Description as before. Choose whether to mark this Question as Must Be Filled Out and/or Has Comments
b. Enter the Field Code. Remember that for Checkbox or Multiple-Choice Questions, the Field Code must be the Main Code (See Step 2.6)
c. Select the Answer Type as Multiple Choice or Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer. A series of Options Boxes will appear
d. Enter the choices available to the user in the Options boxes.
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8. Test the Form Using the Ascora Mobile App
To test the Form, log in to the Ascora Mobile App on your phone or tablet. It is important to work through the form in its entirety to ensure every field is configured and working correctly and also to ensure the final outputted form is correctly formatted. The screenshots below are based on the iPad version of the Ascora Mobile App.
8.1 Log in to the Mobile App by entering your User email address and assigned Pin Code
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8.2 If no Jobs are showing in the list, tap the Filter icon on the Side Menu. The Filter options will display.
8.3 In the WHEN section, activate Past, Today and Tomorrow by tapping the respective icons. In the STATUS section, activate Scheduled, In Progress and Completed. When ready, tap Apply.
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8.4 Select any Job that is displayed in the List by tapping it. This will display the Job Card.
8.5 Tap the Forms icon on the Side Menu. This will display the Job Forms screen.
8.6 Tap the +Add icon. This will display a drop-down list of all available Custom Forms. Select the Custom Form you wish to test by tapping it.
8.7 Work through the form, answering all the questions to identify any configuration issues. Once you have completed all the answers, tap Save.
8.8 A PDF version of the Form will now generate. Check through the PDF to identify any issues with the final output
NOTE
The Customer Form will not be available in the Ascora Mobile App unless:
- A Form Template has been uploaded into Ascora
- The Ascora Mobile App has been synchronised
APPENDIX A – Available Standard Fields
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SiteCustomerName
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SiteCustomerFirstName
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SiteCustomerLastName
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SiteCustomerPhone
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SiteCustomerFax
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SiteCustomerMobile
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SiteCustomerAlternatePhone
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SiteCustomerEmail
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SiteAddressLine1
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SiteAddressLine2
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SiteAddressLine3
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Billing Customer
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BillingCustomerName
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BillingCustomerFirstName
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BillingCustomerLastName
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BillingCustomerPhone
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BillingCustomerFax
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BillingCustomerMobile
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BillingCustomerAlternatePhone
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BillingCustomerEmail
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BillingAddressLine1
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BillingAddressLine2
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BillingAddressLine3
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Job
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JobAddressLine1
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JobSuburb
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JobPostcode
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JobState
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JobCustomField1
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JobCustomField2
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JobSectionName
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JobNumber
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JobSummary
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JobWorkUndertaken
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JobTotalExTax
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Service Tech
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UserFirstName
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UserName
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UserJobTitle
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UserMobile
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Custom Forms
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FormCompletedDate
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FormCompletedTime