Form Creator Tool: Save & Return

Enabling Save & Return on your interactive form allows your users to complete part of the form fields and come back later - with all their populated data saved. This is ideal for longer forms, or forms that may involve multiple contributors.

If the user would like to save their progress and return later, they will be required to enter an email address. Once they click Save & Return, Site Manager will save their form with their progress and provide a unique URL link and password. The user receives that information via email and can return to the form at their convenience to finish data entry.

Forms saved in progress are held in a separate "queue" and are stored in "Saved Forms" in the tool's drop down menu. You can view the saved forms, and if needed, resend the email containing the form's return URL and password.

Enabling the Save & Return is done in the Form Creator's properties, and is an optional setting per tool (form).

Enabling Save & Return

1. Either create a new Form Creator tool, or modify an existing tool. In Properties, check "Save Progress". That will pre-populate "Collect User's Email" field.  Saving progress requires the users email address as the system will email the return URL and password, allowing the user to return to the form and pick up where they left off.
   
2. Enter a "Send From" email address in the email notification section. When Save Progress is selected, the send from email address is required.
3. Click Submit.
4. If you edited the properties of an existing form, you'll see the Save & Return Later button at the bottom of the form. If creating a new form, you will first need to enter at least one field to view the Save & Return option on the page.
   

HOW IT WORKS FOR YOUR USERS

1. A user can click on the "Save & Return Later" button at the bottom of the form at any point of working on the form. You may want to add some text to the form or a content editor above the form explaining that your users have this option if needed. Note that users must enter their email address before clicking "Save & Return Later".
2. When a user chooses to save a form and return to it later on your website, they will be taken to a page which will display the unique URL and unique Form ID and password to return to the form later. Note that this is unique to that user, and will retain all their progress on the form.
3. Users will also receive an email with the URL, their Form ID and password. The user can share this information easily if desired; an example of this need would be if the form required collaboration or approval from the user or user organization before final submission.
4. When the user is ready to return to the form, they can go to that URL. This will prompt them to enter their form ID and password.
5. After entering the correct information, they will be taken to their form with the saved data.
6. They can then complete the form and click "submit" or choose to "Save & Return Later" again. If they save the form again to return later, it will use the same form ID and password as the first Save & Return.

HOW TO RESEND FORM INFORMATION

If a user loses the information that they need to return to the form, you can look it up for them in Site Manager and easily resend it.

1. Login to Site Manager.
2. Go to the page where the form is located.
3. Click on the Tool Menu for your Form Creator tool and Select "View Saved Forms".
4. This will show you a list of saved forms by date and time.
5. Click "View" on the forms to find the one that you need.
6. A pop up window will appear with the saved form information.
7. You can email this information to your user again by clicking the "Re-send email containing password" button at the top of the window.