Jenzabar Campus Portal Features Help Hub

Custom PDF Merge

Important

Information and features vary according to the roles to which you belong and the permissions associated with those roles. For more information, contact your module manager or your campus support team.

Custom PDF Merge allows you to upload fillable PDF forms and map a user's FormFlow form answers to the PDF fields. The Custom PDF Merge functionality is listed under Tools in the form menu. This a form-specific tool which means it will need to be applied to each form you wish to use it with.

Completed PDF forms are not accessible via Campus Portal but can be accessed by sending the completed PDF form to a designated email address as an attachment.

How To
Add and Map a Fillable PDF to a Form

  1. Navigate to FormFlow - Forms.

  2. Click Manage Forms.

  3. Click the form you want to configure the custom PDF for.

  4. Click the Tools drop-down from the FormFlow menu and select Custom PDF Merge.

  5. Click the Choose a file button. A browser window opens.

  6. Navigate to and select the fillable PDF you wish to upload.

    Note

    This must be a valid fillable PDF created in a program such as Adobe Acrobat.

  7. Click Open. The name of the file now displays on the page.

  8. Click the Upload file button. More custom PDF merge options appear.

    Tip

    If you want to replace the file you uploaded, click the Update button next to the Current PDF Document option. The currently uploaded PDF is removed and you are directed to the PDF upload screen. Repeat steps 6-8 to select a new PDF file.

  9. To make the mapping active for this form and PDF, go to the Custom PDF Merge Mapping Active option and select Yes. If you wish to keep the mapping inactive for this form and PDF, select No.

    Note

    When the Custom PDF Merge Mapping Active is set to Yes, FormFlow will fill the mapped answers into the custom PDF and will use the resulting file anywhere the submission PDF is referenced. If it is set to No, the default report view will be converted into a PDF and used instead.

  10. Configure the mapping for each fillable field on the PDF form:

    1. For checkbox fields:

      1. Go to the Checkbox Field column and select the corresponding checkbox.

        Note

        FormFlow fields mapped to a PDF checkbox field must have a Boolean value (i.e. true, TRUE, 1) and can be a checkbox, drop-down, or radio button. If the FormFlow field is a checkbox question with multiple options or non-Boolean values, do NOT select the Checkbox Field option. See the next step to map the value as a form response.

    2. For other field types:

      1. Click the Mapping Action drop-down and select one of the options listed below.

        • None - No value will be populated for this field.

        • Custom Value - A static value will be entered into this field on the form. Enter in the static value that will be entered into the PDF form field.

          Notice

          If the field is for the fiscal year, you can enter in the static value of "2016-2017" so that it will be automatically entered into the PDF field for each form submission.

        • Form Response - The response from a specific question will be used to fill the specified field on the PDF form. Select the Unique ID of the FormFlow form item you wish to populate the PDF form field from the drop-down list that appears.

          Notice

          If you select Email from the drop-down, FormFlow will take the user's response to this form question and fill the currently selected PDF form field with that value.

        • LSR Value - A literal string replacer variable will be used to fill the field. Type @@ and select a literal string replacer from the list that appears.

          Notice

          If you select @@FirstName, the user's first name will populate that PDF form field.

  11. Click Save Mapping when you finish configuring the mapping settings for each fields on the PDF.

  12. Click Done to go back to your FormFlow form.

Set up a Form to Send an Email with the Completed PDF Attached

Note

Before following these steps, you must follow the steps outlined above and first add and map a fillable PDF to the form with the Custom PDF Merge Mapping Active option set to Yes.

  1. Navigate to FormFlow - Forms.

  2. Click Manage Forms.

  3. Click the form you want to configure the custom PDF for.

  4. Navigate to the button you wish to add the Email: Send rule to (e.g., the Submit button at the end of your form).

  5. Right click on the button and select Properties to open the Edit Item popup.

  6. Navigate to the Rules tab.

  7. Click Add Step. Fields to enter a new rule appear.

  8. From the condition drop-down, select If answer value is.

  9. Enter * in the answer value field to the right of the If answer value is field.

    Note

    Entering in this value ensures that FormFlow executes the action when the button is clicked by the user.

  10. From the action drop-down, select Email: Send. An email template drop-down appears to the right.

  11. If you have previously created an email template for sending the completed PDF, select it from the email template drop-down. If you do not currently have an email template set up for sending the completed PDF, click the Add icon. Follow the steps below to complete the email template setup in the Edit Item pop-up.

    1. From the Send Event drop-down, select either Save or Submit.

      Notice

      If you have setup your Submit button to execute the Form: Submit rule, you can choose Submit from the Send Event drop-down to send the email when the form is submitted.

    2. In the Email From field, enter the email address to be used as the sender's email. The email address must be in the same domain as your Campus Portal server.

      Note

      If you do not enter an email address, the Campus Portal Default SMTP address is used (configured in Site Manager > Framework Settings > Email).

    3. If you want to send the completed PDF form to a specific email address, in the Email To Address field, enter the email address that will receive the completed PDF form (e.g., the email address for your school's admissions office).

    4. If you want to send the completed PDF form to an email address the recipient entered in a question field, select the Unique ID of the corresponding question in the Email To Answer drop-down.

    5. Enter the email Subject.

      Tip

      You can use literal string replacers such as @@FirstName or unique IDs of questions such as {ZipCode}  to add information to the email based on information they entered in the form.

    6. Check the Include Submission checkbox to ensure the PDF for the form submission is included as an email attachment. An Attachment Name Format field appears.

    7. Enter the format for the PDF name in the Attachment Name Format field.

      Tip

      You can use string replacers in your attachment name format such as @@FirstName or the unique IDs of questions such as {LastName}. For example, if you enter @@FirstName-{LastName} into the Attachment Name Format field, and Nancy Wheeler submits the form, FormFlow will pull the user's first name and the value the user enters in the LastName field to name the attachment "Nancy-Wheeler.pdf".

      Note

      If no Attachment Name Format is provided, the default attachment will be named "SubmissionYYYY-MM-DD.pdf".

    8. Enter the content of your email in the Message field.

      Tip

      You can use literal string replacers such as @@FirstName, unique IDs of questions such as {ZipCode}, update the format, create bullet and numbered lists, add a link, include an image or file, and work directly with the HTML.

    9. Click Save Template to return to the Rules tab.

    10. From the email template drop-down, select the email template you just created.

      Tip

      The email template's name is the same as what you entered into the Subject field.

  12. Click Save Changes.