Document Generator

Vanessa5

I am in the process of designing a daily form that needs to be filled out. However, I'm facing an issue when mapping the form fields to the document generator. Currently, the generated PDF populates the same answer (S, U, or N/A) for all days. My intention is to have the field allow for daily input, with the information mapping to each corresponding day on the PDF. Is it possible to achieve this functionality?

Bassam Khalil

Hi @Vanessa5,

To address the issue you're facing with designing a daily form in Smartsheet that maps to a document generator, where the goal is to have the form fields allow for daily input and correctly map these inputs to each corresponding day on the generated PDF, you'll need to follow a specific setup. This involves ensuring that your form inputs are correctly captured in Smartsheet and then accurately mapped to the document generator template. Here's a step-by-step guide to achieve this functionality:

1. Set Up Your Smartsheet Correctly

• Create a New Sheet: Start by creating a new sheet in Smartsheet that will capture the daily form submissions. Each row in this sheet should represent a day's submission.
• Add Columns for Each Day: For daily tracking, ensure you have a column for the date and additional columns for each question or item on your form. This structure allows for unique entries for each day.

2. Configure Your Form

• Create a Form for Daily Submission: Use Smartsheet's form feature to create a form that submits data into the sheet you've set up. Ensure each field on the form corresponds to a column in your sheet. The date field is crucial as it differentiates submissions by day.
• Guidance for Users: Instruct users to fill out the form daily. They should select or input the correct date for each submission, ensuring that data is captured for the correct day.

3. Setting Up Document Generation

• Select a Document Generation Tool: If you're using Smartsheet's native document generation capabilities or a third-party connector (like DocuSign, WebMerge, or Zapier), ensure it's set up to pull data from your Smartsheet.
• Map Fields Carefully: When setting up the template for your PDF, map each field in the document to the corresponding column in your Smartsheet. This step is crucial to ensure that the data for each day populates correctly in the generated PDF.
• Dynamic Date Filtering: Implement a mechanism to filter submissions by the date when generating the document. This could involve setting up a query or filter that selects only the row(s) corresponding to the specific day you're generating the document for. This functionality depends on the capabilities of the document generation tool you're using.

4. Test and Iterate

• Conduct Thorough Testing: Before rolling out the form for daily use, test the entire process from form submission to PDF generation. Ensure that submissions for different days correctly populate the corresponding fields in the PDF.
• Adjust as Needed: Based on your testing, you may need to adjust the form, the sheet structure, or the mapping in the document generation setup. It's crucial to get this right to ensure data accuracy.

Troubleshooting Tips

• Check Mapping Regularly: If you encounter issues where the same answer populates for all days, revisit the mapping between your Smartsheet columns and the document template. There might be a misalignment causing this issue.
• Ensure Date Accuracy: Double-check that the form's date input is correctly captured and stored in your sheet. Incorrect dates can lead to data misalignment.
• Consult Documentation: Both Smartsheet and your document generation tool's documentation can be valuable resources for troubleshooting and understanding advanced functionalities.

By following these steps, you should be able to create a daily form that allows for input specific to each day and correctly maps this information to a generated PDF document. If you're using a specific document generation tool and encounter tool-specific issues, consulting the tool's support or community forums can also provide targeted advice and solutions.

Andrée Starå

Hi @Vanessa5

I hope you're well and safe!

You should add a so-called helper sheet and some helper columns to make it work because Document Builder only references one row. (You could then have the submitter select the correct day or have it automatically populate the correct column in the helper sheet.

You'd use cross-sheet formulas to the helper sheet to collect answers for each machine together with each day on the same row.

Make sense?

Would that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe, and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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